Fire Starting Tools for Survival

Guys, when it comes to survival, fire is really at the top of the list. It's one of those things that can boil your water, it can cook your food, it can keep you warm, it builds morale, it can keep predators at bay. We all know about the Bic lighter. I mean, it's so easy to use and it just comes on. I mean, they're great. I buy packs of these at a time, but also of course matches. One of the downsides for both of these is that it doesn't take long for these to run out, especially in a survival situation. And for me, I've had Bic lighters just to go out with even full of fuel. And so we're going to take a look at some different ways to start fire because it's a very important part of survival. Guys, if you can dream it up, there are so many ways to start fire, but we're going to break this down into five categories. Now, when I'm talking about fire starting, I'm not talking about flint and steel. I mean, this is more bushcraft. It is possible. You need a little bit of charcloth and it takes a little time, takes some skill. Also your bow drill method. We're not going to be showing that as well. I really want to talk about things that are current and where you can pick up these items just about anywhere. Now guys, to start a bigger fire, you need some fire tender to get things rolling. Of course, small shavings like this are easy to do with a knife on a piece of dry wood. Here we have Vaseline and cotton balls. This is probably one of my favorites. It's cheap. You just get cotton balls, mix them up. I've got a video on this. Really easy to light. And then we have some of the fatwood, or this is actually from Ingalls Creek Outdoors. He does some of this impregnated wood. And this is really easy to start fires. It comes in different sizes. And then you have the tender tabs. And I believe the U.S. military is using these now. This is a very simple way. So the big thing is, is having some way to start fire makes things a lot easier to get things rolling. And then you can add the larger pieces. Now, first is your match and matches, of course, have been around for a long time. These are just box strike matches. They have a little striker. I mean, we're all familiar with these, but there's also a number of different survival oriented matches, just like these stormproof matches or lifeboat matches is what they like to call it. These have a striker and they have these really long matches. And these things will burn guys. Even if you dip it in water, it'll start back up. These are really what I like to have for my survival kit in my fire kit. And when it comes to putting away your matches, I like to have something to put them in. And here we have the lifeboat matches. It has a striker right here. This is something again from Exotac. They just make a lot of really cool fire starting tools. I really like those guys. This is called the MaxCap XL, but they make a number of different types of matches that are called survival matches. These are waterproof. I believe they just have like a wax seal around the tip. I think the lifeboat matches are actually better, but these are definitely an option. Now you can get the big box. Now they make the strike anywhere matches. A lot of places have stopped doing that because you can just strike them on any kind of surface with some friction, but these are standard strike on the box matches. But what I love about these is they say, don't tread on me. Now I take my cotton ball and I just pull it out and I get those fibers showing a little bit. Vaseline is a petroleum product, so it is flammable. And we're just going to use a standard match. You can see how fast that is. But the match, of course, you've got limited time because this burns across the wood. Obviously I'm talking to people that know all about matches, but it's still just one of those things for demonstration. But you can see the Vaseline and cotton balls, guys, that's the deal right there. And here's your lifeboat match. Here we go. It gets started and it just burns for a long time. Once you get it going, watch this. Now that is amazing. And this is a great option for a lot of things. These are always in my fire kit, but like matches do, after a while they're gone. And of course you have a whole pack, but after a while they're gone. Now, second way to start fire is, of course, the lighter. And this is probably the most convenient. It's really easy. The Bic lighter to me is one of the best. I mean, you just click it and it's ready to go. I really like Bic lighters. You don't really have refill, they're disposable, so you get rid of them. If you really want to protect that Bic lighter, Exotac makes a really cool fire sleeve. It goes over the lighter. You can just drop it in there. It's a rubberized coating here. And then too, it protects it. And you can actually use this little piece right here to block off, to keep this from letting out all your fuel. And so this is a great way to keep it waterproof and really secure. This is my number one way to start fire. I mean, when I need to start a fire, the Bic lighter comes out and this in a survival situation is great. Now, lighters also come in a number of other things. And here we have a standard lighter. This is one that you fill with lighter fluid. And so you just take off the bottom, open up your lighter fluid and just pour it in until it finally reaches the top. Now I like this and this is a great way to do it. All of your Zippo lighters are like that. But the one problem with this kind of lighter is it puts out a great flame for sure. And this is what a lot of people have used over the years. But once your fuel's out, your fuel's out. And this is though still, if you like those kinds of lighters, this is a great one to go with, with