How to Start a Fire
October 20, 2006 by Glenn
Cash’s post on basic survival skills was a good introduction. Then I read, “Always have two ways of starting a fire with you.” Huh?
If some calamity happens (or in Cash’s words, if China’s invading mainland USA), I doubt I’ll have two ways of starting a fire readily available.
But thanks to the interweb, I found some of the tried and true methods as well as techniques you probably haven’t seen before.
- How to start a fire without matches. Including a magnifying glass, bullets, and steel wool with a 6V battery
- Sticks and a shoelace
- Pop can and chocolate bar
- Balloon or condom
Discussion: Any other handy methods not listed here?
I know someone with a Kitchen Aide Mixer… It’s real nice.
Unreal!!! I’m an old hat at the magnifying glass and battery/steel wool combos, but the pop can chocolate bar thing is total McGyver style!
The thing is you’ll never know when a situation will come up where you’d actually need fire (and most people probably think they’ll NEVER be in a situation like that) so it’s good to know a technique that uses stuff readily available, that you might have on hand anyway.
To those of you saying “I’ll just keep matches with me” remember this; you’ll have a finite supply.
Both the magnifying glass technique AND this pop can method are great because the only thing you have to rely on is a supply of timber and the sun.
GREAT post Glenn. I learned a lot, and wasn’t even able to check the balloon one yet due to being @ work.
Have a great weekend everyone, thanks for reading Urban Monarch.
The pop can and chocolate bar really suprised me.
When the apocalypse comes, I’m saving my condoms till we raid some pharmacies.
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