How to Keep a Campfire Going Under Heavy Rain

Even a novice outdoor enthusiast will remember to bring something to start a fire with on his first foray into the woods. It can be as basic as a box of matches, a disposable lighter or the more exotic magnesium fire starter. Anyone of those mentioned will enable him to start a campfire; but can he accomplish the feat under a downpour?

A fire starter is useless during a downpour unless one has been schooled on survival skills or tutored by a how-to article such as this. A skilled outdoorsman will always have dry tinder on hand to start a fire with. Tinder is any material that catches fire quickly and easily.

It can be wood shavings, lint or newspaper strips. The most practical and efficient fire starters, in my opinion, are cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). When saturated well, these cotton balls resists moisture absorption and burn much longer than ordinary tinder; the chance of getting a fire started during a rainfall are much greater.

Dukal 801 Cotton Balls, Non Sterile, Medium, White

The cotton balls are also very easy to pack and do not weigh very much. It is a necessary item on novice’s “must-have” list that needs to go into his backpack. He will also make sure that it is sealed in a waterproof container which, more often than not, is simply an ordinary ziplock bag.

The following scenario separates the novice from the seasoned outdoorsman. What do you do you are out of tinder but have an urgent need to get a fire started under the constant rain? Will frustration get the better of you and simply give up? Here’s what I would do.

Victorinox Swiss Army Pocket Knife

A Swiss knife is useful for uneventful camping trips. However, on extended hikes, where you will have to contend with the random whims of Mother Nature, I always advise people to pack a heavier knife. A Bowie knife or a similar one not only conjures images of the frontiersman of yore but is an essential piece of equipment for extended trips. Here’s why.

Winchester 22-41206 Large Bowie Knife

After a day’s trek, you finally reach your campsite only to find it waterlogged from the incessant rain. You’re chilled to the bone and need fire not only to warm your body but to also cook the evening’s meal with.

The wet conditions have exhausted your tinder and there isn’t a dry blade of grass or twig to start a fire with.

Your heavy knife now comes to your rescue. How? Here’s the first answer to that “how” - to keep a fire going it must be under some kind of shelter or roof. You need to have poles to erect a shelter with and a Swiss knife simply wouldn’t be up to the job of chopping heavy branches.

The second answer to the “how” is this – when everything around you is waterlogged, only the stoutest dead tree limbs will have a dry inner core. You need a heavy knife to chop into the dry core and shave tinder with.

This activity can only be done under the shelter of course so it is assumed that your tent has been pitched prior to this activity.

Another “must have” that needs to be in your backpack is a couple of large heavy-duty trash bags. They can be used as emergency raincoats or in this particular case, as a waterproof roof for your campfire enclosure.

Let me point out that in Tropical countries plants with very large leaves are abundant and make excellent waterproof roofing materials. The Ti plant has such leaves but nothing will better the huge taro leaves which are virtual umbrellas.

I digressed. To continue, a length of paracord is another vital “must have” that has to go into your backpack. You never know when you need to hang something to keep it away from wild animals or perhaps jury rig broken equipment with paracord. In this particular rainy scenario, the paracord will be used to tie the spreaders onto the posts of the temporary fire shelter.

Here are some tips when building a roof shelter for your campfire

• The 4 posts of the structure should be stout enough to carry considerable weight. Remember that everything will be waterlogged and much heavier. The attached drawing will provide you with a good idea why stout posts are needed. I usually use at least 1 ½” diameter posts to support the aggregate weight of drying firewood, a firestop fashioned out of forest debris found on the ground and odds and ends to weigh the trash bag cover in place.

