Starting a fire in snow/rain

[pianoman9701]

Make sure you practice these techniques before you need them. Doing something for the first time under high stress is hard to accomplish.

[7mmfan]

Good suggestions on here. My dad taught me to build fires when we hunted late archery. I can remember getting bored as a teenager hunting and building fires instead. It was great practice.

As far as finding dry wood while out there, it really depends on the country you're in. The lower dead limbs on fir and pine trees have always been my go too. If you can find a really dense fir tree, the lowest small dead limbs will be almost dry regardless of how wet it is outside. Like was said earlier, find the ones the break off, not bend and twist. Find wood that is soaked in pitch, like old pine and fir snags. The wood may be wet, but pitch soaked wood will burn long and hot.

Once you have a decent fire going, use it to dry additional wood. Create a ring of fuel around your fire and pack in as tight to the fire as you can get it. You can dry a lot of wrist sized fuel out in a hurry. This is also an opportunity to dry more tinder, like pine needles/moss and store in a dry area.

[fillthefreezer]

i used to use the homemade tinder balls and petro/cotton balls, until a friend told me about trioxane tabs. all i use now. awesome.

[tritt007]

Thanks for posting, I'm going to try this out for myself. 

Try www.survivalstriker.com  awesome firestarters , can use the magnesium or the wood handle and the ferosium rod is top notch , puts out a lot more spark than your average crappy "mag and flint's" you find at the sporting goods store . And its made in washington !

No problem ! my brother owns the company , I swear by them ! And if you email him he will probably give you a price break on multiples just mention my name! they make great gifts an stocking stuffers lol.   

[trophyhunt]

I like to soak cotton balls in petroleum jelly. You can fluff it our and it will spark light and stay lit long enough for you to get a tinder bundle and some kindling going. You can have 20-30 cotton balls in a sandwich baggie rolled up with the air out of it with almost no weight, and that is enough for quite a few fires.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Am I the only guy who cannot get those cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly to light? I've always heard they worked so I tried it, they are completely soaked and I could not get them to light. ?

[JimmyHoffa]

I like to soak cotton balls in petroleum jelly. You can fluff it our and it will spark light and stay lit long enough for you to get a tinder bundle and some kindling going. You can have 20-30 cotton balls in a sandwich baggie rolled up with the air out of it with almost no weight, and that is enough for quite a few fires.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Am I the only guy who cannot get those cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly to light? I've always heard they worked so I tried it, they are completely soaked and I could not get them to light. ?

pull one apart and the fibers are exposed, like lighting hair.

[Simcoe hunter]

OP says wet side in November.  Probably not much pine around to look for pitch on.  Look for a doug fir that has the bark scarred on it.  There is usually pitch there.  I'm not sure about white fir or hemlock.  I could always find enough doug fir materials to get a fire started.  I know they both are sticky enough, I've just never had to use them so have no reference for comparison.

If you can find a good solid stump it's usually because they are pitchy.  Not a fresh one, but an old looking one that is hard when thumped with a stick.  Chop out some chunks and look for pitch.  These work great.  That may be more of an east side thing.  I don't recall a lot of those on the west side when I was a kid.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Hemlocks are not known for their pitch, white fir has lots.

[7mag.]

i used to use the homemade tinder balls and petro/cotton balls, until a friend told me about trioxane tabs. all i use now. awesome.

What he said.

[Karl Blanchard]

I guess I'm just lazy because I just order Trioxane tablets off Amazon.  Only thing that burns better is gas.  You can light them with anything, even flint and steel

[h2ofowlr]

Really though- fill a paper egg carton with sawdust or shavings and pour melted parafin over them. Tear one off and put a match to it.

This used to be one of our scout projects when I was a kid and it worked good.  Other option we would do was get corrugated cardboard boxes and cut them into squares or strips and drop them into melted wax.  Pull out and dry on cookie sheet.  These worked great as fire starters.
 
Or a snack bag of Doritos also works.  A single chip burns for a bit.

[BigTines]

Seems like I have heard several votes for the trioxane tablets. Maybe I'll give them a shot. How long do they burn for? They put out a pretty big flame? Thanks again for all the tips everyone. Greatly appreciated!

[ghosthunter]

I buy a durall flame log and chop it up in golf ball size or less pieces. Have five or six bottom of my pack in gallon zip lock along with good lighter or wind matches.

Used this  method many times in the snow to start a warming fire.

Frito lay chips also burn well. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Seems like I have heard several votes for the trioxane tablets. Maybe I'll give them a shot. How long do they burn for? They put out a pretty big flame? Thanks again for all the tips everyone. Greatly appreciated!

never paid too much attention to burn time.  They burn freaking hot and have never once had one fail to light.  When I get home tonight I'll light one up and time it.  Snap a few pics as well.

[baldopepper]

I've always just carried a small can of lighter fluid.  Very light, works every time and enough in a small can to start several fires.  Stick matches in a medicine bottle with the scratcher cut up and glued inside the lid.  (can still buy light anywhere wood matches if you search on amazon and that's what I carry).