How to make a killer fire kit

[Cort]

Fire is an essential part of survival, you’ll likely need it when conditions are poor. Many rely on poorly designed or just plain unreliable tools as their emergency fire starters.

There are many great kits out there, this is just mine. I have these stashed in our cars, camper, back packs. Probably a dozen of them. This kit is easily and affordably restocked and scaleable.

Waterproof is vital and while the bic lighter and sugar packet won’t hold up, everything else can literally be submerged in water for and extended time and still work. Multiple methods in a kit are good to have as well.

So here is the kit:
1. Empty altoids tin- free
2. 5 UCO Storm proof matches -$20 for 150 matches
3. 3/8”x 3” Ferro Rod -$1.40 FireSteel.com- hundreds of strikes
4. Potassium Permanganate - $1 per ounce amazon mix with sugar and water for exothermic reaction-fast burn, last resort
5. Granulated sugar packet- free
6. Homemade cotton facial disc dipped in wax/petroleum jelly- $.13 each roughly - 12 minute burn
7. Esbit tabs -$.30 each hardware store- 5 minute burn each
8. 3” piece of fatwood -$.05- 5 minute burn
9. Bic lighter - $.50 amazon
10. Mini zip lock bags - $.04

So each kit ends up being around $3-$5. Not to shabby. What’s in your kit?

 

[justjames]

Nice compact kit! I have many of the same items but have grown lazy and seem to keep a pill bottle packed full of dryer lint which is impregnated with vaseline. That and a ferro rod is my go to for fire.

 

[HEYElliott]

I have a strikingly similar kit lmao. Something tells me we have watched some similar youtube videos..

 

[Nemisys]

Nice compact kit! I have many of the same items but have grown lazy and seem to keep a pill bottle packed full of dryer lint which is impregnated with vaseline. That and a ferro rod is my go to for fire.

Ive done the same thing pretty much, but use cotton balls soaked in Vaso. Helps get a lot of fires started regardless of weather.

 

[phxdsrtrat]

Fire is an essential part of survival, you’ll likely need it when conditions are poor. Many rely on poorly designed or just plain unreliable tools as their emergency fire starters.

There are many great kits out there, this is just mine. I have these stashed in our cars, camper, back packs. Probably a dozen of them. This kit is easily and affordably restocked and scaleable.

Waterproof is vital and while the bic lighter and sugar packet won’t hold up, everything else can literally be submerged in water for and extended time and still work. Multiple methods in a kit are good to have as well.

So here is the kit:
1. Empty altoids tin- free
2. 5 UCO Storm proof matches -$20 for 150 matches
3. 3/8”x 3” Ferro Rod -$1.40 FireSteel.com- hundreds of strikes
4. Potassium Permanganate - $1 per ounce amazon mix with sugar and water for exothermic reaction-fast burn, last resort
5. Granulated sugar packet- free
6. Homemade cotton facial disc dipped in wax/petroleum jelly- $.13 each roughly - 12 minute burn
7. Esbit tabs -$.30 each hardware store- 5 minute burn each
8. 3” piece of fatwood -$.05- 5 minute burn
9. Bic lighter - $.50 amazon
10. Mini zip lock bags - $.04

So each kit ends up being around $3-$5. Not to shabby. What’s in your kit?

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This is a great kit! I put together something similar. One thing I did do differently was pack cotton balls into the empty spaces in my kit as additional kindling. I did not think of a chemical reaction using basic chemicals which are also quite compact. I'll be adding that little gem. I also hadn't thought of adding a piece of wood which is also a great idea.

Thanks for sharing!

-Curtiss

 

[Cort]

T

This is a great kit! I put together something similar. One thing I did do differently was pack cotton balls into the empty spaces in my kit as additional kindling. I did not think of a chemical reaction using basic chemicals which are also quite compact. I'll be adding that little gem. I also hadn't thought of adding a piece of wood which is also a great idea.

Thanks for sharing!

