Imagine you find yourself alone in the woods. It’s late October and there’s a chill in the air. You hadn’t planned on being out here for so long but you took a wrong turn during your spur-of-the-moment day hike of an unexplored trail. The sun is starting to set and you know it’s going to be even harder to find your way back to the correct trail when nightfall comes. You’re not dressed for remaining stationary in this cold, especially after dark, but you won’t be able to keep moving without the flashlight you remember is resting safely in your cars glovebox. What are you going to do?
This is the unfortunate scenario thousands of people find themselves in every year. Not the exact details of course, but the situation of getting lost, being ill prepared, and having to endure a night, or many nights, out in an unfamiliar wilderness. Being able to create fire can often mean the difference between coming home with a story and not coming home at all.
Not only can a fire keep you warm, but it can also serve as a smoke beacon for those that may be trying to rescue you. Fire can sanitize your water, cook your food, ward off predators, and greatly improve your mental state while lost in the woods. All of these reasons and more are why I carry some form of fire starting device whenever I camp, hike, or am going anywhere away from society, even just a short day hike.
I always carry a pocket knife so my fire starting implement of choice is usually a magnesium fire starter. These are the small magnesium blocks with a built-in sparking rod. They can attach to a keychain or your hiking pack and just be taken everywhere until you need it. There’s no problem with it not working if it gets wet (like matches), and it can’t run out of fuel (like a lighter). The only problem with the magnesium fire starter is that you need a knife to carve off a little magnesium pile and to spark the rod.
In addition to a little magnesium pile, it’s nice to have a dry kindling supply like steel wool or saw dust. Unfortunately, these items are more difficult to always carry around in the rare event you have to start a fire because your day has gone way South. Luckily, there is a company that provides a solution with dual-purpose paracord.
Obviously paracord has many uses, but I say “dual” because not only can it be used as paracord is normally used, but the company has designed a fire starting wick built into the paracord itself. You simply cut a length of cord and pull out the red strand that is your new fire starting life-saver! I’m all about tools that serve many purposes, and paracord is something I never hike without, it’s just always in my bag, so this certainly is a no-brainer! Check them out below:
