What's In Your Fire Kit?

[Morgan101]

I guess we could consider this an off shoot of the Lighters thread. That one seemed to grow into other materials or gear used for fire starting. All Good. So what do you keep in your fire kit?

My Fire kits come in four sizes, like cars; full size, mid size, compact, and sub-compact. There are some universals that go in every kit. To the best of my knowledge there are at least three methods of starting fire in each.

Full Size:
A regular size Bic Lighter
Wooden Strike Anywhere Matches (full box)
Waterproof Storm Matches
Small Box wooden camping matches
Magnesium Bar
Ferro Rod
Magnifying glass
Fresnel Lens
Candles (camping 8 hour size)
Cotton Balls soaked in Vaseline
Q Tips soaked in Vaseline (just coat the tip and it will burn like a candle. Promise)
10" x 10" aluminum foil
Fire Starter (2-4 packs)
Travel size jar of Vaseline

This is all kept in a ditty bag; RED, labeled FIRE. The matches and tinder are kept in Zip Lock bags in the kit. A kit this size would be kept in a camping kit or INCH bag.

Mid Size
Bic Lighter
Three kinds of matches w/striker
Ferro Rod
Candles
Cotton Balls
Fire Starter
Aluminum foil

This is contained in a small plastic box used for fishing. It is supposed to be water proof (resistant) but I have not tested it. The lid has an O ring, and it seals very tightly, snapping on three sides. Works well in a BOB.

Compact
Mini Bic lighter
Two books of paper matches
Two Birthday candles (one regular one trick candle that won't go out)
Two or three waterproof matches
Drier lint tinder
Aluminum foil

This fits in an Altoids tin. The aluminum foil lines the bottom. The drier lint and book matches are in a zip lock bag. The tin is sealed with Gorilla electrical tape, and it will float. Reasonably water resistant. Keep it in your "never go into the woods without this" bag. Fanny pack. Hunting/Hiking back pack.

Sub Compact
Mini Bic lighter
Small wooden matches w/striker
Birthday candles
Aluminum foil
Cotton ball

This fits in a prescription medicine bottle. The normal size about 3" tall by 1" diameter. When the bottle is packed you stuff the cotton ball in the top. Seal the lid with electrical tape, and yes it will float. Keep in on your pocket.

Wonder what everybody else does? I tried to make it as complete as possible. What have if missed?

 

[Sentry18]

In each survival bag I have:

Water proof container filled with waterproof matches
Water proof container filled with strike anywhere matches
A ferro-rod striker
A plasma arc lighter
Several fire starters made from dryer lint, paraffin wax, and cardboard egg holders
Some small vacuum sealed bags of dryer lint mixed with saw dust
Vacuum sealed Dorito chips

Not fire specific, but can be used for such:

Bottle of hand sanitizer
Alcohol prep pads
Triple antibiotic ointment
Cotton balls or gauze

Going to add:

9 volt battery
Steel wool

 

[Morgan101]

One that I forgot. I do have steel wool and nine volt batteries in my INCH bag.

This one is even easier, and the materials you are more likely to have on hand,

 

[Sparky_D]

In my main fire kit, I have:

Bic Lighter (x2)
Waterproof storm matches
Regular wood matches with striker paper in waterproof container
1/2" x 6" Ferro Rod with striker
Magnesium Rod wrapped with Jute twine
12' of Firecord (paracord with ignitable inner parts)
Two chunks of Fat Wood
Coleman Lantern Striker
Altoid Tin with Char Cloth
Steel Striker with Chert Rock (flint)


My BOB/Car Kits have:
Bic Lighter
Waterproof storm matches
Regular wood matches with striker paper in waterproof container
Smaller Ferro rod and striker
Doans Magnesium bar with Ferro Rod and Striker
One chunk of Fat Wood


I used to carry Strike Anywhere matches, but then Diamond went all Eco-Crazy and came out with the green tip. They just don't work that well for me. I miss the old white tip Strike Anywhere matches...

