BOB Fire Kits

[Kelly Alwood]

We see from all the other fire threads how many ways there are to start a fire. I would like to discuss different ideas of what we should have in our kits or BOB to get this task done.
First, I always look for things that are multipurpose. This cuts the amount of weight and size of my pack. With that, I look for things that are also small and light. With fire, we need to make sure we have a few things. Heat, fuel, and air must be present. So I make sure I have something to produce heat, and also fuel. Fuel is tinder. Without this, we will not have a fire. And in wet conditions it can be very difficult to obtain dry enough tinder to get a fire going, Especially with flint and steel. Most people like to carry flint and steel. I have to declare that I have one on me all the time, and in every pack, however most people really couldnt go in the woods and start a fire with it for real. You MUST have great tinder for it to work. And most people dont know how to obtain the correct tinder in the woods to get it going. Honesty, how many times have you personally used all natural tinder you obtained in the woods at the time you went out and succesfully started a fire with it and flint and steel. Im sure some of our readers have, but I'm confident the overwhelming majority have not. It is not easy to do, especially your first time.
So I always pack tinder. There are many good things we can use for tinder in our kits. I dont use the word fuel here as I am being specific to tinder. Not liquid fuels. Those take up too much space and weight, and you cannot pack enough with you to last very long.
My favorite firestarter of all time is a non refillable Bic lighter. Nothing beats this in the woods. Next would be Matches, and then my flint and steel.
I would like to hear from you guys of what you pack and why. Or questions of what to pack, as I have tested just about everything on the market.

[AZ Prepper]

This is what I keep in my cars, 72-hour kits, etc. at all times. When I'm camping, I take it with me. It is about the length of two altoids cans laid side by side and the width of an altoids can's length (if that makes sense).

I'll also throw a lighter in it too, just for the heck of it...for if I'm feeling lazy.

The kit includes:
3/8" x 4" firesteel w/ lanyard and scraper (well over 12,000 strike capacity)
3/16" x 2.5" firesteel (backup)
Fire striker
Shard (like flint)
Magnifying glass (catches char on fire on a sunny day in about 1 second)
Char (made from cotton)
Extra cotton for more char (can also be made from rotting wood, jeans, cotton shirts, etc)
Jute twine (to build a nest and help start fire when environment is wet)
7-hour candle (to dry wet tinder in emergency)
Tin (Altoid-sized, for making char and holding items - required hole prepunched)
Denim bag w/ pull string to hold all contents (approx 4.75" wide x 7" high)

Everything fits in the bag, with room to spare. Several individual components are stored in tiny plastic bags to keep them dry.



When I'm off hiking, I can simply take out the altoids-sized tin and stick it in a pocket (if I'm not taking a backpack or camelback to fit the already small kit into).

I'm a HUGE fan of char cloth/material. That's why I always have a tin with me. You can make char with lots of different things in the wilderness or in the city. And you can also make some type of spark with limitless items. These two things together provide the hardest part of making a fire...the coal. It also provides a never-ending supply of resources. There will ALWAYS be something that will produce a spark. And there will ALWAYS be some kind of product (including rotting wood) to make char from. The only variable is the tin can.

With this kit, I can start a fire in most environments for as long as I need to. But one thing is important and that is that I've practiced with what I carry. If a person is going to have something that they will need to rely on for a life-saving thing like fire, they'd better practice several ways of using what they're carrying. Because when you're in a desperate, cold situation...that is the WORST time to practice these techniques.

[Kelly Alwood]

I like your materials, and especially the fact the you have practiced with them until you are confident in your ability to start a potentially life threatening situation and under duress.
I like the fact that you have backup systems. Very important.
I always keep a candle in my kit. This would allow me heat to stay warm while working on fire preparations, and can be used to dry out tinder to start a good campfire.
This is a technique we teach in our Scout and Suvival classes. Appache scouts used it to survive and be invisible. So I think a candle is very beneficial.
What do the others here carry for fire starting in their kits?

[skiddlyarcus]

My basic kit is just a firesteel in my leatherman sheath. In the car we always have some hand sanitizer ... that turns any marginal tinder into good tinder.

For my "easy" fire kit I have a bic lighter and a cheap butane lighter. The butane is nice ... but I don't expect it to last long in a disaster situation.

For the pack/camping, I have the exact same kit that AZPrepper has ... I bought it from him. I normally carry just the firesteel and a tin of char.

[Kelly Alwood]

I used the same thing. A leatherman and firesteel. Its hard to beat a Bic lighter. Im with you on the butane. And both of your camping/pack kits are nice. I have never had any luck starting hand sanitizer on fire. Have you gotton it to burn by itsself, or do you pour it onto the tinder?

[AZ Prepper]

I used the same thing. A leatherman and firesteel. Its hard to beat a Bic lighter. Im with you on the butane. And both of your camping/pack kits are nice. I have never had any luck starting hand sanitizer on fire. Have you gotton it to burn by itsself, or do you pour it onto the tinder?

Hand sanitizer doesn't burn by itself. It's more of a flame extender much like Vaseline and Carmex when used with cotton or other flammable materials.

[skiddlyarcus]

Have you gotton it to burn by itsself, or do you pour it onto the tinder?

I put it on cotton or tissue or anything else available.

[Kelly Alwood]

IC. Thank you for that. I will try that this weekend.