Re: EDC Firestarting? With all that fat in them, they really like to burn. Plus, if you don't need them to start a fire, you've got a high-calorie snack. 2 birds with one stone. That's what EDC is all about, right? I haven't tried Doritos. If they do work, though, they probably won't be as good as Fritos since they have about 30% less fat.
Re: EDC Firestarting? I have tried Doritos, but not Fritos. (This has more to do with my taste buds than my curiosity.) Held to a candle flame, Doritos light fairly quickly and burn slowly. IIRC it wasn't a large flame, and it could be put out with a quick puff of breath, so I'd suggest a windbreak of some sort for it.
Re: EDC Firestarting? I live in Southern California. The most likely emergencies are car crash, wildfire, and earthquake. In all 3 cases, FIRE BAD. That said, I carry Bics in all my earthquake kits (all vehicles and house), as well as part of my 10 Essentials when hiking/camping. But I don't carry any on me EDC. Kevin B.
Re: EDC Firestarting? I picked up a tip from Ray Mears recently - you can start a fire with some wire wool and a big torch battery. I tested the same tonight with a 9v battery and some fine grade wire wool and it is set alight instantly! ;D Is this dangerous for the battery? :shrug:
Re: EDC Firestarting? I carry one nice folding knife (Buck Bantam BHW), and a smaller blade inside of my multitool (Gerber Suspension). I feel pretty well covered for blades for EDC. But as a rule I carry no less than two fire starters. One is a simple butane lighter. If it works, then great! Life is good! But if it doesn't work for whatever reason, I also carry a magnesium block with integrated flint on my keyring. I've field-testing this device a number of times and while it does have shortcomings, I'm very comfortable with it. Shortcomings? Well the flint is a bit wimpier than carrying something like a firestick. Also the magnesium is very light and a short puff of wind can blow your hard work away before you light it if you're not careful. This is more of a problem with the magnesium shavings than it is with more conventional tinders. While I said I feel pretty well covered for blades, I would probably go to some trouble to find a good place to keep a fully serrated folder on my person for EDC. I just haven't gotten around to that yet.
Re: EDC Firestarting? thought this was interesting : http://www.metacafe.com/watch/351326/instant_fire_from_steel_wool_and_a_battery/
Re: EDC Firestarting? Yes steel wool and a battery will start a fire. No, you're not likely to have that stuff on hand in the middle of nowhere if you need to start a fire. I file that away mentally as a curiosity. There are far more practical things to carry to start a fire wth.
Re: EDC Firestarting? Yes, it is but if I'm ever in a circumstance where I need to resort to this type of thing to create a fire, the health of the battery will be the least of my worries.
Re: EDC Firestarting? I carry a Zippo, which I DO NOT consider an emergency fire starter, as it WILL be out of fluid or lose a flint at -10* Murphy's law. I carry petroleum jelly soaked cotton in a key fob and a Firesteel on my keychain, along with a P-38 can opener as a striker. Takes no room, adds almost 0 weight, and I would likely lose everything else (IE. pocket knife, flashlight, supertool etc.) before I lose my keys, this is mu ultimate backup. I keep cheapo bic's salted around, but butane is temp sensitive, and ferrocerium isn't. Also, SAK Camper has a useable saw on it, because starting a fire is only half the equation. Keeping a fire is the tricky part.
Best Way to Start a Fire In terms of EDC carry, in my experience, the easiest way to start a fire, under any conditions is with a flint and steel sparker, and vasoline soaked cotton wads. (Of course I'm not talking about lighting up a cigarette or cigar.) Easy to carry, watorproof, virtually indestructible, and only requires gross motor skills to use. I consider fresnel lens, matches, lighters, all secondary methods. I'm also a sceptic about the $75 lighters that work in 60 mph winds. I mean, when would you need to light a fire (that you would use and maintain) in 60 mph winds? Any feedback on this?
Re: Best Way to Start a Fire [mo] Merged similar threads. Karen [/mo] But you can once it's going. ;D Here are a couple of threads on firestarting devices with pics. Pictures of Fire Starting Devices Fire-Lite fire starting device - the jury is in.
I almost always EDC a lighter. I typically carry a Zippo with a Z-plus insert or a good ol' fashion bic/mini bic. Regardless of being in the city or country they are always useful. Many times I have been to a party and a person wanted to light candles and I was the only one who had a lighter. Naturally I carry a lighter while camping or hiking. I also know and have practiced a variety of methods of starting fire should my lighter cease to function.
Re: EDC Firestarting? I have used Ruffles as tinder. While barbecuing with some friends, one dropped a chip on the ground so he tossed it on the fire. We were stunned to see how well and long it burned. Before you knew it, several whipped out their firesteels and Spark-Lites and started experimenting. They don't take a spark well, but once you get it lit, it burns well. EDC for pyro: Butane lighter in pocket. Bic disposable and mag block/ferro rod in fanny pack. I use the old cotton balls and Vaseline trick for tinder. I also usually have a little tube of Vaseline that's sold as lip balm. If I didn't have tinder ready, a little dab will augment any paper or other field expedient tinder. I used to have some potassium permanganate, but it seems hard to obtain these days. I have been told it's considered a precursor chemical in the manufacture of illicit drugs. //platypus
Re: Best Way to Start a Fire It kinds needs both hands, though. If the emergency was due to some kind of accident or crash or earthquake or whatever, then there is a chance you will be injured just when you need to use your emergency gear. A cigarette lighter should be usable with one hand. (So is a SparkLite, and a few others fire tools.) A lighter will also recognised and used by other people if you are unconscious. Not everyone knows what to do with a ferro rod.
My EDC carrier for a firestarter is a small BIC lighter with a loop of paracord duct-taped to it. Take about a 2" strand of paracord and out one end on each side of the lighter so you have a loop hanging below the lighter. Then secure the paracord with a 1" strip of duct tape around the lighter. Next, take a used bicycle innertube from a racing style bike (the ones that use 1/2" tubes...the size is like 700c by 1/2" or something like that...you can get all the free used bike innertubes you want by going to the nearest cycling shop and asking for a few old ones)... anyway, cut a 3/4" length of used bike tube and slide it over the paracord and lighter...thats why you'll need the smaller tubes to fit snug. The bike tube can be pulled off and will burn to use as a firestarter. I then have a small SAK Classic or Esquire (which ever one has the little scissors, file, and small blade...I don't remember which model) attached to the cord. This way I always have my favorite little pocket knife and a lighter. As for firestarters...a few pieces of bicycle innertube cut into squares works really good as a firestarter. I teach at scouts that you can use small blocks of parafin wax (for canning) wrapped in wax paper, cooton balls in vaseline wrapped in wax paper also work well. The 9 volt battery and ultrafine steel wool is cool but not real practical and it just doesn't work that well. Cramming as much cotton dryer lint into a small carry tube would work much better. I have heard that Pringles burn well but can't remember if I tried these or not. But if your going to use/carry pringles, you might as well carry marshmallows also. The only problem is that your more tempted to blow the marshmallow out and eat it instead of start a fire. A 6 month old Christmas tree (you know, the one still standing in your living room at the 4th of July), a road flare, and a gallon of gasoline work real good to (just seeing if anyone read this far...) I use the bike innertubes for starting all my campfires now.
