Making fire in wet weather??

Canadian Wolf Thanks a bunch....There'll be more soon...

There's allot of great advice here..Good stuff everyone.
 
halo2 said:
Um, no offense but if you took the time to pack matches or a lighter, how about taking along some tinder like cotton balls & pj, tinderquick or trioxane tabs?
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Hey Halo,

No offense taken. To some it just seems like common sense. To others, it is never thought of.

Honestly, I have never really thought of taking any of that stuff before. I always thought it was a good idea to have the tools (lighter and/or matches) with me to start the fire just in case. If I did get lost or had to stay a night or two, I figured I could manage getting a fire started and finding the tinder and fuel.

What I mean is, I never gave it any other thought past having a lighter.

Most of my outdoor activies are spent with a buddy or two. For the most part, we always know where one another is, and we usualy ride in one rig making it impossible for someone to get left completely along. If I go out alone, my wife know where I will be, or the area. That doesn't mean I stay there though!!!

We usually hunt on trails, clear cuts, or areas that we know really well. So, most of my time in the field has been fairly safe. Reading things on here has me thinking differently, mostly about how little I really know about surviving . I always thought it would just come natural (the will to survive).

I have plenty of time on my hands right now to learn about gathering for and making fires. I also have plenty of time to apply what I learn on here to actually "doing" these things.

I will be sure to carry some of the right stuff with me anytime I go out. Ya just never know!!!

Scott
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply to me and for all the info, and thanks for the pics Rockywolf. I'm a visual learner.
I will be checking out the links, trying the PJCB, and some of the other things. What is Neosporin???

I'm gonna have to do some digging around cause I know some where I have a Cedar stick with a striker on one side and Magnesium on the other. I got it at a Sportsman Show when I was in high school. I carried it for a couple years, never used it, and figured I would have better luck with a lighter.

I really do appreciate your time and effort to teach me. At the very least, now I have an idea what to look for and where to find it.

Scott

This thread is sticky worthy.
 
You have pine trees there right? Look for fatwood, you can get it started in a lighter rain even as long as the fire isn't in a standing puddle, and it's great for getting a fire going under damp wet conditions. just use the dryest smaller branches you can find off the ground and split some larger ones and soon you'll have coals and a hot fire. If you get enough stumps or logs of fatwood going it will burn in a good rain and makes a good signal fire but make sure to stay up wind of the smoke...pretty noxious.

This should help you identify it.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=619903
 
Rockywolf said:
Neosporin is a first aid gel-comes in a tube. Available almost everywhere.
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That's what I thought, but on the first page of this thread akabu says this "If you have Neosporine in your FAK {not the Creme} will light fire."

Am I missing something??
 
G'day Scott

breakthru62 said:
....

I have always carried a lighter and matches just in case, but I have really never thought about having to use them, especially when it's raining.

If I only had a lighter and matches and nothing dry to start a fire with.......

What should I be looking for?
How do you find the dry stuff?
How do you maintain a fire in damp conditions??
Click to expand...

You've already got some great suggestions :thumbup:

Standing seed heads also make a good tinder and are generally visible
Thistleseedpod.jpg


NaturalTinder001.jpg



If your interested, this post: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607085 discusses suggestions on some of the places to look for dry tinder & kindling.

As has already been mentioned, a wooden floor is important to keep the "new born" fire dry. This is the variation of fire lay I use, and has proven to be very effective for lighting fire with wet wood and is easy to do...
Firelay-1.jpg


Step 1, place two larger branches on the ground and parrallel with each other about 10 - 15 cm (4 - 6 inches) apart. This becomes the initial boundary of the fire and won't steal heat from where it is needed like wet rocks will.

Step 2, lay down a parallel single layer of kindling between them, ensuring there are small gaps between each stick to allow air to be sucked in underneath the fire starter. Make sure this initial layer doesn't stack higher than 1/2 way up the inside of the larger branches as you will need a gap for the firestarter between the first and the second layer of kindling (that gets added in step 3). This first layer will not only keep the fire starter off the wet ground, it won't conduct heat away from the fire and into the ground like aluminium foil when used as a floor. When the floor only has small gaps, it will prevent coals from above slipping through and making contact with the wet ground. It also provides the added bonus of adding flame to the base of the fire as it dries.

Step 3, Now place a second, much thicker layer of kindling across the larger branches. As the fire starter burns, you want as much of the flame and heat to be making direct contact with this second layer of kindling. If you have large gaps between the kindling you're trying to light, too much of the heat will be wasted by escaping without directly contacting it, reducing the effectiveness of the firestarter.


It pays to collect tinder and kindling of different grades before you light your fire. These are progressively stacked on top of each other, with the thicker kindling on top drying as the smaller kindling underneath burns.
Gradesofkindling1-1.jpg



Once you have the fire going, use it to dry out other wood by stacking it near the fire.
Dryingfirewood.jpg



IMO, its worthwhile keeping an eye out for strips of bark that can be used to form a roof over the fire to keep the rain off. As they are way too useful to let burn, turn them now and again to prevent the side closest to the fire from catching alight.
Barkshingles.jpg



Hope this has helped.