 

[SheepDog]

I am surprised that no one has fire pistons in their kits! They are easy to make and work very well with a number of different kindling.
I also have three different lighters, matches, Magnesium, aluminum, flint strikers and a binary instant fire kit. (better life through chemistry)
The common aids are MDF cubes boiled in paraffin, Oil cloth, sapwood, cotton wads (balls) with paraffin or light grease, Potassium nitrate and zinc and sulfur (in different containers) and sugar nitrate. I have a formula that will melt rocks but it is not a good fire starter.

 

[mosquitomountainman]

Back pack (kept in the car) has a ferro rod, magnesium fire starter, matches in waterproof container and butane lighters (one is windproof) along with hexane tablets.

Personal carry is a butane lighter (always) and magnesium fire starter. The lighter is windproof.

Only had one time I couldn't get a fire going well. At that time we had the camper and while it wasn't too difficult to get it started we just couldn't get it hot enough to dry the wood. To be fair it had been raining for days and everything was soaked. We were in a popular camping area and there was no decent dead wood within 400 yards. We moved into the camper and started the fire in the wood stove using firewood we had brought with us.

I like to try starting a fire under less than optimum conditions whenever possible. I've learned a lot that way.

My favorite helper is a glob of pine pitch on birch bark. It will burn even while floating on top of the water. It will burn in the rain or snow and it's easy to light. I scavenge some while in the woods each time I go out. I put it in a ditty bag or plastic sandwich bag in my pocket. You need the birch bark to act like a wick. The birch bark is waxy and not affected by moisture. Neither are great by themselves but put them together and they work great.

 

[Weedygarden]

@Morgan101 , what a great thread! Thank you. There are so many good tips here. I will work on organizing my fire kits. Thanks!

 

[Spikedriver]

Anybody ever use potassium permanganate? I saw it on one of the Survivorman type tv shows. Since it also can disinfect water, it's a 2 for 1 tool. I just don't know the proper way to use it. I know I could just Google it but it's more fun to ask here...

 

[SheepDog]

Use .1 gram per gallon of water to disinfect the water. As a 1 to 5% solution it can be used topically for certain skin conditions including exzema, fungal infections, skin ulcers and even gangrene.
In stronger solutions and in pure form (powder) it is a strong oxidizer. It can be used in rocket fuel and explosives.
I believe you have to sign for the powder form as you do with other chemicals that can be used in explosives. This is not going to be in your local pharmacy. You will need to get it from a laboratory supply house and it will likely come in larger quantities than you might want around the home.

 

[Spikedriver]

Use .1 gram per gallon of water to disinfect the water. As a 1 to 5% solution it can be used topically for certain skin conditions including exzema, fungal infections, skin ulcers and even gangrene.
In stronger solutions and in pure form (powder) it is a strong oxidizer. It can be used in rocket fuel and explosives.
I believe you have to sign for the powder form as you do with other chemicals that can be used in explosives. This is not going to be in your local pharmacy. You will need to get it from a laboratory supply house and it will likely come in larger quantities than you might want around the home.

So if it's an oxidizer, what do you mix it with to start fire?

 

[SheepDog]

Anything that will burn... I can't explain much but use small amounts and work up slowly. It is not likely to explode unless you combine the ingredients in fine powder (dust) evenly. If you were using hydrogen you would need about 8 times as much hydrogen as potassium permanganate by weight for a complete and rapid burn (explosion). Wood, in the form of sawdust would likely just burn because of the lack of combining the two compounds. You don't want to combine it with any strong acids. There are plenty of safer compounds to use as oxidizers. An inexpensive one is ammonium nitrate fertilizer at 20 or more %. You can get that in large bags at your local nursery.

 

[Spikedriver]

So I did Google it...antifreeze and glycerin are the suggested mixers. So I guess if youre stuck out in the boonies with a broke down car, you can make fire by taking a little antifreeze out of the radiator...

Apparently you can get it at places that sell swimming pool supplies...

 

[Patchouli]

more photos of your fire kits or it didn't happen.

I have so very little. "It's ok, Patch, you'll die in the first wave anyway." No, I don't think I will die in the first wave. Or the second or even the third. I'm here to stay. Like it or not. I'm here on purpose. This is no accident.
Hmmm...I wonder if my sons have such things as fire kits......

