Welcome to the AppalachianTrailCafe.net!
Take a moment and register and then join the conversation

Keeping alive on the trail

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Keeping alive on the trail

      Well as I yell at my TV at survivalists doing rookie things, it dawned on me I have only lit less than ten fires outside in total downpours. So I dug this up and I am looking at other video's. Keep in mind starting a fire on the trail is no place to "learn" how to start a fire... so I was a little surprised at the sentiment in the first minutes of the video..Took them about 8 minutes...



      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • yea fat wood is cool, I have used it. I guess if I took a group of hikers on a trail and it rains - how many would have a good knife to remove the wet bark off of twigs to get it started? The question is open ended - some of you are exsperts and others may be just joining.. hence the diversity.

      What would you do?
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • Wise Old Owl wrote:

      I guess if I took a group of hikers on a trail and it rains - how many would have a good knife to remove the wet bark off of twigs to get it started? The question is open ended - some of you are exsperts and others may be just joining.. hence the diversity.
      The last time I NEEDED a fire, it was sleeting. I had been provident enough to have Vaseline on my balls. (Cotton ones, of course!) There was a mouse's nest under a fallen birch tree and even my little Leatherman Squirt was enough to strip the inner bark (birchbark is pretty resinous) and peel some twigs. That was enough stuff to get a fire going, and I gradually worked up to bigger wood. Didn't need anything bigger than thumb-sized sitcks - I just needed enough warmth to stave off hypothermia and get out of my soaking wet clothes. It might have gone a few seconds faster with a big knife, but my silly little one did in a pinch. Normally, I don't bring a "good" knife, because on virtually all my hikes, all I cut is the cheese.

      Fatwood would have been great, but there weren't any pine stumps around where I was. I used birchbark instead, as the guy in the video mentioned. I used my tinderbox instead of finding natural tinder because I didn't want to mess around, I needed a fire.

      To replace the cotton ball, I harvested a piece of amadou mushroom from the same dead birch. That's another thing that'll catch a spark in wet weather. This guy shows how.


      I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I fell in a river in 35 °F sleet and didn't die.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • Cedar trees in Texas have loose bark. I've torn small strip off to start a fire in bad conditions. I also typically carried small stubby candles. And strike anywhere matches in a waterproof case.

      The times I have absolutely had to build a fire, I had a 3/4 felling axe, a hatchet, and a Buck General knife ( 7 inch blade), along with a very good pocket knife. The 2 axes and hatchet got stolen in a move. The axes were made around 1910. Belonged to my great grandfather who gave it to his son, and grandad gave it to me. Had a small Y-shape just back of the bit, on both sides. I have never seen one like it since.

      So, I would try, but I don't know if I could manage an emergency fire these days or not. I do have the Buck and a good pocket knife. No axe though.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • jimmyjam wrote:

      And don't forget that hand sanitizer and alcohol fuel work great too for starting fires
      And anything with a petrolatum base, like triple antibiotic salve.

      Also try vegetable oil, shortening, or anything greasy or with a high fat content.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does

      The post was edited 1 time, last by WanderingStovie ().

    • mental note wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      SandyofPA wrote:

      My plan for staying alive does not include fire at all. Pitch tent, take off wet stuff, crawl in dry sleeping bag.
      The time spent collecting firewood and kindling could be spent doing 50 jumping jacks then crawling inside my bag.
      Pseudo Sit-up crunches in my bag can also warm me up...but they also make me wanna poop, so there's that. :(
      If you ate beans, you will hear the agonized screams of a turd wanting to get out.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does
    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      And don't forget that hand sanitizer and alcohol fuel work great too for starting fires
      And anything with a petrolatum base, like triple antibiotic salve.
      Also try vegetable oil, shortening, or anything greasy or with a high fat content.
      WS, that last line is starting to sound like my "preferred" diet. ;)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • SandyofPA wrote:

      My plan for staying alive does not include fire at all. Pitch tent, take off wet stuff, crawl in dry sleeping bag.
      Uh you should dry yourself off before jumping in... and if it is 32° or lower - you would be in for a bad night. The ground can suck your heat like sleeping on ice. The lack of a pad or a thin pad may be not enough to isolate you from the ground. It is always good to have several plans - there isn't one single answer to survival.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • Wise Old Owl wrote:

      SandyofPA wrote:

