Thursday, July 2, 2015

Making A Survival Firestarter And Having Fun

By Dorthy Lloyd


As a nation, we have always been good at being prepared. Whether it's stocking up water and other supplies for hunkering down in a storm, being evacuation-ready in the event of a wildfire or preparing for Armageddon, we're ready. One of the core items in the prepper's kit should be a survival firestarter. You will need a fire for cooking, warmth, signaling for help and burning your trash.

Fire starters are readily available commercially at prices to suit every budget. Even the expensive ones are within most preppers' reach. A popular type of fire starter comes in the form of a bracelet that is made up of several feet of parachute cord, which can be used to drag stuff behind you, tie stuff together or use as a clothesline.

Other manufacturers incorporate a fire starter as part of a larger kit, like a sewing kit. One kit includes a carabiner and several feet of tightly-coiled paracord. Note, you will never, ever get that cord wound the same compact way ever again. This particular kit also comes with alcohol wipes, wire, needles and other useful items.

However, the easiest and cheapest fire starter you will ever find is one you can make with household dryer lint. That's right. Remember, the very reason you clean the lint trap in your clothes dryer is to minimize the risk of it catching a spark and setting your clothes, and ultimately your house, on fire. All you have to do is strike a flint over a tiny bundle of lint and it will ignite, burning easily and cleanly. Obviously, you will need other materials to maintain the flame.

With a dryer lint fire starter, there is no complex preparation. All you have to do is have a lightweight plastic case at the ready and a stack of fluffy towels to launder. You can even get the kids involved by helping you get ready for your camping trip, even if it's just in your back yard. They will learn two useful skills: how to launder clothes and how to make a free fire starter.

Another major advantage to using dryer lint is that it eliminates the need to use a flammable liquid to help you start a fire. This is particularly important if you have small children. It only takes a small lump of lint to get the fire started.

If you are preparing lint for survival purposes, you may want a good two-week or more supply. Take the tedium out of it by sorting your laundry to make different colors of dryer lint. Get the kids to compete with each other to see who can make the most of 'their' color or who can come up with the best mixture of colors. They will learn the science of color and you won't have to wash a load of clothes, towels or bed linen for weeks.

And there you have it, fun, free survival prep. Not only will you have all the fire you need to cook, keep warm and boil water for washing, you will be sparing the environment the build-up of dryer lint. Happy camping!




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