Fire: Your Key to Survival

I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Next to water and maybe food, fire is the key to your long-term survival. If you're caught out in the woods with no cover and no supplies, you'd better be able to get a fire going.

Fire allows you to sterilize water, cook food and to stay warm. You can use it to signal for help if you're stranded and it will keep you from succumbing to the elements when temperature begin to drop. It can also be used to ward off hungry predators looking to turn you into a quick snack.

Building a fire can be difficult when you have the right equipment. With the wind whipping and rain pouring, most people would struggle to get a fire started with matches or a light, let alone without one. The time to learn to build a fire in inclement weather is now. Don't wait until your survival depends on it.

The first thing you're going to need is tinder, which is some sort of highly flammable material you can get started burning that will light up quickly.

There are a couple items you can keep in your bug out bag that will make starting a fire much easier. You can collect dryer lint from your lint trap and keep a bit of it. It's light and airy and will easily light up when you put a spark to it. Another option is to coat cotton balls in Vaseline and keep then in an airtight container like a film canister. They will light and burn long enough for you to start a fire. In a pinch, steel wool will light up as well.

Yet another option for tender is sawdust and paraffin wax. Mix sawdust and melted paraffin wax together and let it cool. Cut it into 2-inch squares and put some in your bug out bag.

Here's one that'll probably bring a smile to your face: tampons. That's right; you can pull little pieces from a tampon and use it to build a fire. It's a good item to have in your bug out bag because they are compact and light.

That's all fine and dandy if you have your bug-out bag with you, but what can you do if you don't have it?

You still have a few options when it comes to tinder. Your first option is to check your pockets for lint. Pocket lint lights up every bit as readily as dryer lint.

Tree bark shavings make decent tender, especially if you can find a cedar or birch tree to collect bark from. Look for trees with bark that's dry and peeling from the tree and you've got good tinder. When it comes to cedar, you can cut small shavings off of the bark and roll it in your hand to fluff it up a bit.

Pine pitch and pine shavings are also flammable.

Cattails also work as tinder. If you're in an area with water, walk the shores and look for cattails. Rub the end of the cattail between your hands and you'll get a light, fluffy material that lights up quickly.

In a pinch, start checking the trees for bird nests. If you can find a nest, the bird will have collected all the dry material you need to get a fire started. The best part is nests are usually in protected areas, so the material you get from the nest will probably be dry.

Once you've gathered tender, you need to gather up as much kindling as possible. Kindling is the material you're going to use to keep your fire burning once you've got the kindling started. You need as much dry wood as possible. Wood, bark, logs. It'll all burn once you get the fire started.

When you're starting the fire, you want dry tender and small pieces of kindling because they'll be easier to get lit. Once they light up, you can start adding bigger pieces of wood to the fire. Collect as much wood as you can before you start your fire. You don't want to light it, then end up running around like a madman frantically searching for firewood while your little flame slowly but surely burns out.

Now that's you've got everything gathered, it's time to get the fire started. Clear out a burn area where you're going to light the fire. Gather up enough rocks to surround your burn area and create a fire ring. If you can't find rocks, try digging a small pit in the soil.

The fire ring will help you start your fire if there's a breeze blowing and it will prevent a breeze from gusting up and putting your fire out. It'll also make it easier for you to start your fire, as you won't have to fight the wind as much.

Place the tinder in the center of the ring and add a bunch of small sticks and light kindling on top of and around the tinder. Don't completely cover it because the tinder needs oxygen to really get going.

If you have matches or a lighter on hand, the fire should be fairly easy to start. Simply light the tinder on fire, stoke it by gently blowing on it and use the burning tinder to light the kindling on fire.

If you don't have a lighter or matches on hand, all is not lost. It's going to take more work, but you can still get a good fire going. The following methods can all be used to get your fire going in the wilderness.

Practice makes perfect, so practice using all of these methods at least once a year, so you know how to do them and they stay fresh in your mind.