Is it cheating....

randalljames6

randalljames6

Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
162
Is it cheating to carry a ultimate survival blastmatch?
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Cheating? At what? I've been through this before in other areas of BFC, and its still as tru now, as then. There is no cheating when it comes to wilderness skills. Its important to be able to much with little, so that when the time comes, and that's all you have, you can do what you need to do. In 20 plus years in the woods, I have never seen a Ref blow the whistle on anyone for taking an easier method, to achieve a goal.

I can make friction fires, natural shelters and structures, boil water in a hollowed out log, and make traps. I can also use a Bic, carry a tarp, use a billy can, and eat dry pack food. The latter is alot easier.

If you were referring to survival craft, once again, no, no cheating there. Survival is about taking the easiest way possible, to STAY ALIVE AT ALL COSTS.

If you were referring to a bushcraft competition on friction fire, with judges and spectators. Yeah, it would probably be cheating.

Focus on the goal, not the method to attain it. Fire is the goal, well, get fire, how you do it makes no difference to anyone but you.

Moose
 
Yes. It is a major violation. Since you have provided incontrovertible proof by posting a picture of alleged cheating device you should forfeit said implement and everything attached to it. I'll send you a PM and we can work out the details of the forfeiture.

Outdoor Referee
 
Hey Randall.....

Cheating????.....I certainly hope not.......I use fire a lot....The morning fire and my trips to the woods see me practicing more woodsy craft skills - splitting stuff small, fuzz sticks,etc.....If I am starting the burn barrel fire about once a week I have a small squeeze bottle of diesel and the ever present Bic.....If I am starting a slash/brush fire that I will be feeding stuff into with the tractor forks all day, I like to use a truck tire or two, several rich pine logs and a few gallons of the essence of rural life---Diesel fuel....Know every method, from the most primitive to the most advanced, carry several varieties of ignition when off pavement and use the that which is easiest WHEN YOU ARE IN REAL NEED.....

I HATE to quote the Moose as I fear it increases the OD of his cranium but, "focus on the goal" is damn good advice period and it is especially germane in an OMG situation.......

All Best....

ethan
 
*sigh* Thanks a lot Ethan. There goes my street cred. And my free blast match.....:D
 
tradewater said:
Yes. It is a major violation. Since you have provided incontrovertible proof by posting a picture of alleged cheating device you should forfeit said implement and everything attached to it. I'll send you a PM and we can work out the details of the forfeiture.

Outdoor Referee
Click to expand...

Good call Ref.

Doesn't such a violation also carry a 6 month ban on any outdoor activity?
Such as making fire or shelter building? If you're caught doing such things while under suspension you could be facing serious charges. ;)
 
Really who cares if its cheating, if it works for you then go with it. I would just try to learn other methods like flint and steel or fire bow.
 
Yeah, the term cheating doesn't exist unless you are in some sort of competition. Should you know other ways? Definitely. Should you get some practice with the others ways? Absolutely. Should you worry about what others think about how you start your fire? No. Period. Like someone around here has quoted from ole Moose in their sig, "You didn't cheat. You started the fire, that was the intent. You needed a fire, doesn't matter if you used a road flare. - moosez45"

I have in my kit a firesteel, good 'ole fashioned stormproof matches, a mini-bic lighter, a fresnel lens, firestraws, fatwood, magnesium, some strange mixtures of all of the above, and here soon I might even go so far as to toss in some homemade thermite. Cheating? Heck no. Whatever it takes is just that, whatever it takes.
 
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Has anyone had any success in polishing the bottom of a coke can? I spent a couple of hours trying that one time and couldn't pull it off.

randy
 
tradewater said:
Has anyone had any success in polishing the bottom of a coke can? I spent a couple of hours trying that one time and couldn't pull it off.

randy
Click to expand...

i have polished the bottom of a coke can :) gotta be pretty bored for that.

oh, you mean for a reflector. i GUESS it might work on a SUPER sunny day, during high Summer. no way it's working in the Winter.

by the time you've got that polish going, i bet quite a few people could've had a nice walk, foraged some berries, found the sticks for a drill-bow, made a fire, boiled some raspberry leaf tea with pineneedles, had a nap, and awaited rescue :)

i also used an electric drill :) i got that thing POLISHED. also used reflectors from maglites and other things. you can stick your finger in there. barely got warm :> a magnifying lens works much better. probably a good thing to keep in the kit (a Fresnel flat type :>)
 
One of the "Survivorman" reruns showed Les Stroud falling for that one. He was using chocolate as a polishing medium. Oh yeah...that happened.

