Sunday, July 5, 2015

Having Fun With A Survival Firestarter

By Dorthy Lloyd


Americans are experts in the art of disaster preparedness. This is because whoever we are, wherever we live, we are subject to the wrath of Mother Nature. The Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf coast have their hurricanes. California has its earthquakes and the Midwest has its tornadoes. Left without gas and electricity, we need a means to produce fire. This is where a survival firestarter comes in.

You can buy these at the store or online fairly economically. One form that is popular comes packaged with parachute cord that is fashioned into the shape of a bracelet with a fire starter attached. You can use the paracord to tie your food up and hoist it up a tree to keep it safe from bears or as a clothesline. This type saves space and multitasks for you.

Sometimes, you can find a fire starter as part of a bigger kit with other stuff in it, like a sewing kit, or one that has a carabiner and parachute cord along with needles, sterile wipes and other small, handy items. One thing you can be sure of, you will never get that word wound in the same way as it comes in the package.

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 for a natural disaster, you could require as much as two weeks' supply of dryer lint. Make it fun by assigning each family member their own color and see who can make the most dryer lint in that color. Get them to practice forming it into amusing shapes. This will also help the family kill time in the event of a natural disaster.

Prepping doesn't have to be expensive or boring. Like the lint fire starter, you can save money and have fun making other essential items. One way to practice is to wind your own parachute cord.




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