Fire warms you, it dries your clothes, it allows you to make flame or smoke to signal, it boils your water to make it safe, it cooks your food, it keeps biting insects and wild animals away. FIRE BOOSTS YOUR MORALE.
As a bushcraft instructor I recommend that when you are in the wilderness, you should ideally always have several means of lighting fire on your person. Number one should be a Swedish Firesteel. It gives the hottest, brightest, biggest sparks. There are no moving parts to go wrong. It works after you’ve fallen into a river.
My recommendation is to re-thread the firesteel and striker on a longer cord and attach it to your trouser belt so you always have it in your pocket. An alternative is to wear it around your neck on a piece of paracord, along with a whistle and a Photon Microlight.
But what if you lost your fireflash or your matches get wet? Then, if you know how to light fire by friction, you can still make a fire.
Why not learn more about fire lighting and other bushcraft and survival skills along with wilderness equipment at Paul Kirtley's Bushcraft Blog?
