Q. My son wants a fire-starter. Which is the best and easiest?
—Mama Greta, Kentwood, Mich.
A. Hey, Mama. The real question is: Are you sure you really want your son to have a fire-starter? Just kidding. If he’s a Scout, I’m sure he’ll be responsible with it. A good option is the Light My Fire steel Scout ($12; lightmyfireusa.com). It’s basically a flint and steel set that was first designed for the Swedish military but is now used by outdoorsmen. Just scrape the steel across the flint and it throws a strong spark. It even works when wet. If your son gathers kindling and dry sticks and aims the sparks onto a cotton ball with a dab of Vaseline, he should be able to easily start a good fire. To make things even easier, he might also try Light My Fire Maya Dust ($5; lightmyfireusa.com). Just sprinkle some of the pulverized pieces of fatwood pine at the base of your soon-to-be fire and it’ll light quickly and easily and produce an extra hot flame.
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It’s better than nothing because when your striking on the the rock of your camp site with a couple of strike anywhere matches it’s kind fo frustrating , this tool is so much easier .
The Light My Fire starters are light weight, a lot lighter in than the magnesium. They are great if you are counting the ounces in preparation for backpacking. I like dryer lint for tinder.
How is a Light My Fire steel Scout better than a magnesium firestarter with an attached scraper / striker?
(I find the saw on my Leatherman Blast to be best for shaving the magnesium, but my son informs me that he can’t have a serrated blade on troop outings.)
there is no boyscout law that says you can not have a serrated edge on an outing. talk with the scout master about that and try to convince him that your son can take a serrated edge.
The best one I have seen is Insta-Fire – very safe – it lights similar to a candle but burns so hot and long that even if you have wet wood it will get it going. Canadian special forces uses it and our own Navy seals. Non toxic and won’t light with a spark – so very safe.
best fire starter i have ever used
another very easy one is to get a 9v battery and some steel wool this is very east and works every time
i would use some matches with a water proof case
why use matches. these work thousand of times. a match only works once.
I have used the magnesium fire starters. They work extremely well wet or dry. They can befound at sporting good stores, WalMart and Target. Price is about $5-$12 bucks. The flakes of Magnesium will burn hot enough to light slightly damp kindling.
I love mine
I have one and it works extremely well!