-Curtiss

Thanks bud! The wood is called fat wood and is loaded with natural resin. One of the best fire starters out there and it’s waterproof! The stuff is dirt cheap. Glycerin works better than sugar and water with the potassium permanagate but it’s also much more likely to leak in a kit like this.

 

[nomad666]

5 gal of gas and a bic works every time.

 

[justjames]

5 gal of gas and a bic works every time.

True but I've found it rough on my eyebrows.

 

[Smileyshaun]

This isn't so much for a fire starter kit but if it's a rainy wet day in the morning grab some small Twigs branches grass Moss whatever you want and put it in your cab with you that way by the time the evening rolls around it's perfectly dried out and ready to start a fire

 

[Cort]

Chaga from birch trees is absolutely killer for getting an ember started. The stuff is almost impossible to put out.

Also, it makes great tea!

 

[AZ WANDERING BEAR]

T

Thanks bud! The wood is called fat wood and is loaded with natural resin. One of the best fire starters out there and it’s waterproof! The stuff is dirt cheap. Glycerin works better than sugar and water with the potassium permanagate but it’s also much more likely to leak in a kit like this.

Two observations.

1. Don't store the potassium permanganate in the same container with the glycerin. You might get a leak and once the two meet you aren't going to put out that fire easily. It's why it works so good.

2. If you are out in pine tree country, find a really old stump. Hack into it. If it smells like pine cleaner and isn't just punk wood, you just found yourself some fat wood. When a pine tree dies, the sap pools on the lower stump, roots and knots of the limbs preserving those areas of the dead tree. Another trick is to look for solidified pine tar on the wounds of pine trees. Crumble that up in your tinder as an accelerant and extender as you start your fire.

 

[Kevin108]

Make room for an Epiphany Outdoor Pocket Bellows. I bring propane to run the grill and shower, so I always have a canister or three in the FJ anyway and tend to light things off with a torch. But when it comes to getting stubborn camp fires going the old-fashioned way, the single best tool I've found is the Pocket Bellows. They telescope like an old walkie talkie antenna, but are hollow. You blow into the large end and it focuses your breath at the small end. It lets you aim your breath into a well-defined target area without cramming your face into the fire. They run about $12 on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2jR6iCB

 

[Quicksilver]

I have Vaseline cotton balls, matches, Bic lighter, and a magnesium/flint striker. I keep it all in a pouch in my go bag. When I'm going camping, the go bag comes out and that pouch is transferred to the camping kit.

 

[AZ WANDERING BEAR]

Don't forget common items you carry that could help with fire making. Many hand sanitizers are predominantly alcohol, an accelarant. The packaging should tell you how much. Above 60% it is useful for getting afire going. Add it to marginal tinder, either directly or below it so the alcohol fumes rise, and spark away. Likewise, lip balm is either wax or petroleum based. Smear some on your flash tinder to create a longer burn and thus more ignition capability for your first layer of small kindling.

 

[Kevin108]

Good call on carrying stuff with more than one use, especially in regard to fire-starting. One of the most interesting things I've learned in the last couple of years was that Gorilla Tape is good for this. Cut into 1/8" strips and made into a bird nest, the tape readily takes a spark and burns for a lengthy period. I learned this from a Dave Canterbury video:

 

[amateurhour]

I typically have access to 4 different fire kits at any given time when I'm outdoors. One on my wrist, one in my pocket, one in my pack, and one in my vehicle.

As seen from my avatar, I'm fond of flint and steel fire. It's a little tougher to get going but it's a lot of fun to make.

 

[Horse Soldier]

0 dollars. When you finish drying your clothes save the lint in a ziplock bag. It burns great.

 

[Ditch]

0 dollars. When you finish drying your clothes save the lint in a ziplock bag. It burns great.

Great money saver!
Especially the 100% cotton items like towels. Polyester has a tendency to melt before igniting.

 

[Russell Peters]

0 dollars. When you finish drying your clothes save the lint in a ziplock bag. It burns great.

I first put mine into an empty toilet paper roll then into a plastic bag. Of course you don’t burn it in the baggie, save that for the replacement roll.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Seppy]

Good info. Thank you.