Fire Lighting Competition!

Join us again July 21st at Fort Whyte Alive and test your Fire Lighting Skills!

The second installment of Fort Whyte’s summer camp for adults – this party is getting bigger and better! Enjoy archery, paddling, live music — and probably your only chance to earn a camp badge — at their signature summer event.

Trust us, you do not want to miss out on this one!
Thursday, July 21 | 7 pm
Tickets: $20 advance / $25 at the door

With music by:

Mama Cutsworth & DJ Academy for All Women Alumni
DJs Ack ‘n’ Quack

And all your favourite summer camp activities:

Canoeing
Archery
Arts & crafts
Campfire grilled cheese
Marshmallow roasts
Wilderness Survival
Camp games + tomfoolery
Facepainting

…and so much more!

GET TICKETS
FortWhyte Alive Members got their first chance at tickets during our members only pre-sale, but tickets are now ON SALE to the general public. Purchase your tickets online or visit Fort Whyte Alive to get yours.

Get your tickets now, before they’re gone!

Kryptek Flint and Steel Survival Bracelet

From: www.soldiersystems.net

There are lots of ‘survival’ bracelets on the market made from woven parachute cord. While the 550 cord and it’s internal strands can sure come in handy in a survival emergency once unravelled and gutted, they don’t offer anything but cordage. However, the new Flint and Steel Survival Bracelet from Kryptek incorporates fire making tools into the clasp. So, you don’t just get a bracelet with a unique look but also both fire making and cordage to deal with extreme situations.

www.kryptekstore.com/-Kryptek-Flint-and-Steel-Survival-Bracelet-P65

Flint Striker Set by Winkler Knives

Photo by: Point Seven

www.winklerknives.com

From the website:

A bit of tradition for the Winkler Knives II Collection. This knife is made of 1095 file steel. The blade edge boasts high performance properties achieved through hot salts heat treating, but the spine edge of the handle is hardened to consistently throw sparks. The set includes a leather belt pouch with sheath on the back. Inside the pouch is a tin with charred cloth, flint, fatwood and two textures of tinder. Also included is an instructional DVD that covers building a fire, as well as replinishing the charred cloth.
Cost of Set: US $450.00

From www.soldiersystems.net

Daniel Winkler Folding Flint Striker Set

“I didn’t realize until The Blade Show that Master Bladesmith Daniel Winkler produced a fire starter set. Called the Folding Flint Striker Set, it’s based on the items carried by frontiersmen before the advent of the match. Winkler is well known for his fascination with early American history. In fact, he began making knives in order to outfit himself in the same equipment as an 18th century woodsman.

Set includes Knife, flint, char tin with char cloth, tinder with fat wood and a draw-string deer hide pouch. Additionally, he can provide a neck pouch for the knife at an additional charge. Just like all of Winkler’s other products knife pouches are hand built, to last.

Starting fires in a traditional manner is a skill that should be acquired and practiced. If I could only get one thing for my birthday, this would be it.”

The Pocket Stove

PROS
  • Simple
  • Super easy to set up
  • Durable
  • Functional
  • Tin has plenty of room for storage and can double as a survival tin.
  • Lightweight
  • Ideal for small pots
  • Portable
  • Versatile
  • Cost effective
CONS
  • If using organic materials you’ll need proper tinder and A LOT of dry pencil-size sticks for kindling – your main organic fuel. Be prepared to continually fuel the stove.
  • Placing and feeding the kindling in the stove can be cumbersome
  • Using fuel blocks – Be Careful! The blocks can “melt” and drop/drip through the holes in the plate on which the block sits – watch out for this!

Plenty of room inside the tin to keep a Bic lighter, firesteel, tinder, and a small knife.

Assembly is very simple – the 5 pieces fit together quickly and easily. No tools required

Note: The paperclip is just to give an idea of size.

From the website:

Welcome to the exciting world of The Pocket Stove.

It does what it says on the tin!

This a flat pack, clip together multi fuel cooking stove for the solo or lightweight outdoors enthusiast, 100% designed and manufactured in the UK.

Following the success of The Honey Stove and The Hive, many enthusiasts have asked for a simpler smaller solo cooking solution which incorporates the same multi-fuel features and flexibility.

After months of design and experimentation The Pocket Stove was eventually born. Weight, simplicity and functionality were all key along with bomb proof reliability.

The fluted shape encourages a more intense burn from any heat source, yet provides reliable stability for the standard range of small cook pots and military shaped mugs up to 10-12 cm in diameter.

It also means that it also provides a pot support as well as windshield for most variations of pop can meths (denatured alcohol) burners.

Simplicity is the key and it has been tested throughout winter, to ensure it can be assembled quickly in the cold.

The adjustable platform offers two burn heights, the top slot for esbit/hexamine tablets and the other for organic matter and pop can stoves.

