The ability to light a fire in any conditions is a necessary skill in hiking. In difficult situations while traveling, warming yourself by the fire and cooking food can be vital. The easiest way is to have matches or a lighter with you. In dry and windless weather, there really shouldn't be any problems. But if it rains for several days during the trip, the matches will definitely get wet, no matter how carefully you hide them in airtight bags. The lighter can run out of gas or it can also get wet or break.
How to light a burner or start a fire in any weather?
A more reliable option is to have an fire steel with you, which is not afraid of breakdowns, dampness and mechanical damage. Depending on your color preferences, you can choose a fire steel to your taste. With its help, you can cut a high-temperature spark, about 3000 degrees Celsius, and set fire to dry grass, shredded bark, dry leaves or wood shavings, or light a gas burner.
Modern industry offers fire steel of several types depending on the material from which they are made.
- A fire steel - a classic fire steel consists of a ferrocerium rod and a cutter. In the absence of a cutter, a spark can be obtained with the butt of a knife. A variety of materials can be set on fire in this way - grass, wood sawdust, shavings, plastic and others.
- Magnesium fire steel - a magnesium rod with a fire steel. The difference from the classic fire steel is that magnesium can replace your tin. Even in the wettest weather, when it is problematic to obtain dry tinder, it is enough to scrape magnesium shavings with a knife and cut out a spark. High temperature can ignite even weakly combustible materials.
Either of these fire steels is very effective for starting a campfire in any hiking environment, hunting or fishing, but requires some skill to use.
Our stores offer fire steel by the Swedish brand Light My Fire and the Czech brand Pinguin.
Find suitable options for you in the tourist equipment shops and travel.
