@@melmendes4president348 good question. The literature says it works in the Squeeze, Micro Squeeze, and MINI.

All depends on your perspective. I currently use natural tinder and a ferro rod exclusively, but there is value in learning by doing, and that was how I approached this experiment. It was less about making a “best” firestarter and more about combining some things I had sitting around my house.

KZbinr-mc2el, "Fill tube to just cover combustible [ with wax ] and add more combustible. "

Wooden excelsior and paraffin wax

Thanks for your comment. I typically use a ferro(cerium) rod and fatwood scrapings for about 98% of my fires. I find the discipline of avoiding matches, lighters, or manmade tinders to be a good one to maintain my fire craft skills. But there are times in inclement weather when a fire starter can be useful for reasons of personal safety, so I was experimenting here and opted to use the lighter because I was conducting a burn test, not because I rely on lighters. I always have a Bic and matches in my fire kit, but I rarely use either in the field. Fatwood is natural, takes a spark, and smells great. However, if I had to start a fire as a matter of personal safety, I would not hesitate to use a Bic with one of these.

Thanks for watching carefully! I think you may mean around the 3:18 mark and following: I intercut a long shot of birdsong in the woods with two clips of me eating--different clips, The birdsong shot was just a long, tripod-based shot that I intercut with the breakfast scenes, but I see how it may feel repetitive. It was so still that morning that the trees don't seem to move.

Thank you! It was a fun trip despite the rain.

My timing could have been better! after awhile, though, I got used to it, and it was pretty cool having 40 miles of trail basically to myself 😜 Had to find a bright side!

Thank you!

Thank you! After the lightning passed, I let the rain on the tarp lull me into a nap since I wasn’t going anywhere. It was delightful. Much more rain to come this trip! 🌧️

Thanks! It will be out in a few days. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

It was a pleasant start on my journey! Thanks for watching!

Thank you!

That I’ve done.

I am. Picked up RS bushcraft III with convex since then, too. Good values for the $.

Thank you for your comment. In my area, there is merit in having a sharp axe because of the prevalence of hardwoods, but I suppose what type of edge one keeps depends on one’s needs and environment. I can’t say my Swedish axes are fancy: their steel is recycled industrial scrap steel; they are irregular because they are hand-forged; the heads are held on to plain old hickory handles with a simple wooden wedge; their masks are simple veg-tanned leather. But the forge that makes them has been forging, grinding, hardening, and tempering axes since 1868; I reckon I just prefer to use a tool that has some old school charm and tradition behind it rather than some mass-produced, soulless bit of plastic and steel. Not saying it’s better; it’s just better for me. Cheers! I hope you’ll post some trapline vids. That sounds like quite the experience.

Thank you! I’ve enjoyed both.

It’s my favorite weather! Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the comment!

It was amazing! Thank you!

I’ve since given these pots to my son, so I don’t have them handy to measure. I don’t think they are still sold, but there are some reviews that have pictures (one with the well-known GSI cup that fits around a Nalgene) that might help you get a sense of their size: www.trailspace.com/gear/ozark-trail/3-piece-cook-set/

I used one growing up to incinerate leaves. Sadly, most of my trips in the eastern US tend to be in pretty thick woodlands where such an ignition source would be iffy.

@@BentbrooksRambles i live in northern Minnesota. The woods are thick here. But ok. What i ment was its always the one item missing in those kits. I have my own kit as well. Char cloth and so on. There is a time and place for each item. Wet wood may need something more. But char cloth works with all igniter. A spark. A beam of light. Even friction.

@@aaronzierke9920 yep, you may have noted I carry char cloth in my flint and steel kit. I prefer using fat wood scrapings and ferro rod for 99% of my fires, but then I absolutely love the scent of fatwood. It’s also the best local tinder option in my region (easily found and harvested with little effort), and that little blaze is a heartwarming sight on grey mornings in the Smoky Mountains.

@@BentbrooksRambles fat wood works fine but i like to soak it in sap as well. Once them shavings are lite its nice to put a small soaked piece of it on for extra blaze. All you do is get sap and melt it. Then soak match size peices of fat wood in it . Take them out to dry and cool. They work great on a wet day. Minnesota is not a real dry place. And we have more fat wood than most places. Its a good smell in small amounts . I prefer oak or maple or even basswood to burn. Pine sends to many embers in to the air. And makes to much suit . I alway grab some birch bark for my tinder . Lites way easy and gets a good flame going. I have a tin full of it.

@@aaronzierke9920 I just use fatwood to get things going, hardwood for fuel. I haven’t had to use more than fatwood to start any fire where I live, rain or shine, but soaking it may be a good tip for folks in some climates.

I am not sure about the dimensions of that lantern. I believe it is called the deluxe? But you might be able to adapt a neoprene sleeve for a water bottle. They come in all sorts of sizes, from large ones for the Nalgene 1 L bottles to smaller ones for insulated, taller bottles. Hope that helps!

Thank you!

I use a torso-length closed cell foam pad inside as a frame, but I don’t carry heavy loads with this. The Blast basically has flexible stays that “arc” when straps akin to loadlifters are cinched down. Pockets for stays like that could be easily made by doubling a piece of strap and sewing two edges to make a pocket. As for the stays, I’d explore flexible aluminum poles.

They are good tools.