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This year we have our own SO 6-man tipi with a SO large Ti stove. I will carry a Bic lighter or two but based on the potential for wet weather, this year we will be better prepared and will carry a (magnesium and flint) Survivor Fire starter.

Not if you're carrying the fuel on your back.

We do a fire-building demo for the survival part of our hunter ed class. Using cotton balls with vaseline and the metal match, with no practice beforehand, it usually lights on the first strike, and almost always by the second.

Perfect conditions, but still it's pretty foolproof.

I have to admit I don't own one. Tried one out many years ago but stayed with kitchen matches in a waterproof container and a good lighter.

Should I reconsider? What brand do you prefer?

Thanks

Have you ever jumped out of an airplane?

Maybe. Do you dress yourself?

Bought mine from firesteel.com. It's all I use anymore. Use it with shaved pitch wood or cotton ball with vaseline. Nothing is easier.

ironbender;
Good evening to you sir, I hope this finds you and yours well this warm August evening.

One of the interesting things I find about forums like this place is that a few of us have arrived at similar conclusions working at the question independently.

I'm speaking of using a chunk of hacksaw blade for a spark scraper here - I discovered that it will shred chunks of magnesium off the block in fine style about the same time....

When I'm teaching the survival night of our BC Hunter Safety course I'll pull out my day pack and show the class it's contents. When I say that unless I'm struck unconscious or become paralyzed - if I'm ever stuck up on the local mountains they'll spot the fire I've built from any satellite.

In my pants pocket during season I carry a Light My Fire steel, along with 0000 steel wool and cotton balls that are soaked in petroleum jelly.

The pack has a pocket torch, waterproof and windproof matches, regular wooden strike anywhere matches and the above mentioned magnesium block.

As others have noted, the ferro rods indeed work best with some tinder much better than others. I've found that fatwood dust, petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls and steel wool and dollar store twine chopped fine works well with them.

There are a bunch of youtube videos comparing the different ferrocerium rods - some with different results - so I'm not sure one is better than another really.

I've played with some offshore ones as well as the Light My Fire one I carry and can't see a whole pile of difference.

Lastly I try to start a few fires every year with a ferro rod, even if it's in the wood stove, the prevailing theory being if I really need to use one someday I'd better be able to do it by the numbers so to speak.

Anyway that's all I've learned about fire starting so far sir, but as it's a bit of a hobby with me like as not I'll continue experimenting as long as I'm able.

Hopefully that was useful information to someone out there tonight and all the best to you and your family this fall ironbender.

Dwayne

Been there, done that and have the tee shirt to account for my failures. A Bic lighter and petroleum jelly soaked cotton swabs were barely enough to get my stove to light when conditions less than idea (read: wet wood and damp conditions in my SO 8-man tipi and large Ti stove). To be fair, I was still warm and comfortable after burning more wood than I should have. Just saying that your combo won't be the do-all-save-all you might think it will be in tough conditions.

Hi Dwayne,

Thanks for your post. Hopefully you and yours are doing well!

Quick question- how are you using the steel wool?

Thanks
Jordan