ExoTac. But there's a ton of others out there. Now the lighters again, are probably the most convenient and very easy to use. Whether you use the Bic or use your lighter with the lighter fluid. So what we're going to do of course, is this is really simple, but I'm going to demonstrate this on one of these small little sticks, which the lighter gives you a little more capability because you do have that open flame. As you can see, it doesn't take long, especially if these sticks are made for fire tender. Now something that's really close to lighters are strikers. One of the things about a striker is it'll just create a spark. And so if you have some really good fire tender, you can just strike this and it will light the fire. Here we have something from Zippo. This is a little different. Just wanted to kind of show it. We have a striker here and then you have a small little strip. Just strike it and you're getting your flame. But to be honest guys, if you have a lighter that's just not working, you can hit that striker and you can cause that strike just like this. So if you have a lighter that's not working, don't throw it away. You can use that splint to be able to light a fire. Now these little striker wheels, they're simple. Really on the same principle as a lighter. You just don't have to worry about fuel. There you go. Really fast. You're just getting it just like you would a lighter. It's very simple. And again, this will last as long as the flint lasts. Now you can replace this flint as well. And in fact, I think there's some flints inside here that are backup. There's even a tender tab in here. So this is a really cool option in itself. You can see how good the tender tab does. Now next in the list are your ferroceum rods. And that's one of the things to me that I really like because it is a long-term solution. We have this rod here. It's actually made from the same material as your little flint or striker in your lighter. And so we have a striker here. We take it and first thing you want to do is get this coating off because it's always in a black coating. Kind of get that scraped off and then you just scrape it. This will produce thousands of sparks. And so it's a great way to have long-term fire starting. It takes a little bit of practice to get started to really get efficient, but it's not very difficult. And this is another ferroceum rod. I kind of like the way this one fits together into one package. We have the striker attached to the handle and same thing. The striker, you just hit and strike it. This is from Exotac as well. They just come up with a lot of innovative products, just like this larger one. And these are the nano strikers. And guys, if you really want to style it up some, these fatwood steel strikers are excellent. You have fatwood as the handle. You have a piece of fatwood with it, which these are great for fire starting. And you have your striker. And this is more toward bushcraft. These are made in Georgia. These are just excellent. I just love the styling and every one is different. The guys at Fatwood Fire Steel are just excellent in any way. So I'd check them out if you want something extremely different. And there are various sizes. There are various colors, various striker patterns. I mean, there are so many different ways to go with the ferroceum rod or a fire rod, fire steel. I mean, it comes in a number of different names. Next, we're going to show the ferroceum rod or the ferro rod. This, of course, there's a lot of different choices, but pretty much it has your ferroceum rod and a striker. We're going to use the tender tabs. And the thing you do with these is you actually pull them out and you expose the fibers. Now, honestly, you can split these up because they'll create a number of fires if you want to split it up. But again, scrape off the finish of your ferroceum rod and then just take the striker. And what you want to do is hold the striker still and pull on the rod. And that way it just allows you from slamming into your fire tender. That's how quick it is. But typically, you can see the sparks. And even though this is a really small one, it will give you probably a thousand strikes. Those tender tabs burn pretty good too. Now, something that's kind of innovative is the blast match. And these are used by the Air Force. You just take and push and it drops out the little ferroceum rod here. One thing I really like about this, you can produce a spark with one hand. So let's say you're injured and this gives you a way to be able to do it. This is really a cool idea. I've had a number of these. I really like them. You can go by the Air Force blast match or they make a number of different types. But I really love how it just pops out right here. It's just a little catch and it just pops right out. And then as you strike it, it creates a spark. Let's take a look at the blast match. And I'm going to use cotton balls for this. And I need to move my grate over a little bit. Just deploy it. You take it and put it on a hard surface and then you just push down. Just like that. As you can see, it creates a lot of spark. And again, one handed. I mean, these things are great. And that Vaseline and cotton ball is great. When you're done, just close it up and it's easy to pack away. You've got thousands of strikes. Now, number four on the list is something that's really become very popular over the past few years. This is a torch lighter, and these are actually powered by butane fuel. But as you just push down, it creates a torch. And I mean, it is hot. It's windproof. I mean, these things are fantastic. I mean, it really gets that fire going. You can find these almost anywhere. In fact, I picked these up at a local gas station, but these are just great. I mean, it really produces that really super hot heat. And it's just a great way, especially if you smoke cigars, that makes it even better. The problem is, is you need to have fuel. And here we have some of the butane fuel. After a while, you've got to refill these. And so this is great just for taking out and using on a daily basis, maybe to have in your pack, but you'll want to have some extra butane fuel. And when that runs out, you're out of luck. Here's another one. I mean, those things are just cool. And there's a lot of different styles. Here we have one of the clips, and this is by USD, a pretty cool system. Pop it open, same thing. Flames a little bit different. It has a little carabiner on it, but they make some larger ones, some smaller ones. I mean, you name it, you got it. And now we have the torch type lighter. I mean, these things guys, they go crazy. Let's use one of the sticks. I mean, it really burns in a hurry. A very intense flame, probably one of the most intense flames you can have out of all the different choices. But again, once they go out, you got to refill it with butane. As long as you have butane, you're in good shape. Now last, number five is your electric lighter. This is one that we did a while back. This is a great little lighter, just very unique. And this one is actually an electric lighter. Right here's your button. Push it. Look right there. You've got a little flame that comes up. It is super hot. You don't want to get your hands caught in that. It's almost like a stun gun. One thing that's really cool about this though, is you are able to recharge this. So if you have a battery backup, it does come with a small cable and you can hook it up and you can charge it. It also has a light as well. And so in fact, I think when you have it closed, yeah, it has the light that comes on. So this is kind of a multipurpose and it does have some kind of paracord here. These are really cool. I like them. Again, you're going to have to have a power source to be able to charge it up over time. But again, if you have a battery backup, that's great. Now here's one that's also an electric lighter. This one, if you push it forward, I want you to look, that thing just lights up. And this is again, electric. So it's going to give you a really hot flame. What's really cool is I push the other way and I have a USB connector. So I can put this into any USB port and then I've got fire. This is a kind of a cool setup. But again, you've got to have electricity to run these over time. But the one great thing about these electrical lighters is you don't have any fuel. Your fuel is your energy. And as long as you can get energy, which is easier to get than say butane or lighter fluid, this just makes it a great option. Now when it comes to your electric lighter, just pop it open, turn it on, and you've got flame. Very simple. Here with the Vaseline and cotton balls, same thing. Very easy to do. About anything will light this Vaseline and cotton balls. And guys, I am sure that there are other types out there. There are actually some name brands that I don't have and I wasn't trying to do it that way. I just mainly wanted to show the different aspects of matches. Then you have your lighters, which include your little spark generators. And then number three, you have your ferroceum rods. Number four, you have your butane lighters that really create a torch. And then last but not least, you have your electrical lighters. And of course, they do require you to charge them up on occasion. So guys, there's no excuse not to put together a great fire kit. There's a lot of different options. Find out the one that's best for you. But I will say that no matter what, I would always have a fire steel in my pack. No matter what else you're using, this again will create thousands of sparks and you can really use this in any kind of conditions. And guys, one thing that I didn't mention is a Fresnel lens. And those are really simple to keep. In fact, I keep one in my car. If the sun is out though, you got to have good sunlight. You can create a flame or get a fire started just with this lens because it magnifies the sun. Now I would demonstrate that, but unfortunately we have had a rainy week and so I can't show it. But to me, it's kind of one of those that is limited towards sunlight, but yet it's unlimited because it has the sunlight. It's all it needs. Guys, fire can give you warmth. Fire can cook your food. It can boil your water. It gives you morale. There's just something about a fire that is just primeval. And guys, it is one of your number one survival tools. And so having the means to get this started is just a basic skill that man has had from the beginning. Test your skills, get out, use them, and you'll be much better off in a survival situation. So guys, when it comes to fire, being such an important part of survival, have a number of different tools available and use those tools and gain skill. Because if you really need a fire, it could be a matter of life or death. Or you might be with a bunch of friends at a bonfire and you're the hero because you're the one that can start the fire. So guys, if you're serious about prepping and survival, check out Survival Dispatch Insider. It's one of the best resources on the web. They use many of the top names in the survival world. We upload one exclusive video every week to the Insider. I'll have a link down below in the description. It's well worth checking out. Be strong, be of good courage. God bless America. Long live the Republic. But also your boat. But the one problem with this is what's really cool is I push the other way and I have a USB port. Is that you can use a Fresnel. This isn't anything earth shattering. We're going to use just a standard match. Pretty simple.