      My plan for staying alive does not include fire at all. Pitch tent, take off wet stuff, crawl in dry sleeping bag.
      Uh you should dry yourself off before jumping in... and if it is 32° or lower - you would be in for a bad night. The ground can suck your heat like sleeping on ice. The lack of a pad or a thin pad may be not enough to isolate you from the ground. It is always good to have several plans - there isn't one single answer to survival.
      I'll second the pad. The padding on my pack helped me when my pad was inadequate for conditions.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does
    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      Wise Old Owl wrote:

      SandyofPA wrote:

      My plan for staying alive does not include fire at all. Pitch tent, take off wet stuff, crawl in dry sleeping bag.
      Uh you should dry yourself off before jumping in... and if it is 32° or lower - you would be in for a bad night. The ground can suck your heat like sleeping on ice. The lack of a pad or a thin pad may be not enough to isolate you from the ground. It is always good to have several plans - there isn't one single answer to survival.
      I'll second the pad. The padding on my pack helped me when my pad was inadequate for conditions.
      So modify to :pitch tent, remove wet stuff, dry body, crawl into dry sleeping system. Sorry I assumed some common sense. The point was, you are carrying a backpack full of survival gear, use it instead of trying to make fire.
    • SandyofPA wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      Wise Old Owl wrote:

      SandyofPA wrote:

      My plan for staying alive does not include fire at all. Pitch tent, take off wet stuff, crawl in dry sleeping bag.
      Uh you should dry yourself off before jumping in... and if it is 32° or lower - you would be in for a bad night. The ground can suck your heat like sleeping on ice. The lack of a pad or a thin pad may be not enough to isolate you from the ground. It is always good to have several plans - there isn't one single answer to survival.
      I'll second the pad. The padding on my pack helped me when my pad was inadequate for conditions.
      So modify to :pitch tent, remove wet stuff, dry body, crawl into dry sleeping system. Sorry I assumed some common sense. The point was, you are carrying a backpack full of survival gear, use it instead of trying to make fire.
      I'd never make that assumption now days...the entire nation seems to be having a drought.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • SandyofPA wrote:


      So modify to :pitch tent, remove wet stuff, dry body, crawl into dry sleeping system. Sorry I assumed some common sense. The point was, you are carrying a backpack full of survival gear, use it instead of trying to make fire.

      Sure. But in the case I was describing, I'd already had one accident - falling in the river - and some of my essential gear was (I suspected) wet. I pack to survive a torrential rainstorm, but had never tested the system with a complete dunking!

      It turns out that my packing system was better than I thought, and in retrospect I probably didn't need fire that badly. Still, I had known that the river crossing was dodgy, so I'd already gathered fire makings on the near bank, to have a safe place to retreat to. Fire was faster than calisthenics at getting me warm again. I wasn't worried about fire spreading, it had been raining for days and everything was soaking wet. Maybe I would have done better just getting into the dry gear that I wasn't sure I had. I was probably already getting addled from hypothermia. All's well that ends well. I warmed up by the fire, which was going full blast within minutes. I didn't die. I even managed to dry my socks.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      Wise Old Owl wrote:

      I guess if I took a group of hikers on a trail and it rains - how many would have a good knife to remove the wet bark off of twigs to get it started? The question is open ended - some of you are exsperts and others may be just joining.. hence the diversity.
      The last time I NEEDED a fire, it was sleeting. I had been provident enough to have Vaseline on my balls. (Cotton ones, of course!) There was a mouse's nest under a fallen birch tree and even my little Leatherman Squirt was enough to strip the inner bark (birchbark is pretty resinous) and peel some twigs. That was enough stuff to get a fire going, and I gradually worked up to bigger wood. Didn't need anything bigger than thumb-sized sitcks - I just needed enough warmth to stave off hypothermia and get out of my soaking wet clothes. It might have gone a few seconds faster with a big knife, but my silly little one did in a pinch. Normally, I don't bring a "good" knife, because on virtually all my hikes, all I cut is the cheese.
      Fatwood would have been great, but there weren't any pine stumps around where I was. I used birchbark instead, as the guy in the video mentioned. I used my tinderbox instead of finding natural tinder because I didn't want to mess around, I needed a fire.

      To replace the cotton ball, I harvested a piece of amadou mushroom from the same dead birch. That's another thing that'll catch a spark in wet weather. This guy shows how.


      I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I fell in a river in 35 °F sleet and didn't die.
      The above exploit makes you an expert.

      This thread made me think about my survival skills. After a good rain last week, I went to a local trail, gathered material, and built a small fire. I did use a lighter for ignition.