With just the four panels, the standard Trangia burner will locate into the upper slot and the door locks tight. This is the best height for an intense burn. However the same burner will also locate into the lower slot offering two heat settings depending on your needs.

Other ‘top burning’ meths (denatured alcohol) stoves can also be used. Experimentation will indicate the best location for you heat source, either on the square plate, or placed on the ground with the four connected panels placed over the top.

Finally, just three panels linked together can act as a basic windshield and pot support, should you ever require it.

Your Pocket Stove package consists of a fire door, a rear panel, 2 x side panels, a base plate and a hinged storage tin.

Assembly options

To burn esbit/hexamine tablets

Holding the rear panel in your hand with the prongs facing upwards, slide on the two side panels either side. Place the square base into the top horizontal slot taking care to ensure the rear of the base plate is rotated correctly and placed centrally in the rear panel.

Then slide on the door and the stove is complete.

To burn organic matter

Assemble as above however place the square base into the lower horizontal slot taking care to ensure the rear of the base plate is correctly placed centrally in the rear panel.

Then slide on the door and the stove is complete.

To use with a Trangia burner

Assemble as above, however instead of using the square plate, just place the Trangia burner into either of the horizontal slots.

Then slide on the door and the stove is complete.

NB: It does fit the Tatonka meth burner, but it a loose fit. The Evernew burner fits neatly in the base.

Manufacture

The Pocket Stove is manufactured using .7mm Stainless Steel which is considerably stronger than it looks.

The design is exceedingly efficient at reflecting heat inwards and upwards whilst at the same time allowing the correct amount of air draw for the different cookers or fuel used.

Once heat is applied to the unit it may warp slightly. This is normal and doesn’t affect the assembly process or life span of the product.

Tinder

To start any fire you require tinder, which will catch the spark from a flint and steel, or other igniting tool.

Once tinder is burning, it will in turn ignite the kindle. Small dry pieces of wood, which will burn with a greater heat and light the thicker dry fuel.

Tinder can take many forms. You can also use bark peelings from a Birch tree, wire wool or feather sticks.

These are made by splitting a finger thick stick into quarters and running a sharp knife along the edge to ‘curl’ the dry core into fine slithers.

Cotton wool dipped in Vaseline is very efficient as is the commercially available Hammaro Tinder Card.

Burning Wood

The stoves works more efficiently with small pieces of dried wood no thicker than a pencil.

Thicker pieces take longer to ignite and are more cumbersome to collect and break. Two handfulls of these twigs will boil 500ml of water in approximately 8-10 minutes.

Never use green live wood, which will just smoke and not burn. Always look for air-dried wood caught in tree branches, as these catch and burn much more effectively.

Don’t overfill the base plate with fuel before lighting, as good combustion requires good airflow.

We’ve found using a small piece of Hammaro Tinder CardTM will ignite instantly from a flint and steel, and accelerates the lighting of dried kindle.

Once the fire is established and there is a good ‘heat’ at the base, add the thicker fuel on a regular basis, to maintain the desired cooking heat.

Fire Safety

All fuels give off noxious fumes and wood based stoves are no different. We would always advise you to light any fire in a well-ventilated area, with a good throughput of air, such as under a tarp.

NB: Remember modern artificial fabrics used in jackets, trousers, sleeping bags and tents ignite very easily. Another reason to never light a stove inside an enclosed area.

Leave No Trace

Where possible try to use some kind of ashtray beneath the stove to protect the ground.

The heat generated by any stove can damage or scar the organic matter beneath.

So where possible, try to ensure you place the stove over bare earth, sand, stone or use a protective matting or foil.

After use, you will see a fine ash beneath the stove gathered on the tray. Please let this cool and try to ‘leave no trace’ in your disposal.

On a stone or sandy beach, you may not need the ash tray at all, however always consider your environment and please dispose of the fine ash with appropriate and responsible care.

Warning

In use this stove will get very hot. No matter the type of fuel or heat source used.

Do not attempt to pick it up, move it or take it apart when fuel is burning. You will burn your hands!

Please allow enough ventilation around the stove and ensure that all the component parts are cool before packing.

Also ensure the ground under the stove is cool to the touch and not burned in any way. Use of petrol, or any other petroleum products in this stove may result in severe burns and/or death.

Emissions

Burning wood efficiently is almost Carbon Neutral.

The efficient use of a small amount of organic matter is much more eco-friendly than the more convenient commercial fuels, such as petroleum based derivatives and natural gas (LPG).

LPG emits 15 times more CO2 (carbon dioxide) per kg than wood.

Petrol based fuels emit nearly 10 times as much. CO2 is the main source of global warming.
(Source – Journey To Forever)

Weights

Side Panel: 31g x 2
Back Panel: 31g
Door: 26g
Square Base: 22g
Total: 141g

Storage Tin: 54g

Packed Total: 195g

Will it fit your pop can stove?