Kind regards
Mick
 
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kgd said:
Another neat trick that some people use, is they stuff them into a McDonald's drinking straw
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Subway and bojangles have very large straws to do this with :p




Ya know, the little powder pile left by boring insects such as the bess beetle sometimes tend to be in dry places. They may be a good source too. I'll go spark one when I'm out and find out.
 
Oh, and don't listen to southern cross,

all those materials don't exist here in the US. Specially those crazy wiener rat things.
moskingqa5.gif
 
All good suggestions I have nothing to add.... just that the last 2 threads I have read contain pics of food, and they are making me hungry! :)
 
I just reached for my beer and accidentally drank a swig of soy sauce.
 
Guy at my company retreat thought he was eating a scoop of guacamole on a chip. It was wasabe from the neighboring sushi platter. You got off easy!

DancesWithKnives
 
Some years back, I watched my drunken brother make a dog food sandwich and eat it; he thought it was canned meat like Spam or Prem. About half way through eating it I called him on it and asked "how's the sandwich?", to which he replied "it's pretty good!". I then showed him he had made it with dog food, to which he nonchalantly responded "Really? Pretty good for dog food!" and continued to finish it off. :barf:

Hey how did this go from fire building to eating gross foods anyway? :D
 
Well that killed my midnight snack urge! Thanks! [I'm trying to lose weight.]

DancesWithKnives
 
Just scroll up to the saussages grilling on an open fire a few posts up, mmmmmm! :p Yummy yummy saussages! Oh, the smokey aroma is soooo tantalizing! :D
 
Breakthru62...first I want to say I hope the fitting went well.

Secondly, a member here, named storl ( I hope I spelled it right) has a video on his website about using a firesteel and you can see in the video how easy it is to light a PCB with a firesteel so I'm gonna link it here for you to watch.

http://www.goinggear.com/

He also has this video posted here on WS&S and in his comments he says how he actually intended to light the CB later but it caught accidentally while he was doing his intro. This video is also useful to you because it shows how long one CB will burn and help you get your fire going. I haven't tried one of his firesteels yet but I hear they are some of the best out there.

Also, for good info in video format you can look at RescueRiley's and Magnussen's youtube channels. Both have an easily understood way of explaining things and present good info. I have to warn you though, if you do get to watching RR's channel, you'll be building more than fires.

David
 
Breakthru62,

How close are you to the Portland, OR area? I ask because there's a few forumites who tend to get
together most Sundays for "Trees-N-Quiet," and fiddling around with backcountry skills...
(We call it the Koffee Klatch Knife Kult :D )

We're about 45 miles east of Portland and meet around Noon at the EOC.

All are welcome!!

Cheers,
8
 
breakthru62 said:
Honestly, I have never really thought of taking any of that stuff before. I always thought it was a good idea to have the tools (lighter and/or matches) with me to start the fire just in case. If I did get lost or had to stay a night or two, I figured I could manage getting a fire started and finding the tinder and fuel.
Click to expand...

Hey Breakthru62, most of us were in this mindset before we suddenly found an interest in survival. Fire tends to be one of the more commonly practiced skills in survival. Why? Well, its fun to do, is relatively easy and the skills can be broken down into different stages. There are many different aspects and skills that can be learned in fire, everything from how to start a campfire with a lighter and axe to starting one by primitive methods such as bow/drill made using natural cordage and wood on site.

Also, as you indicated above, many people sort of think that fire can be easy provided you have a match or lighter. Only through practice do you recognize some of the pitfalls that over-confidence can give. Lighters are prone to failure. Matches can suddenly become soggy. You might have a functioning lighter and match but can't find good fuel. There are usually ways out of these scenarios and one of the fun things we like to often discuss here in W&SS are alternative approaches and using out-of-the-box thinking to get the job done.

People love the firesteels because they represent a combination of interesting features. First, as a piece of kit, they are almost infallible. They can get wet, are extremely difficult to break and produce consistent results time and time again. You know when your firesteel is about to fail, this is when there is hardly any firesteel left. That point comes only after a very long time, several hundreds of fires started, of usage. Second, the firesteels require some skills. They are in between the ease of using a flame as your ignition source (i.e. a match or lighter) and other sparking methods such as flint and steel. The sparks generated by the firesteel are hotter than the latter methods and can ignite many more types of tinders than a flint and steel for example. So you have this bullet proof piece of kit, but at the same time it requires a bit of practice and skill about how to use it properly. That makes it fun.

Anyhow, the main reason I replied to your quote is to simply instill that becoming interest in survival skills is kind of like taking on a new philosophy of living. You will probably find yourself suddenly very interested in first aid items and small kits that you can always have on hand where as before this type of thought would not have entered your mind. The only downside is that you have to learn to accept the kidding and geek factor that goes along with living your life this way. Fortunately the W&SS support group :D :D gives us therapy for that too!

Okay - find that Doan stick of yours are start playing!
 
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