Fire Starting Methods

[myronman3]

anyone ever tried lighting a bic that was soaking wet? 

[teddy12b]

anyone ever tried lighting a bic that was soaking wet? 

Yup.  Blow real hard on the flint to dry it off, then run the sparking wheel long ways down a pant leg to make it continuously rub/spark/dry off.  Once you've got it dried then hold it cupped in your hand while holding the butane button then hit the sparking wheel.  You should get a light.  Getting a lighter to light after it's been wet isn't that big of a deal.  It's not like the butane gets soaked and all you need is a spark. 

[blind ear]

If you are useing pine needle straw as part of your tender for getting a fire going, you need to have a pile about knee high when packed down to get it to burn long enough to get small twigs going. eddiegjr

[kyelkhunter3006]

For those who are interested in the military style magnesium blocks with the flint striker in them, the Harbor Freight stores around my area have them for $1.99 right now.  That's pretty darn cheap, since I usually see them for $7-$9 online and in other stores.  I played with one a little bit ago and it's about as good as any other I've used.  Not the best all around firestarter, but for $2 who cares?  Never hurts to have back-ups.

[mcwoodduck]

anyone ever tried lighting a bic that was soaking wet? 

When we were goose hunting a couple years ago it really started to rain.
I wanted to light a cigar and the ligher wheel sparkeed but did not light.
Once the wet part of the wheel, where my finger hit it hit the flint it would not spark.
I eneded up putting the lighter inside my shirt up againt my skin to dry it out and dried my fingers and waited for everything to dry out.
Under the broad brim to get the cigar lit.
Other times I have used a cigar to get a fire going as the clowing cherry is a good source to get candles going in wind and rain.
The trick birthday candles are good in both. 

[tacklebury]

I have always carried around a magnesium fire starter and I always carry at least one good knife.  One winter my best bud and I were hunting rabbits and I went through the ice in the creek about 1 mile from his house.  Temperature that day was about -10F and I knew I might be able to run up to the house to get warm and dry, but I might get frostbite in that time.  Instead, I moved from the river to a line a trees and found an area somewhat protected by wind about 20 meters away.  I broke off pieces of bark and wood and made a base, then took one dry branch, carved up some small kindling and gathered a few handfuls of semi-dry twigs.  In about 30 seconds, I had a pile of magnesium and sparked it.  Damp wood and all, it lit the wood right away and in about 2 minutes I had a small fire going.  I took off the wet clothes and kept feeding branches into the fire keeping it manageable in size and once it was going decent, I started hanging my wet clothes around behind me and stayed around the fire getting warm.  All told it was about 30 minutes and I had my clothes dry enough to put back on and the hunt continued.  I really like the magnesium because it will burn through anything wet or dry and I've started hundreds of fires with the original one I had and only had to replace it once.  Cost me 6 bucks.