      Impressed a couple of mt bikers as they stopped to chat while I sipped tea.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      SandyofPA wrote:

      So modify to :pitch tent, remove wet stuff, dry body, crawl into dry sleeping system. Sorry I assumed some common sense. The point was, you are carrying a backpack full of survival gear, use it instead of trying to make fire.
      Sure. But in the case I was describing, I'd already had one accident - falling in the river - and some of my essential gear was (I suspected) wet. I pack to survive a torrential rainstorm, but had never tested the system with a complete dunking!

      It turns out that my packing system was better than I thought, and in retrospect I probably didn't need fire that badly. Still, I had known that the river crossing was dodgy, so I'd already gathered fire makings on the near bank, to have a safe place to retreat to. Fire was faster than calisthenics at getting me warm again. I wasn't worried about fire spreading, it had been raining for days and everything was soaking wet. Maybe I would have done better just getting into the dry gear that I wasn't sure I had. I was probably already getting addled from hypothermia. All's well that ends well. I warmed up by the fire, which was going full blast within minutes. I didn't die. I even managed to dry my socks.


      Awesome, I agree with you but those reading here may not be up to your knowledge and we don't know what season you fell in.

      FYI to the reader, gear isn't best served with a pack cover - the best solution is a 25 gallon garbage bag. sealed and without holes it becomes a flotation device for fording rivers and best part keeps some of the gear dry. Simply slip the pack on backwards and swim laterally to the other side, keep in mind you will end up down stream.
      Weight - nothing.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • Wise Old Owl wrote:

      Awesome, I agree with you but those reading here may not be up to your knowledge and we don't know what season you fell in.
      Late October in the Adirondacks. Temps in the low 30s, and sleet, so perfect hypothermia weather. I had my pack lined with a compactor bag, and my sleeping bag in a dry sack as well. The river wasn't even knee deep, but it was a waterslide! I've just about never been as scared on the trail as when I went down. It's ordinarily an easy rock hop, but there had been a lot of rain.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • On a separate note there is a skill for cold weather sleeping that was never shown to young men in Boy Scouts or Hikers alike. On a severe cold night it is a skill that will keep you warm. All to often we see everyone making a short round squat fire in the woods after removing the debris. As shown here this looks great but for cold weather and wet weather - its ability to keep you warm means feeding it most of the night and is the biggest mistake on most survival shows on skills. It makes for a cold sleepless night.
      [IMG:http://practicalsurvivor.smugmug.com/photos/787406067_TdEVt-M.jpg]
      In the above image That bed of leaves will keep him off the dirt but needs to be much thicker. Keep in mind I used to pitch a tent on a bed of leaves and then still use a self inflating pad inside the tent.

      Below is a long fire fallen collected branches from the surrounding area are broken by jambing one end into a forked tree levering them into two or three pieces. the average piece is no thicker than 2" and about 4-6 feet. You clear the debris 8 feet and move it all in one direction for your bed. make sure there is a big gap of dirt between the bed and the fire. If you can gather large river stone put them between the bed and fire. Never use slate rocks the steam will make them explode. Get the fire going while you work. What you want is about four feet of hot coals to warm the rocks before going to bed - if it rains this fire will continue to deliver most of the night. Sorry there are not many pictures or diagrams to show you more about how to build this.

      [IMG:http://practicalsurvivor.smugmug.com/photos/i-Hw9c83b/0/L/i-Hw9c83b-L.jpg]
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:
    • I understand the concept.

      One can also warm smooth stones in the fire and place one or two into a sleeping bag to help keep warm. If the stone is too hot, wrapping with a cloth will help prevent damaging the bag.

      Personal experience has shown pouring near boiling water into a Nagaland style bottle, wrapping with cloth, and placing near your lower back while in a sleeping bag will help with body warmth throughout the night.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • Dan76 wrote:

      I understand the concept.

      One can also warm smooth stones in the fire and place one or two into a sleeping bag to help keep warm. If the stone is too hot, wrapping with a cloth will help prevent damaging the bag.

      Personal experience has shown pouring near boiling water into a Nagaland style bottle, wrapping with cloth, and placing near your lower back while in a sleeping bag will help with body warmth throughout the night.
      Boiling water is always 212° by the time it hits the Nagalene it's less - a Rock could exceed 500° up against a fire.... I guess my point is it's your expensive sleep system or your skin.... Heating rocks passively they store & create radiant energy, that continues to warm objects if the fire goes out.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup: