Emergency Firestarting

“Hello all,

I am new to this group so be gentle. One of my co workers recommended this forum.


Anybody ever tried to start a fire using a coke can and a chocolate bar. Sounds pretty cool if it works. After reading an article I grabbed a soda can out of the nearby recycle bin and bought a chocolate bar. The weather forecast is for rain the next couple of days so I doubt I will have enough sunshine to start the fire.

http://www.trackertrail.com/survival/fire/cokeandchocolatebar/

Supposedly the concave surface of the bottom or aluminum can be polished using chocolate. The now highly reflective concave surface can concentrate enough sunlight to set tinder afire.

I plan to try this out as soon as the weather clears.

Sojourner”

“It'll work although I can't see wasting a high calorie food source in an emergency situation. To do it on a lark, ok sure.

Toothpaste should work just as well.”

“if you are going to pack a chocolate bar and a coke, why don't you pack a lighter as well?”

“emergency firestarting to me is when everything is soaked, the temp is hanging in the mid 30's F and you are in first stages of hypothermia - hopefully if I am ever in that state I will remember to use olive oil and toilet paper - I've had great success starting fires with that combo - basically a long burning fire starter can get ever wet wood to burn.”

“Fritos work well.”

“certain types of hand lotions work as well.”

“white gas works damn well”

“I carry a small candle lighter that works very well.

If there are hemlock trees near the campsite, the fine little branches can be stripped off the inner part of the tree, rolled into a ball, and will get a fire going in almost any weather.”

“For me the word "EMERGENCY" says it all. NO can, no oil, no lotion...what if you have nothing? How you start a fire huh?

That's what we need to practice. I would love to do some TT workshop on #&%!$ like that.

I have never tried to make fire with nothin but objects from nature.
I bet each one of us would have hell.
I had a link to a website once that showed you how...but it's on the other computer right now I think.”

“Why would you be in a situation with nothing?

Always be prepared, even on the dayhikes.”

“I just think of Maple Leaf, emulate her style, and have a rip-roaring fire going in no time. I do have to be careful with that, though, because once I got a pretty good brush fire going. It helps to tone it down a bit.”

“because #&%!$ can happen. what if you loose it? I know you suppose to carry it on your body...but IF you do loose it?

I think you should always be prepared and know how to...just in case!!”

“chili, I think the example goes something like this: you are fording/rock hopping a river. You have your pack unbuckled in case of a spill, you slip fall in, teh river rips your pack away and it vanished down river and over the falls. You manage to scramble to the bank. You're freezing, your clothes are wet and your pack is gone... now what?”

“I keep my firestarting stuff in a fanny pack, separate from my pack for just such an occasion. Also keep an emergency heat blanket, a snack, a flashlight, extra batteries, a compass, my map of the area, and a pencil as well. Hopefully the water wouldn't tear that off of me.”

“oh ywah...what hyway said...but add this:

and the tree brench that almost stabbed you, but thank god only tore your belt with your emergency kit right off you. You are left with nothing but your wet clothes!

GRRRRR hyway!!
last edited: 4/25/05 11:58:30 AM”

“Gem wants Bit to be naked.”

“I be naked every morning.”

“Hopefully I won't ever have to start a fire in my shower.”

““chili, I think the example goes something like this: you are fording/rock hopping a river. You have your pack unbuckled in case of a spill, you slip fall in, teh river rips your pack away and it vanished down river and over the falls. You manage to scramble to the bank. You're freezing, your clothes are wet and your pack is gone... now what?”
hyway
12:47:12 PM
4/25/05

Strip off all your clothes and put them in a pile.


Find a sheltered spot and huddle in it.


Put your hands behind your head, your head between your knees, and kiss your ass goodbye.”

“Oh yah, I keep a knife in my fanny pack too. And a multi-tool on the belt.”

“And hopefully, this happens on the second day of a TT trip, and there's enough alcohol in my urine to set wet wood on fire.”

“Speaking of fanny packs. I tried to wear one once, but it didn't feel comfortable under my pack. Is there a special way to wear one with a pack?”

“LMAO bit!!”

“I don't know hyway, I dont' find them comfortable either, so I don't wear them.
Actually I don't like fanny pacs...period!”

“I don't either. Turns out you need a fanny to hold 'em up!”

“I wear mine backwards, since I also have no ass whatsoever.”

“I would prolly pick-up F.M., too.”

“okay dammit, I just now spit coffee all over me and my screen.”

“Ah ah ah!
Verry funny!

Yall are ALL homos!
Ever buddy is!

homo sayin pees are peepel...”

“LOL! I love Sarabelle.”

“Sharp folding knife and a magnesium fire starter....two thirds of all you need.....
the third is knowledge of what the word survival stands for:

http://www.equipped.com/fm21-76.htm
last edited: 4/25/05 1:12:11 PM”

“homo sayin pees as opposed to knee and there alls?”

“Once and once a time my daddy made the mergency fire verry good but Gissmaeioux peed on it and it was jest a leetle smokes!”

“My favorite fire starter is rolled up newspaper, rolled as tightly as possible, soaked in parrafin or candle wax. Just after dipping the rolled up paper in the candle wax, you put 5 or six strike anywhere matches in the center of the roll. as the wax hardens it seals the ends of the roll and seals around the matches, keeping them protected also. Then when you need to start a fire you pull out the starter, peel a corner, extract the matches, wipe the wax off the match head, start the starter and build your fire around it. the starter burns for a long time, much longer than needed to get a fire built and roaring.”

“Well I lied in the last post. My absolute favorite fire starter would have to be a huge pile of accelerant soaked wood set off by various hand held pyrotechniques...”

“Well some of the posts have been very entertaining. I think some might have misunderstood my post. I am not saying that it is practical to rely on a coke can, a chocolate bar and sunlight to start a fire. I tend to carry both matches, a lighter and a magnesium stick on myself and my pack when backpacking.

I am only asking if anyone ever attempted it. I guess I have too much time on my hands because I grabbed an aluminum can and a chocolate bar and began to polish it. After about ten minutes chocolate did a decent job at polishing the can but I have not reached the point I think it can ignite a fire.

I once went to a picnic at a state park with some fellow backpacker friends. When it came time to light the grille nobody had a lighter that worked or a match. We ended up bumming some matches form a group having a church picnic. I am sure if my same friends had been on a trail out in the middle of nowhere we would have produced enough fire making material to make a small incendiary bomb. LOL

Sojourner”

“http://www.raymears.com/
This guy is pretty good and has done some great TV shows too. When's it coming over here I wonder?”

“I learned how to start a fire in the rain when I was a boy scout.

A piece of toilet paper, a match, and my wits are all I need.”

“I've never understood why the waterproof matches sold over here are freakin safely matches.”

“I heard that dipping matches in candle wax would waterproof them. It probably would if you used them right away. Two years later and the match was useless.

I carry matches and lighters. I put kitchen matches in a brass waterproof container.”

“Me too bacpac. Very valuable skill to have.

I've never had much luck with the waxed match trick. I just make sure my match container is waterproof. I don't like lighters and don't carry them.”

“Sisal (Hemp Rope) into strands is the best tinder in the world. Use OOOO steelwool and a ninevolt battery. POOF! emergency fire starter.”

“A nine volt battery and steelwool.

Two things I never take backpacking or have handy during an emergency.

If I get stuck in my vehicle a battery spark might work. I need to stick some steel wool in my tool kit.”

“During a CARDA class last year I noticed that everyone had a different type of fire starter in there emergency packs. I asked them (12 students) all to build a fire with their own fire starter... only 3 or 4 (I think) actually did it. To be fair they were mostly apprentices, but there were a couple veterans that had major problems as well.

The biggest mistake folks make is not having enough wood prepared to feed the fire.

On a couple of the 10 day trips, we had the kids build a fire using a board and bow drill. Once they learned how to do it (make the coal) they actually built a couple fires using that technique. It's not easy.

It's not so much what you use, it's how well you can use it.
last edited: 4/26/05 9:26:52 PM”

“In addition to the commercial "flint and steel" metal and magnesium fire sparker I bought as a Boy Scout 20 years ago that I still have an carry(hell, it still works), I keep a wad of 0000 steel wool in my cooking pot. You can use it to scour pans, but even soaking wet, steel wool catches a spark better than damn near anything. Sit it on a handful of pine needles, one spark, blow and wahlah, fire.

Bigben”

“Don't forget birchbark, completely waterproof, you can soak it for a day and it'll light easily. starts from the little magnifying glass built into plate style compasses too.”

“Birchbark is awesome stuff.”

“Start a fire with a can of Coke and a chocolate bar”

“yeah, someone posted that a couple days ago.”