How to Keep a Campfire Going Under Heavy Rain

• ​The distance between poles should at least be 20” to prevent them from being scorched by the fire and also to dry firewood of ideal length.
• The fire should be started on a bed of logs to elevate it from the saturated ground. This also negates the need to dig a runoff ditch around the shelter and as the fire burns into the logs you will have the long-lasting ember.
• Never use rock as a platform for your fire. This is quite dangerous unless you know how to identify rocks that can withstand extreme heat and not burst like a grenade. I know what kind of rocks to use because we actually used them for cooking our “kalua” pig in our “Imus” (underground oven) back in the days in Hawaii. But I am digressing once more, google this Hawaiian method of cooking if you want to find out more about it.
• The roof of your cooking shelter must at least be 30” from the ground to prevent the rising heat from scorching your plastic trash bag (or even a spare jacket or raincoat for that matter). Remember that the low part of the roof slope must be away from you for better access into the fire shelter.
• A drying rack must be incorporated into your shelter to enable you to stock up on firewood and kindling in anticipation of more rain.
• Source:https://gigacamping.com/keep-a-campfire-going-heavy-rain/

Three Essential Items For Survival

Imagine that you’re on a 3-day canoe trip in the spring of the year. It’s a little on the chilly side, but the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. What a peaceful yet exhilarating way to start your long weekend.

Thrust Into A Survival Situation

Suddenly you find yourself in the 58F water. You’re not sure what just happened. But as you surface and get your bearings, you see your swamped canoe, along with all your gear, being swept downstream. Powerless to retrieve the much-needed supplies, you make your way to the river’s bank.

Fortunately, you filed a float plan with the Park Ranger. But no one is expecting you for three days. You’ve got to survive for the next 72 hours with only the things you were able to salvage on your way out of the water.

You look at those three things with a sense of relief. “With these three items,” you say to yourself, “I can make it three days.”

The question is: what are the three items?

This was the question recently asked by Jarhead Survivor on his blog, SHTFBlog.com. I posted a brief comment on his blog. After thinking about it some more, my answer wouldn’t change but I thought it may be worthwhile to elaborate a bit.

A Good Multi-Tool

The first and most important item is a good, high quality multi-tool. It’s the first thing I pack when preparing for an outing and the last thing I want to lose.

A good multi-tool has so many uses for survival.

• The Blade. A sharp knife is essential for survival. It’ll help you dress any prey you may be able to trap, shave wood chips to start a fire, cut vines for cordage. The list goes on and on.
• A Mini-saw. Some multi-tools have a little mini-saw that can be used to cut down small saplings. This is important for building a shelter or making traps and dead falls.
• Some Needle-Nose Pliers. Pliers may be used to fashion survival implements from any debris that you may find lying around. They can also be used to handle hot containers when boiling water.
• The 19 Other Devices. You never know when the awe, screwdriver, scissors, or any of the other implements on the multi-tool may come in handy.

I have a Leatherman tool that I’ve owned for 25 years. It works as well today as it did the day I got it. I’m not sure if they still make the model that I own, but here’s something similar.

A Magnesium Fire Starter

After taking a spill in cold water, hypothermia is a very real danger. You’ll need to warm up and dry out to stay alive.

Staying active will help you to produce some body heat and keep the blood circulating, but a fire is what you really need. Spend some time collecting tinder, kindling, and firewood. Then build a fire and dry out your clothes before nightfall.

Waterproof matches and butane lighters are perfectly fine for starting fires. But when I don’t know how long I’ll need fire making capabilities, I prefer the magnesium fire starter. It’ll work after getting wet and, if used judiciously, will last a long time.

An Empty 1 Lb Coffee Can

The choice of this item may initially perplex some people, but a coffee can has a multitude of uses for the survivor.

First and foremost, the metal can provides a way for you to purify water by boiling. The stream may look sparkling clean, but its beauty may be betrayed by the micro organisms such as cryptosporidium and giardia that can wreak havoc on your digestive system; an ordeal you don’t want when trying to stay alive in the wild.

There are other uses for the coffee can as well. It can be used as a makeshift shovel or as a container to carry coals from one location to another. If rescuers are in the distance, tapping it on the side with the multi-tool will ring it like a bell to get their attention. If you know what wild edibles to collect, you can use the can to make some nourishing and warming tea to drink. A container like a coffee can has many uses.

Wrap Up

These are the three items that would bring me a sense of comfort when I look through my supplies in a survival situation.  Jarhead Survivor also posted the three items that he’d like to have if found in this situation. We have a similar take.

What are the three things you’d like to have? (Eliminating the obvious like a water proof satellite phone).

