An essential factor in any good survival equipment is a method of lighting a hearth. Ideally, a minimum of two completely different instruments or strategies of fireside ignition ought to be current. Fireplace is critically essential, because it serves a number of functions in an emergency, from boiling water to make it secure to drink to holding you heat, even serving to you sign for assist.
With that in thoughts, let’s breeze by means of a number of completely different hearth ignition choices and focus on their execs and cons.
Disposable Lighters
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As a rule, there’s nothing higher than instantaneous flame in the case of getting a hearth began. For a disposable lighter, it’s exhausting to beat a Bic. I smoked for a few many years earlier than quitting. In my expertise, no different model labored higher, and I attempted most of ‘em. Disposable lighters aren’t nice with severely chilly climate, however if you happen to maintain one in your pants pocket, near your pores and skin, that helps quite a bit.
Execs: Simple to make use of, comparatively cheap.
Cons: Simply impacted by climate circumstances.
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Refillable Lighters
Not all lighters are disposable, after all. Lots of them, akin to the ever present Zippo model, are refillable. These lighters are usually extra sturdy than Bics, as they’re meant for lengthier use. One other benefit is that they are often lit after which left standing, offering a fast illumination choice in addition to a approach to gentle different issues with each fingers.
Personally, I lean towards the Exotac titanLIGHT over the basic Zippo. It doesn’t leak and thus lasts longer between refills.
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Execs: Prompt flame, can be utilized one-handed.
Cons: Pricier than disposables, would possibly run out of gas at an inopportune time.
Storm Matches
These come from numerous manufacturers, however all of them work the identical. They’re like paper matches on steroids. They’re designed particularly to work in moist and windy circumstances. You strike a storm match identical to you’d an everyday one. It burns sizzling for a number of seconds, permitting you to gentle your tinder.
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A significant draw back, although, is that every match is clearly single-use. Should you’re not adept at getting a hearth lit with only one match, you might burn by means of your provide shortly, no pun meant.
Execs: Light-weight and simple to pack. Not prohibitively costly.
Cons: Most require a particular strike pad, or they received’t work, so if you happen to lose that, the matches are nugatory. Matches are single-use, so that you don’t get plenty of lights in a single bundle.
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Ferrocerium Rod
It doesn’t get a lot easier than this ignition instrument. It’s a rod that you just scrape with one other implement, making a bathe of sparks that rains down in your tinder. There’s a slight studying curve to make use of it successfully, however working towards is plenty of enjoyable. I take advantage of a ferro rod greater than some other hearth lighting instrument.
Whereas they arrive in a variety of lengths, three or 4 inches at a minimal appears to work greatest. Most ferro rods are offered with a striker/scraper, however right here’s a trick I picked up from famous survival teacher John D. McCann. Purchase a carbide sharpener and use that with the ferro rod, because it’ll generate large showers of sparks.
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Execs: Will work in any climate circumstances.
Cons: Tinder must be notably straightforward to gentle for the ferro rod to be efficient. Pricier than disposable lighters.
Flint and Metal
In a method, this can be a precursor to the ferrocerium rod. It really works the identical, however it may be just a little extra finicky. Basically, you’re taking a flint rock and putting its sharp edge in opposition to a chunk of metal. This shaves off tiny bits of metallic that ignite into sparks as a result of friction. You’ll want actually good tinder or charcloth for this to work nicely, in addition to plenty of observe to be taught the correct method.
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Execs: Cheap, long-lasting, and fairly waterproof.
Cons: The educational curve to grasp the talent can take some time to beat.
Plasma Lighter
That is the high-tech, sci-fi model of a lighter. As a substitute of a flame, the plasma lighter emits one or two arcs of electrical energy that can be utilized to gentle your tinder. This can be a instrument I don’t usually suggest, for a number of causes.
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The plasma arcs are usually very small, and it may be troublesome to gentle tinder because of this. In addition they don’t work with all tinder sorts. Whereas a disposable or refillable lighter will nonetheless generate sparks even when it runs out of gas, if you happen to overlook to recharge your plasma lighter, it’s nugatory when it runs out of juice.
Execs: Appears very cool and space-age.
Cons: Awkward to make use of in some conditions. If it runs out of energy, it’s nugatory.
Pull Begin Fireplace
We’ve talked about Pull Begin Fireplace earlier than. It’s an amazing hearth ignition choice, however not for normal use. That is what I’d take into account to be a last-ditch strategy, for use in emergencies solely. It’s single-use, however if you happen to completely want a hearth lit instantly, it’ll get the job performed.
Execs: Waterproof, works with out tinder, no different instruments essential to gentle.
Cons: Cumbersome, costly on a per-use foundation.
Magnifying Glass
Most of us performed with these as children, utilizing one to pay attention the solar’s rays to burn holes in paper and such. On a sunny day, these can work nice to get your hearth lit. However, if it’s a cloudy day or after sundown, you’re useless within the water. A Fresnel lens works the identical method as a magnifying lens, and so they’re straightforward to slide into your pockets or equipment as a backup.
Execs: Can be utilized for different issues, like discovering a splinter in your finger. Requires no energy or separate instrument to function.
Cons: Wants daylight to work. Glass lenses are fragile.
Suggestions
It is best to have a minimum of two completely different hearth ignition choices in your survival equipment. One strategy I like is to maintain a Bic lighter or an Exotac titanLIGHT in a pants pocket, together with a ferro rod in my equipment. I additionally attempt to maintain a minimum of one Pull Begin Fireplace field in my pack as an emergency backup. Mess around with completely different ignition instruments and determine ones which are best so that you can use.
