How do you start a Far?

“I was up at Sheep Pen Gap last Sat. night, and we had trouble getting a fire going. It was windy and cold, of course.

I heard the carrying lint in your pocket is a good trick, and soaking sticks with lighter fluid, cotton balls with vaseline, wax with egg cartons and fire starters, etc.

We didn't have a good wind barrier so we didn't get much heat from the fire, and it kept going out. We gave up after awhile and crawled into our tent to drink whiskey.
We thought of taking sticks and tying them to a split open trash bag for a wind barrier?”

“that is Sheep Pen Gap in the Smokies near Gregory Bald.

Also, I miss TT'ing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My company has been cracking down on internet use so I haven't been able to TT.

I WANT MY TT!!!!!!!”

“Search for the 'Light my Fire' thread. I think there are others. You will probably find most of them by searching on fire.”

“Ok - thanks!”

“Try this.Take a paper tube and lint from your dryer and get a candle.Put lint in the tube and then melt the candle into the tube.Keep doing this untill the tube is full.Let dry.After it's dry cut the tube into quarter inch discs and there you have it a fool proof way to start a fire.”

“I fell into a burnin' ring of far one time.






*G*”

“I have used the cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls, stuffed with dryer lint and pieces of old candlesticks, for girl scout campfires and it worked. What I'm trying to learn how to do is make a campfire with no paper or starters other what I can find in the woods. I'm having a struggle with that one. It is kind of a joke now between my husband and me.”

“Yeah, the search for natural fire accellerants can get interesting and amusing. You can get some good information on that off of survivalist websites.”

“Good luck.But here try this.Pine trees sap is very flameable.If you get a small amount of it and light it it will catch fire very quickly.”

“What about wind barriers? I don't see any past threads on wind barrier tricks?

I guess you are just SOL?

I heard about celluphane roll and three sticks... but I just imagine the celluphane melting instantly.”

“I have used a space blanket as a wind barrier before using sticks one time and suspending it with rope on others. The trick is to put it far enough away from the fire to keep it from flaming or melting but close enough to be and effective barrier. Wish I could be more help than that.”

“Go to Wal-Mart in the camping section. They should have some fire-in-a-tube. You squeeze a small dab on a piece of would, light, and voila, instant fire. I keep a tube in my day pack when hunting.

I have also seen a solid version that comes in small foil packets.

As for wind protection, get farther into the trees. or build a lean-to out of branches or a tarp.”

“Rich pine, or a pineknot are the two best ones found out in the woods.

A pretty good windbreak can be made out of any limbs you find that still have the leaves, or needles attatched, just keep the limbs back of the fire as well!”

“Thanks for the responses!

Skully, that is plenty of help - good idea! :D”

“Same way I've always done it...
Vaseline-soaked cottonballs stuffed in a plastic film canister. Pick them out with a stick, light, and they burn for about 5 minutes. Did I mention y'all prolly have ALL the ingredients in yer home?”

“Buddur you are the man...:)”

“Fires that canot be seen from a distance, and that are relatively windproff can be built in a hole scooped from the ground, back out about 10 to 12 inches and at an angle, punch a hole down to the fire hole as a chimney...build the fire below ground....cooks like a champ, and if you are in a grassy area cut the sod in a chunk to replace after you put the fire out...not exactly LNT, but very effective.”

“Best Natural Firestarter I've ever used are Pine knots gathered from dead pine trees...Forage for them as you hike, do not wait until you stop to camp for the night, you may be in an area devoid of pitch when you stop...in areas that are not Evergreen, a parachute cord with a rock tied to it will allow you to reach dead limbs that are out of normal reach, throw the rock over a dead limb and drag it down from the tree, it will be much drier than deadwood that has been laying on the wet ground for days...then split it and shave the inner wood fibre into tinder.”

“Take the cap off your headlamp and stick a piece of frayed steel wool inside where the electrical connections are.

Or squirt some bug dope onto your damp wood fuel and light with a match.

For some wind protection, dig a small hole and distribute rocks over the top where heat may radiate through the cracks and conduct through the stone. Be careful though. Certain stones can explode with abrupt temp changes.

Make sure to skuttle the fire completely when you're done. LNT.”

“First you find a nice big, well-used fire ring that some one has kindly built and left in place, so as to concentrate the imapct because THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LEAVE NO TRACE! (tree-huggin' hippie b.s.)

My sister gave me a zippo lighter for Christmas, which is totally unreliable on a cold morning. However the fuel (Ronsonol lighter fluid) comes in a backpack-friendly plastic bottle. This stuff is the best fire starter I know of.”

“I use matches.”

“How do you put out a flaming kotex?”

“Matches don't work for me either. Neither to peizo spark lighters.

The trusty Bic lighters are the proven champs.”

“Stacked wet kindling atop my Gaz stove once. Worked like a charm. Let it burn long enough to get the twigs burning good, then dump into fire ring. Have additional kindling, small sticks, and larger sticks ready to pile on...”

“A friend from Alaska claims that Fritos burn real well, but I have yet to try it.

I think he is full of sh!t.”