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Starting a Fire Without Matches or Other Modern Methods

Starting a Fire Without Matches or Other Modern Methods


If you have your Go Bag with you — as well you should — you should have several “modern methods” on-hand to start a fire including: water-proof matches, a lighter, and a magnesium striker. If for some reason you have been caught without these items, or they have been lost, or fail – here are some tried and true methods of starting a fire the “old-fashioned” way.

These techniques can and do work – but they are not as easy as you may have seen in the movies. Making fire without modern fire starters takes a lot of skill and patience, and can be physically demanding and frustrating. That is why it is so important that you carry more than one reliable method of starting a fire in your Go Bag.

You should practice these methods in your backyard until you can do one, or more well, before you should have to do so in an emergency situation. All primitive fire-starting methods use heat generated by friction for ignition. The two most reliable “primitive” fire starting methods are:

The Fire-Plow

To use this method, cut a straight groove in a softwood base and plow the blunt tip of a hardwood shaft up and down the groove. The plowing action of the shaft pushes out small particles of wood fibers. Then, as you apply more pressure on each stroke, the friction ignites the wood particles.

The Bow and Drill

The technique of starting a fire with a bow and drill is practical, but it requires much effort and patience to produce a fire. You need the following items to use this method:

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When a Zippo Is Not Enough, These Fire Starting Materials Could Be a Lifesaver

When a Zippo Is Not Enough, These Fire Starting Materials Could Be a Lifesaver

ReadyNutrition Readers, this piece is a reiteration of fire-starting basics in terms of materials to stockpile for yourselves, for your winter-fires or for a grid-down/collapse event.  You can place these materials in your home, in your “Bug-Out” bag, your vehicle, and in your work locations.  Sometimes the Zippo lighter is not enough, and you need a little more material in order to “kick start” your fires.  Let’s cover some of them as well as simple procedures to keep them waterproof.

There are several types of stormproof and windproof matches.  The company I recommend for them are UCO windproof and waterproof matches.  You can purchase these at Cabela’s or you can visit the site at UCO gear.

These guys deliver, and they come within a case that keeps them waterproof (even though they can be submerged under water and then struck on virtually any surface).  At $5 to $7 they’re a good investment.  Strike anywhere matches can be waterproofed, however, they are hygroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture/humidity/water with time.

Along with matches, you’ll need a good lighter.  Everyone is familiar with the Zippo, that works on white gas/Coleman fuel, as well as gasoline.  They are good to have for a backup when the times are tough, and butane is in short supply.  The drawbacks lie in the fact that they leak, meaning the lighter doesn’t stay closed and loses/evaporates its fuel.  Also, you need flints and wicks with them.

For disposables, I really like the ones made by Djeep, a French firm.  They are short, rectangular, and stubby, and they both take a beating and are dependable.  It can’t hurt to pick up a few dozen of them.

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Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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