![]() ![]() Once it’s time to make that final step, which is the ignition, it’s best to do it right the first time.Ī few minutes can seem like a lifetime when a person is cold, and the ability to start a fire fast is like having a magical power. In a winter wonderland, one cannot be so ill prepared. ![]() Most people who are new to firemaking will get a small flame going, throw a few sticks on it, and then scurry around the woods looking for more fuel. Regardless of the method used to make the initial ignition for the fire, much preparation went into making sure we would have a “sustainable fire.” Larger pieces of wood had to be split and split again until they were small sticks the thickness of pencils and fingers- only the dry stuff was acceptable. Making small dry sticks and shavings for a fire is about the hardest work two people can do when the mercury is dropping fast and frostbite is unknowingly setting in. Anyone who has ever used a small axe and knife on a pile of wet, snow-covered wood will tell you it’s tedious work. I was pretty sure we would get a fire going, but time was of the essence. I’ve been there before-quite a few times. I planned on using this fire to warm my numb feet, but as luck would have it, everything was frost covered and damp. With evening approaching, it was time to warm up the camp and cook some food. ![]() Handle of Lightning Strike is capped with a rubber covering, creating a waterproof chamber for tinder storage. After a few hours, numbness set in while we were making camp. On my feet I was wearing trail runners that hadn’t seen one minute of dryness during the entire trip. The temperature got down to about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. My name is Reuben and I am a recovering frostbite victim! During the Polar Vortex in early 2014, a fellow outdoorsman and I took to the woods of Harriman State Park in New York. It proved able to ignite stubborn tinder that would be difficult for conventional ferrocerium rods. Author used Lightning Strike to start a multitude of fires with a variety of natural tinder, such as inner bark of alder trees, wood shavings, dried yucca, etc. I received the red colored one, which I believe to be an excellent color for outdoor survival gear. The Lightning Strike is available in red, blue, and green. The tube is hollow and open at the end where the sparks are concentrated and focused out from. ![]() The Lightning Strike is made of aluminum and the ferrocerium rod is bolted in, making it impossible to pull out like conventional ferrocerium rods. About the size of a Mini-Mag flashlight, it comes with a striker attached via shock cord and a waterproof chamber in the handle that acts as a positive grip for the fire starter. The product is based on a simple system that allows for a consistent shower of sparks to be focused on a single area. I contacted the distributor, Holland Guns, and obtained one for evaluation and for future classes and adventures. Jeff Randall of Randall’s Adventure & Training/ ESEE Knives told me about a new fire-starting system called the Lightning Strike Fire Starter. Luckily for me, I caught it right before it disappeared into the duff of the forest ground and became lost in the wild! I knew there had to be a better way to attach a ferrocerium rod to a handle that won’t come loose and possibly disappear when I need it most. I spent the better part of last year’s Alaskan season using a ferrocerium-rod fire starter that pulled out of the handle it came with at the start of the trip. When it comes to survival gear, knives and fire-starters are two items whose quality should not be compromised, yet often is. I have seen just about every survival gadget imaginable over the years, the worst being an overseas-manufactured plastic whistle that does about ten things-terribly. ![]()
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