Absolutely, adaptability is key. Wouldn’t be my first choice for some tasks, but didn’t preform half bad at others.
I love a pretty feather stick but if I want tinder quick that serrated edge covers for my lack of skill, hacks it right off. It's not gonna look as nice as yours though, for sure.
^^^^Exactly^^^^ As long as they get your fire going, they're beautiful. Folks get way too wrapped up in precision. If they burn, they're good. I have found the choice of wood and stick size is way more important than the knife or the grind.
Has anyone else in the southeast taken the opportunity of the recent single digit temps to practice fire making in REALLY not fun conditions? I have. It sucks. I'm moving to the tropics at the first opportunity. Road flares, battery powered sawzall and gasoline are the new fire kit.
I lived 9 miles from Canada for a long while. This was an all too common occurrence, It is definitely more challenging to get fires going. But you adapt, Even the way you build fires changes. Different shoes help, Poorly prepared fires in the winter are self extinguishing, They sink in and melt snow, the resulting water runs in and says good night fire.
In the winter, I tend to look up for firewood. Stuff hanging in the trees, leaning, anything off the ground. You tend to use a "Lot" more wood trying to keep from freezing your nads off. Finding two closely spaced trees to break down longer pieces, saves time and calories, It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be warm. Some kind of reflector also helps.
Winter fire craft has enhanced my love of top down fires. Up out of the snow and the wet, they just work for me. They burn hot, are miserly with the wood, And usually have some leftover coals in the morning, Having some leftover heat makes breakfast a much nicer event, So does having a decent board, The coals doing their thing to the bacon, Warm & Toast the rolls, Heat eat, repeat, A good piece of cast iron is invaluable in my mind. This one is older than I am.
Couldn't agree more. I normally make my feathersticks way earlier than I make my fire. I tend to make them out of smaller, green wood. Much easier to feather, and they dry quickly feathered.
Desert broom bush seed/flower fluff (female) as a flash tinder. Worked into a tinder bundle of palo verde tree needles/leaves.
I have been working on emergency fire with a folder and a paracord bracelete, here are some of my example's, random photo's.
Did my very first attempt at making punkwood this afternoon. Got me some soft spongy pieces of poplar I picked up on a hike last week. Fresh tin with sliding cover Unfortunately the tin was so thin it warped sliding the cover open... I was afraid the wood was going to completely burn not being able to cut off the oxygen So while the first batch cooled off I filled another tin with a hinged cover, hoping this will be a bit sturdier While cooking the second batch I checked on the fist... doesn't look too bad at all. Amazed by how much the wood shrunk. Hard to see it's glowing in this picture but it caught a spark real easy, easier than charcloth I think. So the first batch was a succes after all. Second batch looks good too Time for a real test now, see if it'll light a featherstick After it caught a spark I gently pressed it inside the featherstick and started blowing And we have a flame, yay!
