Mackay;
Top of the morning my cyber friend, I hope you and your fine family are well.
Oh - belated Happy Birthday as well.
Thanks to you and my friend Okanagan as well as the rest of course for your input.
As I believe you and others might know, I teach the Survival/First Aid portion of the BC Hunter Safety course so it's always good to have new tricks to share.
You're right that when one is "really and truly" cold, fooling with a ferro rod and fat wood or such tinder might be too slow to be a life saver.
Since I'm me - and Okanagan can verify this as he's been to our place a couple times for visits - I tend towards being more than a "belt and suspenders" sort.
Whenever I'm hunting, in my left pocket in a plastic bag is a ferro rod, 0000 steel wool and cotton balls soaked in Vaseline. In the pack there's a pocket torch, fat wood, a magnesium block with another ferro rod, more Vaseline soaked cotton balls and a variety of windproof/waterproof matches.
Honestly Mackay, I tell the class that if I'm still mobile, they'll be able to find this little old hunter from space by the thermal signature!
Now I'll be looking in the Dollar Store for those candles too!
Thanks again and good luck on your hunts this fall.
Dwayne