Source: https://preppingtosurvive.com/2011/05/12/three-essential-items-for-survival/

13 WILDERNESS SURVIVAL KIT LIST ITEMS [YOU NEED TO PACK THESE]

Did you know the average person can survive up to 3 weeks without food… but only 3 days without water and 3 hours outside of their core body temperature? Knowing this, what to include on your survival kit list and carry in your kit can literally mean the difference between life and death in just a few critical minutes or hours.

The good news is, you can greatly increase your chance of survival…if you have the right supplies with you (and know how to use them).

In this post, we’ll explore 13 important survival items you’ll need to help you come out alive on the other end of disaster or should you get lost in the wilderness.

In theory, the more critical survival items you carry with you, the easier it will be to survive…

However, the flip-side to that is the more items you include on your survival kit list, the more bulk/weight you add to your person. Obviously, you can’t carry every wilderness survival tool you come across as it would quickly become impossible to transport them all. In fact, depending on the season and situation you’re in, you may not even need every item either.

But that said, there are some core survival essentials that you should always have available in your survival kit.

Here’s my take on 13 important survival items you need to pack (including a couple really important bonus items to consider):survival knife, fire starters

1. FIRE STARTER

Starting a fire in the wilderness is one of the most important things you need to be able to do if you’re to survive the cold, fight off hungry predators and cook yourself a meal. If you’re reading this, you probably already know you must be equipped with necessary fire starting skills and have a means of starting the fire. This is where a trusty fire starter becomes the number one critical survival item to have on you at all times.In fact, I recommend having at least three ways of starting a fire in your survival kit. You should not take chances with fire starters. I carry matches, a bic lighter and a striker. Supplement this by packing some tinder and other lighting aids such as InstaFire Fire Starter, too. I carry all my fire starters in waterproof containers and store them separately and within easy access in my kit.

2. SURVIVAL KNIFE

Chances are, you will need to do a lot of cutting chores in a true survival situation, and a good, reliable survival knife will be a perfect fit. Choose a high-quality survival knife or a multi-purpose tool with a knife. Your survival knife should be able to skin your hunt, cut strings, and sharpen sticks among other uses. The ideal survival knife must be strong and razor sharp to cut through the toughest materials with ease.The same principle of redundancy applies here as well. “Where there’s two, there’s one — where there’s one, there’s none.” Should your knife fail you or you lose it, you’ll definitely want a reliable backup. Check out the Ka-Bar Becker BK2 for a great, full tang knife that will last.

3. MAP & COMPASS

You should not rely solely on GPS when in a survival situation, but also carry with you a local map and compass to help navigate your way back to safety.It is good to have both a road map and a topography map on you just in case. These are lightweight and easy to pack, so there is really no reason not to carry these with you in your survival kit.

Having a map and a compass is one thing, however, you must also take the necessary steps to know how to read and navigate maps and use a compass. There are trainings and courses that can teach you the basics of these skills so you can practice on your own.

In case you don’t have a compass, Suunto makes a great one.

4. FIRST AID KIT

If you think you may need to head into the wilderness at a moment’s notice, be sure to have a first-aid kit on your person at all times.A first aid kit is a critical item that should be accessible at all times. Having a dedicated first aid kit for your vehicles is also a good idea.

General first aid kits can be a good place to start but be sure to supplement them with such items as pressure dressings to stop the bleeding in the event that injury may occur.

Adventure Medical Kits are a great place to start. Include a first aid pocket manual and familiarize yourself with it, especially if you aren’t formally trained or experienced.

5. A BOW SAW

A bow saw, as simple as it is, can make a survival situation on a cold night easier for you. Be sure to choose a durable, lightweight metal framed saw.

A bow saw can help you cut through logs and make firewood. It can also help you cut down big branches to make a shelter that your survival knife may have difficulty doing alone. If you manage to shoot a deer or big game, you will need to build a strong fire to roast your meat.

A bow saw not only gives you enough firewood, but also helps you set the fireplace for cooking your hunt.

6. PROPER CLOTHING

When you head into the wild, even on a hot sunny day, you need to plan to dress for the worst.

