ESSENTIAL FIRE-STARTING GEAR

TRUST EXOTAC AND ZIPPO WHEN YOU NEED TO GET YOUR FIRE GOING

- STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

You can practice fire-by-friction techniques for endless hours. You can search for the perfect hunk of flint to make beautiful, lifesaving sparks with a piece of carbon steel. But the best way to come close to a guarantee that you’ll have fire when you need it most is to carry proven fire-starting gear with you whenever you step off pavement.

I MUST HAVE FIRE!

In good conditions, I rely on fire to keep me warm, to purify my water, cook my meals, generate smoke to ward off insects and keep beasts—both real and imaginary—at a safe distance in the dark.

However, in a survival situation, fire isn’t merely a convenience. It can be a life-or-death matter to have it. There are innumerable reasons you might be caught out unexpectedly overnight. Fire will allow you to dry your clothes, if necessary, and help you ward off hypothermia. And, in the winter, you have the added threat of frostbite.

So, when your snowmobile breaks down and you’re stuck miles from anywhere, you’d better have starting a fire near the top of your priority list.

Call me “obsessed” if you want, but I never go into the woods without multiple ways to make a fire. Lighters can run out of fuel. Butane lighters can be finicky in extreme cold or at high elevations. I love ferro rods, but most require two hands to operate. But what if I’m injured?