Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Survival Kit Essentials - The Firesteel





When it comes to making a fire, a good Swedish firesteel is an essential item for your survival kit. They are lightweight (less than 2 ounces), easy to use, work in any type of weather and will make as many fires as you will probably ever need. Originally developed for use by members of the Swedish Army, they have been proven reliable and trustworthy for use in a survival situation to make a fire. With a little tinder and a shower of sparks from your firesteel, you'll have a roaring fire going in no time at all. Another very important thing to remember is that firesteels are virtually indestructible.


This particular firesteel comes with a striker for the firesteel to make getting a good shower of sparks really easy. It also has molded thumb impressions which make it fairly easy to hold when striking.  The orange lanyard makes it easy to spot if accidentally it's dropped or left laying around. You could even change the lanyard to a different color if necessary.






It also comes with a small whistle made into the striker. While not the best whistle you may find available, it does work pretty well and should suffice for the purpose of an emergency signal device. This makes it a multi-use item. The above picture shows the lanyard looped around a limb to give you a view of the whistle that is incorporated into the striker.


If you could only have only one item to start a fire with, a Swedish firesteel is a great choice.


Got Swedish firesteel?


Staying above the water line?


Riverwalker



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've got several of them, but have yet to even try them lighting a fire - I think I have some work to do. Much obliged Riverwalker.

PreppingToSurvive said...

Hi Anonymous. I'd really encourage you to try them out before you need them. Practice with them until you feel pretty proficient with them. An emergency is no time to try go figure out your gear.

I also like the magnesium fire starter. It's very similar to this firesteel, but it comes with a built in magnesium block that catches a spark very easily. Worth trying. http://goo.gl/6fBHU

Joe

prepping said...

Hi Anonymous. I'd really encourage you to try them out before you need them. Practice with them until you feel pretty proficient with them. An emergency is no time to try go figure out your gear.

I also like the magnesium fire starter. It's very similar to this firesteel, but it comes with a built in magnesium block that catches a spark very easily. Worth trying. http://goo.gl/6fBHU

(Sorry for the dup comment! I don't use blogger as my blogging platform but somehow it associated it with me.)

Joe

riverwalker said...

To: anonymous 7:29

Like Joe said...use your gear until you are comfortable and proficient in its use.

You will need good tinder that is dry to help you start a fire.

Thanks anon.

RW

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