 

[Morgan101]

Another item I keep in a few bags, not all, is a small (school child size) pencil sharpener. You can use it for its intended purpose, and you can also use it on a small stick to make shavings for tinder.

Does anybody carry or keep feather sticks, or do you make them when you set up camp?

 

[kd4ulw]

Anybody ever use potassium permanganate?

I ordered some a few years ago I think from eBay. Came as a kit with the glycerin. Works surprisingly well and has a good neat-o factor.

 

[kd4ulw]

Another item I keep in a few bags, not all, is a small (school child size) pencil sharpener. You can use it for its intended purpose, and you can also use it on a small stick to make shavings for tinder.

Does anybody carry or keep feather sticks, or do you make them when you set up camp?

I must say I’ve never thought of that before, pretty good idea!

 

[mosquitomountainman]

Another item I keep in a few bags, not all, is a small (school child size) pencil sharpener. You can use it for its intended purpose, and you can also use it on a small stick to make shavings for tinder.

Does anybody carry or keep feather sticks, or do you make them when you set up camp?

I'm not a fan of feather sticks but if you like them have at it. Most people make them as needed at the time they make a fire. If I have a problem with finding small stuff to burn I might slice thin shavings off of a piece of dry wood. If the wood is wet try to split it. (This is about the only time I would use a knife and baton to split wood and only if the wood is three inches or less in diameter.) It will usually be dry inside and you can cut some slivers off for tinder.

Another very good item to have is fatwood. It's basically resin soaked wood from a softwood tree like pine. Most people will carry a piece about the size of a magnesium fire starter. Shave some thin strips off of it to use as fire starter/tinder. It ignites easily, burns hot and will burn when wet. Being saturated with resin, it cannot absorb water and is very light weight and clean to carry (better than pine pitch).

 

[Weedygarden]

Another item I keep in a few bags, not all, is a small (school child size) pencil sharpener. You can use it for its intended purpose, and you can also use it on a small stick to make shavings for tinder.

Does anybody carry or keep feather sticks, or do you make them when you set up camp?

Thank you! I do have one in my BOB for this very purpose!

 

[Curmudgeon]

Vacuum sealed Dorito chips

Ha, I wondered if anyone used those a fire starter/tinder.

 

[Sentry18]

Ha, I wondered if anyone used those a fire starter/tinder.

My teenage son added them after a camping trip where I showed him just how flammable they are.

 

[Curmudgeon]

They do burn really well, slow and steady.

 

[Weedygarden]

My teenage son added them after a camping trip where I showed him just how flammable they are.

I rarely eat them, and today, I was working on an instacart order. Why am I wanting tot eat some today? If I put some in my bag, they would never make it to the firemaking situation. If I have them, I eat them. The solution? Don't buy them!

 

[Peanut]

Another very good item to have is fatwood. It's basically resin soaked wood from a softwood tree like pine.

There is nothing like fatwood for starting fires. I have fatwood shavings in all my fire kits... Some fatwood with magnisium together will light wet wood.

Several species of pine will form fatwood in the stump. Those of us who live in the deep south know that real fatwood is formed by long leaf pine (Pinus palustris). Sometimes the stumps are huge!

pic 1... my family has been starting fires from this pile of small fatwood stumps for about 50 years... they will last another 50. They were found here on the farm. I know where a dozen more are.

pic 2 Old growth long leaf pine stump down in my bottoms, fatwood so rich it'll take centuries to rot. It'll weight about 500lbs. I can't get it out with a tractor (bog). If I ever have a dozer down there for some reason I'll skid it out.. Notice the dog for size comparison...

 

[Bacpacker]

Peanut I have several white pine stumps I left standing that will make a whole bunch of fatwood. Just need to cut and split them up. None are near the size of your last pic though. Mine are no more than 1' diameter. But still plenty for my use.

 

[Peanut]

A little goes a long way with fatwood. It doesn't take a lot, 2 or 3 decent stumps and they will last a life time. I have gas heat and dad planned not to use his fireplace this past winter. In effect, now, the only reason I need fatwood is for fire starting kits. Stumps don't rot, they will be there when I need them.