look what i did, look what i did

is how i felt yesterday. the last year or so i have com to the realization that it could be relatively possible for me to need to know how to survive, outside of the norm... i havent become a tinfoil hat wearin wackjob or nuthin, not huge conspiracy out to get ME per say. Just a basic need for survivability on my part.

I have been very interested in the Survival shows on the likes of the travel channel, or was it discovery... maybe the science channel... either way, Dual Survival, Man vs Wild, Survivorman, man woman wild ( in that order) have been very interesting to me in all of this.

across the board # 1 usually boils down to water DUH, living out here in the desert, it's a no brainer. next is generally fire, or food, depending i guess on the situation. sometime ya need fire to cook the food, so there's no point getting said food w/o the fire.

i have wanted to learn to make "primitive fire" since the last time i played around with it when i was a boyscout, after watching these shows i got a kind of importance kick that i NEEDED to. i think it will be a last ditch, as if i go out i'll take a lighter with and/or matches in some kinda kit... but what if both get destroyed? i think it would be good to have a "primative fire" kit as well. that's what i set out to do yesterday.

Stuff around the house that i can pack up for this primative fire kit are goin to include

Dryer lint fantastic kindling, takes a spark like and fires right up

fine 0000 steel wool same as above, but also can ignight by shorting across battery

9 v battery see above

small pine shavings not necessarily shavings, but a lil bigger than toothpicks pine or some other type of tree that has heavy resin type sap is important as when it heats up the resin, it basically creates turpentine which is nice and flammable. i want to include these in the kit because sometimes ya just cant find a good wood to take a decent flame and fire up, once these things take that flame they will usually burn long and hot enough to dry out OTHER woods ( where ever you may be) for them to take the flame.

Fire Steel i've got a magnesium block/fire steel combo peice, the idea being that you shave some of the magnesium into your tinder bundle and throw the sparks into it igniting the magnesium which burns incredibly hot setting the tinder into a blaze.

Largish Fixed blade knife i like a fixed blade for the lack of failure no springs to break, etc, also a nice sturdy knife will allow you to hammer and ax your wood that you may be able to find into manageable peices along with of course the killing of food, defending ones self, chopping up food, and of course starting the fire.

i did the first fire and it took a good 20 min to get goin...trial and error i could have gotten it done in a minute with a lighter did you not read any of the above... keep your questions til the end! now where was i? 20 min, but it got goin then i transfered it to my firepit, which i had built a wood stack to transfer the lil fire to , and that also took off. success!!!

the second fire went up in 10 min, and i learned that i need to adjust my lint so the outside doesnt just burn off, once it takes off, it needs more air so i gave it just that, also note that i didnt just use lint as my tinder bundle, there is also a mimosa tree in the yard, and the old dead flowers on it are fantastically dry, and some dry grass.

my knife sheath has a built in pocket for it's sharpening stone, and it's JUUUUUUSSSTTTT big enough for me to shove in my fire starter block, so i'll always have the two together.

it was a fun experience, and i'll keep up the practice it's something handy to keep around if nothing does hit the fan.

OUT