Hypothermia kills more people in the wild than any other cause. The cold of the night must not be countered with fire alone, but also proper clothing. Always layer your clothes, remembering to wear loose, layered clothing with wool as your under layer.

Stay away from cotton as a general rule. It retains moisture which makes it less insulating, harder to dry out and heavier on the body. This has been known to lead to hypothermia, pneumonia, etc. Clothes made out of synthetic and wool materials are recommended for this very reason.

7. EMERGENCY SURVIVAL WHISTLE

A plastic whistle kept around your neck is highly recommended just in case you get lost. Your voice might not reach far when lost, but blowing your whistle can help alert nearby people to your distress. Plastic whistles are recommended as they are lightweight, float and will not rust.

8. SIGNAL/HYGIENE MIRROR

There are heartbreaking stories where search helicopters have passed over lost people too weak to signal. A signal mirror or heliograph should be carried with you. Storing it in your first aid kit is a good way to protect it from damage and locate it easily. These lightweight, compact tools can reflect light at long distances signaling people far away of your distress.

9. CORDAGE

Cordage is a common name used to describe everything from a metal wire to a nylon string. Cordage is one of the most important survival items when you need to climb steep places, drag game you’ve killed, tie bundles of firewood and much more. Cordage serves many functions like a fishing line, cloth line, food line and much more. Lightweight but high-quality cord can make all the difference in a survival situation. Titan SurvivorCord is a very unique multi-purpose paracord used by Special Forces and comes highly recommended for its range of uses.

10. WATER / WATER FILTRATION

I said at the beginning of this article the average person cannot survive more than 72 hours without drinking water. Add to that, you need to plan on drinking at least 1 gallon of water per day. Even a few sips of clean water can mean the difference between life and death, but you want to be in peak performance when it counts, and that much water is too heavy to carry for anyone.Now, you can probably find some water in the wild, but it might also make you extremely sick coming straight from the source without proper filtration. Having a survival water filter with you can help a lot.Water filters are important regardless, but especially handy when on an expedition with a group of friends as you will go through water very quickly.

11. FLASHLIGHT / TORCH

Few elements can disorient even the most experienced adventurer quicker than being shrouded in complete darkness. If you plan to venture out into unfamiliar territory or find yourself outside after dark, a reliable flashlight is a must have in any survival kit. The great news is flashlights have continued to get smaller and lightweight, and more efficient and effective in recent years. For one of my preferred flashlights, check out the Streamlight ProTac Penlight.

SURVIVAL KIT LIST ** BONUS SECTION ** :

Being in possession of the above critical survival items is just one step in surviving an emergency situation. You still need to know how to use them effectively.  You need to be prepared in the best way possible to be able to survive for days.  That said, two other critical elements needed to better your chance at survival are:

12. KNOWLEDGE

This can’t be stressed enough — You must know how to use every essential item in your survival pack in order to enhance your chances of survival. A good example is a map and compass. Having a map and compass will be of no help if you don’t know how to read it and navigate your way to safety.

Make sure you have a basic understanding of every item in your survival kit before you actually need them in a true-to-life survival situation. The best way to learn is to simply get comfortable with using the tools and equipment you assemble on your survival kit list. There are also many books and videos available for you to learn from as well. Just make sure the source of your information is from a legitimate expert that has the experience to back up their knowledge.

13. PHYSICAL & MENTAL FITNESS

Just like fitness is important for self-defense, it is also crucial when it comes to survival in the wild. You will be far better off if you are physically and mentally fit to endure the stresses of survival. Setting up a fire and building a shelter all the while staying upbeat and positive can be quite draining, especially when you’ve not had a proper meal. Being physically and mentally fit will only help better your chances of beating the odds.

CONCLUSION

I know that’s a lot to cover in one sitting, but nothing should be taken for granted when it comes to surviving in the wild. You need to have all the critical survival items, know how to use them and be physically and mentally fit to endure the demands of taking care of yourself. Your survival kit may contain more items than the ones we’ve listed, however, these are the critical ones that you should not overlook when considering space and weight.

 Source: https://bugoutbagacademy.com/13-survival-kit-list-items/