“The Bag” Fire Kits

For my regular readers you know how much I love redundancy. In unison with my desire to have redundancy I have found a way to use a product I carry mainly to treat blisters to also start a fire later in the day. I use Cotton balls dipped or rubbed in Petroleum Jelly to assist with my blister treatment on long hikes. When I feel a hot spot forming on my feet I will stop at a convenient place and rub a little petroleum jelly on the spot and then cover a bit larger of an area with Leukotape. Rather than carrying a bag of cotton balls and jar of Petroleum Jelly, I take cotton balls and rub them in a Petroleum Jelly jar to coat them. I then place the cotton balls inside of an Altoids tin to carry them. I didn’t want to mess up my med kit with cotton balls dipped in Petroleum Jelly so for a short time the Altoids can just rode inside my bags with a singular purpose. It later occurred to me the used Petroleum Jelly dipped cotton balls made an awesome fire starter.

 I can fit eight or more cotton balls inside of the Altoids tin, however, I found when I am hiking, I rarely used more than two cotton balls. This evolved into the Tin being filled with 4 dipped cotton balls and 4 untreated cotton balls. At the same time, I discovered my usual make up remover pad coated with wax fit snugly into the Altoids cans as well.  Furthermore, I discovered a small Ferro Rod and striker would also fit inside. If I had trouble closing the lid a rubber band would hold it closed. A short time later I made an important scientific discovery; I did not like a Petroleum Jelly covered Ferro Rod and Striker and found them somewhat difficult to work with. This led me to purchase a random water proof container at Walmart to expand my fire kit. ( Outdoor Products Smartphone Watertight Case, Clear, Durable Latch and Compatible with Most I-Phones, Samsung Galaxy, T-Mobile, and Other Cell Phones. – Walmart.com – Walmart.com ) I have not tested the water tightness of the case due to it being purchased more for organization. The Ferro Rods moved to the outside of the Altoids tins. However, Parkinson’s Law comes into effect here and I filled the voids of the storage container with other items.  

Everyday I carry a Xikar lighter or a BIC lighter. Ironically I am not a smoker, carrying a lighter is just natural for me. In further irony, I loan my lighters out and end up needing them replaced or refilled often. Now unless I am trying to impress my wife this is almost always how I start my fires. While this is the simple answer, I find it important to explore other fire starting techniques and practice those skills. For the last couple of years or so I have experimented and trialed Ferro Rod’s and striker’s and found them to have a permanent place in my packs along with either a Bic or Xikar lighter.

Pictured in the top right corner of the above photo is a small Ferro Rod and a Striker. The Ferro Rod emits  sparks in almost any condition with a heat of around 3000 C or 5430 F. Petroleum Jelly dipped cotton balls and untreated cotton balls easily catch fire utilizing a Ferro Rod. Ferro Rods can also be used to ignite dry leaves or other shrubbery. An additional plus of a Ferro Rod is they are fun to make sparks with. In my need for redundancy I also carry matches

Also in the above pictures is a box of Coleman waterproof matches. I purchased these because they were on clearance at a store for $2 for a few boxes so I figured I would try them. There is also a magnesium block pictured. Magnesium can be scraped to an ignition source and bundled up to help with a greater volume of an ignition source. On one side of the magnesium block is another Ferro Rod. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with the magnesium block, however, this was a gift to me and while I have scraped it a few times and lit fires, I am not sure I will replace it once it is used. There is also a Coghlan’s Waterproof Fire Stick pictured. The Coghlans fire stick ignites easily but again, I will not be re-purchasing once it is used, I feel like for money versus use, there are other products that I prefer. The cotton balls dipped or untreated work for me.

Fire, or a method of heat, is an important survival tool. On a normal 40 degree day a wind speed of 15 mph can bring the wind chill down to 32 degrees.  According to the national weather service this produces a risk of frostbite within 30 minutes. In lower temperatures the probability of hypothermia becomes a reality as well. I carry my fire kit in my Daily Pack / Go Pack / Get home bag Etc. In a future blog I will document the contents of my bag and why I use the bag I do. In my next blog I will discuss the contents of my medical kit.

The Disclaimer: I am not an outdoor survival expert, A Lawyer, A doctor or a medical professional of any type. I hold no professional certificates of training, licenses or college degrees in the topics of outdoors, survival, Law or Medical. The opinions expressed here are a reflection of what I implement to care for myself and what I find works for me. I encourage everyone to do their own research and formulate their own plans. On the topic of Medical I encourage you to discuss techniques and options with your own primary medical provider.