Height 100mm
Base Plate 68mm sq
Upper Aperture 61mm sq
Lower Aperture 72mm sq

The Pocket Stove was designed and manufactured entirely in the UK by backpackinglight.co.uk

Cost: Around £ 22

Esbit® Pocket Stove

  • Lightweight
  • Simple
  • Sturdy
  • Small and very portable
  • Super easy to use
  • Cost effective
Comes with six 14g solid fuel bricks.

Six 14g solid fuel bricks can be transported neatly within the stove itself to save space.

The Esbit Pocket Stove can be adjusted to two configurations to accommodate different cookware.

To boil approximately 3/4 litres of cold water, you’ll require basically the entire life of a 14g Esbit fuel brick and a lid to help with the boiling process.

As a test, I tried boiling roughly 3/4 litres of cold tap water with no lid on a very hot day (33°Celsius) with a 14g Esbit fuel brick (0.5 oz). The water came close to boiling but didn’t… After about 15 minutes the fuel was fully consumed (the fuel doesn’t leave much residue which is nice).

Using a lid on the second attempt obviously made a world of difference. If you have limited fuel, try heating up your water with a bit of kindling first.

Great as an emergency stove or for the ultralight/minimalist.

www.esbit.net

Made in Germany

Cost: Around CDN $15

 

 

 

 

Coghlan’s Magnesium Fire Starter

Although the ubiquitous Magnesium Fire Starter has its share of drawbacks, for the price and convenience of having both a firesteel and reliable supply of tinder in a single “waterproof” package, you really can’t complain.

The idea that the magnesium doesn’t ignite in its block form, but only when shaved into fine pieces is absolutely brilliant (the magnesium shavings provide a flame source of 2,982°C). Having a readily available source of dry tinder in a survival situation can be a lifesaver. The entire device is unaffected by water and/or moisture, making it even more valuable when you need to start a fire in wet conditions.

The advantage this type of device has over traditional standalone firesteels is that it has a source of tinder attached to it. However, the drawback is that the firesteel rod on these blocks don’t stick out very far – it’s like having only a 1/4 of the rod available to you – the rest of it is buried inside the block itself. The other irritant of this otherwise fantastic device is the necessity of a sharp blade or some type of robust scraper to shave the magnesium block (the block of magnesium is quite hard). Scraping magnesium shavings off the main block can be time consuming and frustrating if you don’t have the right technique.

Cost: Around CDN $7

Mora of Sweden x Light My Fire

A recent collaboration between two well known brands in the fields of bushcraft and survival has produced a knife that will appeal to a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts.

Mora of Sweden have been producing low cost, high quality knives which can be found in the hands of most bushcraft practitioners. When a brand is praised by Canadian bushcraft legend Mors Kochanski, you know it’s worth checking out.

Next up we have Light My Fire, another Swedish company whose products can be found in the kits of many survivalists, most notably their famous firesteels.

In a survival situation, having a knife and a means to make fire is essential. If you’re looking for a cost effective way to carry both items at the same time, you’re in luck!

Mora of Sweden and Light My Fire have teamed up to create the Swedish FireKnife™.

The Swedish FireKnife™ comes in a variety of bright colours (see the “Colour of Survival“) from which to choose and has an integrated firesteel that twists and snaps into the handle.

The Mora blade has a Scandinavian grind (excellent for bushcraft) with a “scalloped” portion along the top 1/4 of the knife.

The steel is Mora’s famous 12c27 Sandvik Stainless Steel. This steel is tried and tested and is an excellent stock for general purpose outdoor use – very comparable to Mora’s High Carbon blades.

The edges of the knife’s spine have been purposely kept “sharp” so it can be used as the firesteel striker.

The sheath is simple and functional – nothing fancy here. There is a small hole at the tip of the sheath for water drainage.

A gimmick? Perhaps.

Functional? Yes.

Good value? Absolutely.

Cost: Around CDN $30

www.mec.ca 

Swedish FireSteel 2.0

Light My Fire FireSteel 2.0 – Scout Model

The newest FireSteel from LMF is a welcome improvement over the previous model in terms of design. Although I preferred the ability to grasp the old all metal scraper as dictated by my own dexterity, the bulb heads on the new versions are relatively ergonomic. The only other difference is the addition of a built-in whistle on the scraper. Perhaps not a loud as a Fox 40, it’s still quite effective in its own right. If you are a minimalist, this new feature eliminates the need to carry a solitary whistle.

In a survival situation, this is a wonderful feature to have. If you lost your main whistle, or relied on this one alone, a whistle is by far more effective than shouting in terms of sound and effort.

As usual, the LMF FireSteel comes in a multitude of colors to suit any taste.

Cost: About CDN $13

Made in Sweden

www.lightmyfire.se