Making fire under harsh outdoor conditions...!!

Pathfinder1

Well-Known Member
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Location
Liberty, N.Y. Lower Catskill Mountains.
Hi...

I was 'playing' in the snow last week...or whenever it snowed last...I wanted to see how 'easy' (or hard) it was to light a Bic lighter with cold, wet hands. Well, it...more so than not...CAN'T be done...!!

You may have a slightly better chance of getting a flame if the chrome 'guard' is removed...before-the-fact...!!

So, if your Get Home Bag is only lighter-equipped...that might be a poor choice...!!

Storm proof matches...from REI ONLY (per actual testing) might be a slightly better choice.

However, my all-time preference for lighting a fire under harsh conditions remains the railroad fusee (road flare). They're easy to light...even with gloves on...!!
 

ppine

Forester
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Location
Minden, NV
A candle is the trad method for tough conditions. You have to look hard for tinder in a wet forest. Sometimes the best solution is to split some small logs and branches to get to some dry wood. Cotton balls with Vaseline and plenty of other ingniters can help your chances.
 

Grandpa

Well-Known Member
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Location
SE Idaho
I used to scare my mom half to death. Every time a ground blizzard set in, I'd bundle up and head down to the crick to see if I could get a fire going with a single match. Most times I could, too. By age 12 I was already addicted to the great outdoors and realized the ability to start a fire in bad conditions may someday save my life.

Even though I now carry an assorted bag of tricks for fire starting I still keep my skills awake for minimal fire starting. When backpacking and in a hurry, a handful of small sticks and the old pocket rocket can get a blaze up in seconds. (hint, do not turn a full propane/butane canister sideways to start a flame, ouch because you will get more than you bargained for) Like Ppine said, a cotton ball soaked in vaseline is a great aid as well. Ppine also mentioned a candle. My particular favorite is homemade.

Take an empty egg carton, and good handful or two of chain saw chips, some paraffin and some wicking string. Dry the chips thoroughly and mix into the melted paraffin and pour the mixture into the egg carton cups. Stick the wick in and after setting up, these little jewels burn with enough flame and burn time to get most anything going.
 

ppine

Forester
Messages
3,929
Points
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Location
Minden, NV
This is important. Sometimes the more you need a fire the harder it is to start. The west side of Washington and Alaska with endless days of hard rain and snow, fog and 100 percent humidity are the toughest I have experienced. Building fires in Nevada and California is almost always really easy.
 
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