Lightweight Fire Tools

If the question were posed – what one thing would you most want in a survival situation, I’m guessing the debate would include a knife and the means to make fire.  In the end, I think fire would win the debate.  After all, fire can make tools in addition to keeping you warm, signaling, providing light, warding off bugs and animals, aid in shaping shelters, purify water, cook food, cauterize wounds, clear areas, etc.

In this context, the next obvious question to a lightweight backpacker is what is the lightest means to make fire?  Author, illustrator, NOLS Instructor, and general outdoor know-it-all Mike Clelland (!) argues in his Ultralight Backpacking Tips book that his choice is a book of matches (which he supplements to a mini-BIC which he uses for his stove).  Arguably matches are also the most delicate and most prone to potential problems (which Clelland armors with a little plastic bag). 

Some may argue that an even lighter option is a magnifying glass.  About the size and diameter of a credit card, these flexible tools can be found at most survival shops and weigh next to nothing.  Course, magnifying glasses only work when the sun is out or when a strong flashlight is filtered through it, not to mention it would be difficult to get it away from your hiking partners who are likely using it to make funny faces, tattoo other unsuspecting hikers, or give bugs the tan of their life.

My backpacking experience with a fire device has bounced around quite a bit.  This has included Fire Pistons (which is a wonderful piece of art that compresses air to a finite point causing an explosion over tinder), Magnesium Fire Starters (this is what is issued to the U.S. Military in most cases and involves scraping a small amount of magnesium into a pile and introducing a spark to it), various flint/fire rod fire starters (can be scraped to add spark to tinder), books of matches, lighters, magnifying glass, etc.

So which worked best?  Well, the one that introduced fire most easily, consistently, reliably and in an actual flame (not spark) was the one I liked the best.  Like Clelland and many others, I carry a mini BIC as my main fire device and have some other form of backup.  For UL purposes, this is a book of matches in a plastic bag.  When I’m not counting grams to the finite degree of needing to get a haircut to lighten my load even further, I like having something that offers a reliable and repeatable spark in all conditions.

When I was at Trail Days this year, there was a cottage shop from Montana who made a variety of things out of antlers.  One product was a giant magnesium/flint striker combination which were seamed together and had an antler handle.  The owner demonstrated its functionality by scraping some of the magnesium into a pile, spritzing water on it, and then used the flint to apply a spark.  It immediately flared up quite impressively.  The problem was it was just too big and heavy and I didn’t see any backpacking uses for it.  At that point he showed me a much smaller version which peaked my interests enough to buy one.

Once I got home, I started doing a little research.  Sure enough, the combination tool of magnesium/flint weren’t hard to find, but clearly not terribly well known as they were new to the industry (although the military was already using this combined technology in their larger and heavier Magnesium blocks).  I found two different kinds at Camping Survival which were intriguing.  Both were smaller, lighter and cheaper than the one I had purchased at Trail Days…and they were on sale.  The Strike Master K7 fire starter was only $6.95 and the smaller Strike Master K1 fire starter was only $4.95.  Both had a flint rod fused to a magnesium block and both were very idiot-proof.

With that, I felt compelled to weigh my options to see how different fire starting options compared:

Magnesium Block             85 grams

Exotac Nano Striker         17 grams

Master K7                           13 grams

Mini BIC                              11 grams

Light My Fire Scout          16 grams

Light My Fire Mini             8 grams

Matches                             4 grams

Master K1                           4 grams

What I find fascinating is that the Strike Master K7 fire starter weighed as much as the book of matches.  The difference is that the Master K7 is far more durable, doesn’t need to be babied, and offers hundreds of opportunities for fire.  At $4.95, it’s tough to not like it.

If you’re in the market and you want something more substantial than a book of matches, consider the other options mentioned herein.

Swedish FireSteel 2.0 & Whistles

If you backpack, there is a good chance you carry something to make a fire. If you are responsible, you likely have some redundancy being that the ability to make fire may be the difference between life or death, or more likely, a tasty marshmallow or warm meal. Redundancy in fire tools usually includes matches, a lighter, fire plug, or some kind of flint.

Like many backpackers, I generally carry a necklace with a few things on it. Whether as a last ditch effort for safety or peace of mind if I ever get separated from my backpack, it's something I always have. On it is a flint striker, whistle, and microlight. On the whistle, I glued a button compass which has probably been more useful then anything else when I need a quick direction reference. I've gone back and forth with whether to include my Swiss Army Knife mini as it is a bit cumbersome to have all this stuff around my neck even though I find it to be very useful and far more available if not otherwise stuffed in a pocket or sack.

About a month ago I was studying my necklace for wear and noticed that my flint was pretty worn both from use and likely from my body sweat. I also noticed the molded handle was cracked. As I tinkered with it to see how bad it was cracked, it came completely apart. I think it's fair to say that holding more on the flint than the handle in the future will probably be a smart choice.

With that, I needed a new flint and decided to look for another Swedish FireSteel to replace the one that I had just broken. To my surprise, there was a new FireSteel on the market listed as a "2.0". It was a little bulkier than my previous FireSteel. The striker was shorter in length, but was incorporated into a whistle. The molded grips on both were much thicker than previous versions, possibly because others had the same problem I did.

The whistle I carry is an ACR because it was dubbed one of the loudest pealess whistles by the Coast Guard. Oddly enough, and having used it several times to get the attention of friends or scare off an unfriendly bear, I really don't find it to be that loud. In fact, the pitch itself is more annoying than anything and the sound really doesn't travel that well. I do like the fact that it doesn't require a ton of effort to blow, as it seems air seems to be better controlled. For many years before college, I refereed youth basketball. Any time I blow my ACR, I wish I had my old referee whistle which was easily capable of deafening anyone within the building. With a pea though, it is susceptible to freezing, so I leave it at home. I think the whistle most similar to my old referee whistle is the Fox 40 as it seems to have a rolling sound, although it exhausts air pretty quickly. Comparing the ACR whistle to the new FireSteel 2.0, they really aren't that similar as the FireSteel 2.0 sounds doesn't really generate a loud enough sound to be useful. The ACR is a little easier to blow because of the way the FireSteel 2.0 tried to incorporate it into a handle with a lanyard punch right next to the whistle part which gets in the way a bit.

Regardless, it's always nice to carry gear which is multifunction and the FireSteel 2.0 (http://www.light-my-fire.com/) may be perfect for your needs. As for me, I'll stick with the better whistle (either ACR or Fox 40 depending on my whim) and I'm debating on whether to carry the more robust flint stick.

UPDATE: One of our fine readers suggested the Exotac Nano Fire Starter (http://www.exotac.com) which is a lightweight and waterproof solution to fire rods otherwise damaged by sweat and moisture. I've got one on the way. They are a little more expensive, but it's nice to still be able to carry it around my neck and know that it isn't going to get damaged.