I tried it with a Dremel and jewelers rouge and nada. May have been because it was a Schlitz can. Which could also explain a few other things as well...
 
Love me some blastmatch :) I like it because you don't need two hands to operate it. Just in case your BK2 bites you bad you can start a fire w/o having to use both hands. :thumbup:
 
Hey....

I like this....PLEASE everybody tell us all what WON'T work....That is at least as important as what WILL work....If you are cold. tired and dark is coming on KNOW WHAT WILL WORK FOR YOU..,.....PRACTICE what works for you and be able to do it FAST.......

All Best...

ethan
 
At gunschool they drilled into us " if you aint cheatin' you ain't tryin'"

And lonesome dove taught me "a man that won't cheat for a poke, don't want one bad enough"
Besides its not like your burning tires as fuel and igniting them with a gallon of gas and a road flare.
I've done my damage here.
 
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I knew it wasn't cheating but I wanted to stir up everybodys opinion on fire methods. I like the blast match because it the most reliable non lighter method for me. I carry ferro rods most of the time. I have started a bow drill fire once. I really enjoy bush craft methods and like to practice traditional skills.

I may swap out the blastmatch for a gigantic ferro rod 1/2"x5" just because it would be more becker looking.

Thanks for all the coments.

Flexxx a pictinny rail mounted flashlight and flame thrower would near perfect.
 
Definitely not cheating. However my experiences with the Blast Match were that they are not very durable and left something to be desired. I'm not sure if UST changed the striker design but on the original version the striker was not very securely mounted and the moving parts were somewhat fragile. I love the strike force and much prefer it. As long as I have a knife, a requirement for starting fire with a BM if it fails like mine did, I can use the strike force one-handed as well. The striker on the SF is much more securely mounted and much more likely to serve your fire starting needs as a stand alone tool, all though that's not likely to figure in with it attached to your knife. When I carry a strike force instead of a nanostriker it rides in a pocket along with a folder as part of my "last line".
 
I don't post here, but like to read this forum. Beckers are really impressive knives, so always worth a look to see what is going on. I picked this up in the home page, so forgive me if I offend the regulars.

I just have to ask; who or what would anyone be cheating on, regardless of gear, or process? If I was in a true survival situation and found myself by a river with one fish hook, do you think I would hesitate to use it, or would I make one out of thorns and a sinewy vine? Would I ignore my working flashlight in favor of searching for a pine knot that I lit over a fire I started by friction when I could solve my light needs with a *click*?

I assure you I don't cover up at night with pine needles and leaves when camping since I carry a bag. I have slept under a leaky pancho when my sleeping bag was wet from rain and it was too windy to pitch a tent, but that is the extent of it.

I have only gotten really lost once, and I do mean really lost. (It was in the back part of Yosemite on the high Sierra Loop trails.) I realized then how much I appreciated my good compass (sorry, no dead reckoning - it's called "dead" for a reason), my MSR stove, both knives I took, my emergency dried food, my Bic, and my Maglite.

I gladly used them all as needed.

I was disoriented for a day and a half as the skies were completely overcast and we were in deep woods with a mix of unmarked trails. With no landmarks, no high ground, we were up against it as far as knowing where we were, but far from uncomfortable. Just really frustrated. Using my equipment made me glad I had taken all of it along and didn't have to improvise, and glad that I had learned how to use and manage it, and that I hadn't scrimped on quality.

Besides, since I didn't have to worry about scratching out a fire or looking for suitable torch materials, it gave me a lot more time to study and fret over the topo and area maps I had. :D

I never felt like I cheated once in those 36 hours when using a Bic, my stove, my flashlights, or my compass. Since everything turned out fine, for me getting lost just added a bit of adventure to the 10 day hike. It caused some loss of good gawking time, but that was it.

While I think it is a necessity for any camper or hiker to learn basic bushcraft and other survival skills, caught in dire straights, I will absolutely use whatever is on hand to make the situation better and never give it a second thought.

Robert

BTW.... loved that burn barrel test!
 
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Hey Randall....

Thanks for starting this fire....You might as well have used avgas and a thermite grenade....It is good to be reminded that cheating in a survival situation is a very strange and dangerous concept.........The first fire class I went to I found that everybody I asked had damn close to died from lack of fire.....You do that once and fire becomes a nearly religious thing......I frequently get tangled up in the esthetics ---I do want to make it pretty----But, the important part is DOES IT WORK......Again thanks for riling things up....

All Best.....

ethan
 
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