How to start a fire when everything is wet

[@EricTheSwede]

If I could get a library worth of these 2 to 10 minute videos of just Kevin showing off small tips, tricks, and skills I'd probably never use another source of information ever again!

[@Hinru13]

Yes. Second that motion

[@mechanic3531]

Third

[@OldNavajoTricks]

Nope lol, can't rely on a single source haha, if it gets taken away you're screwed :-p But yes, these 5-10 min quick tips are gold 🤘

[@bobwalski3003]

Gotta create your own guide with all the information

[@HardOnGearChannel]

@@bobwalski3003 Unless you’re solely hunting for internet stuff: Estela already has one of the best Bushcraft guides around-101 Skills You Need To Survive in the Woods.

[@markalford5406]

When me and my friends would go backpacking and everyone took turns staring the fires. When it came to my turn I got the fire started in no time even in wet conditions they all thought I was some kind of Daniel Boone . But I all ways packed a small container of charcoal starter with me and when no one was looking I would sprinkle a little on the fire makings . Lol no one ever found out.

[@thomassanio8745]

Easy when friends are drinking beer 🍺 ha ha!

[@BBQDad463]

Thank you for this video. Excellent tips and techniques! My fire-making kit includes a 30-minute road flare for the truly desperate situation wherein I need a fire immediately and may be experiencing symptoms of hypothermia, including shivering and/or numb fingers. I can use it to thaw out my fingers for five or ten minutes, and still have 20 to 25 minutes to get the fire going. Yes, I know it is an egregious form of "cheating" but when I need a fire, I _need_ a fire---and I do not much care how I get one. Again, thank you for this video. Very well done!

[@tonberryhugs6435]

I was honestly hoping this was going to show making a fire with damp wood. Striking a farro rod on some flammable cotton is the easy part.

[@solidmc90]

Duct tape itself is a great Firestarter too. A roll of it can really come in handy for many things from blisters to gear repair and starting fire

[@martinmontez5950]

Thanks. I didn't know that!

[@brianleverich4467]

Always carry road flares in every vehicle , four wheeler , motorcycle, boat and canoe . from Minnesota

[@evanbordash8580]

I have taken a class with Kevin, great teacher and great guy, highly recommended

[@driver3899]

to save you watching 8 mins of promotional material... 6:35 use cotton wool and petroleum jelly

[@peteperkins3859]

It's bad being cold. But it's much worse to be wet and cold.

[@tudyk21]

In an actual impending hypothermia situation, I found a nice wad of dry material under a log, against a standing tree (in a light rain). I got the fire going with a cig lighter (better than scraping a ferro-rod), then moved it to where I wanted to be situated. Dry pine or spruce sap make a good fire starter, btw.😊

[@bbarker5766]

If you hold your knife/striker down. Lose to your tender the pull the fero rod away, and you will get even more concentrated spark going into your tender/fire starter material. I have also found that a knife with jimping on the back for the thumb to rest will produce even more sparks.

[@user-dw4cv3xq5u]

This is the proper way to use a ferro rod. Plant it in the tinder and pull it towards you.

[@zekethefishgeek8690]

All day and all night long...

[@stevehicks9374]

Kevin and his team are amazing instructors!! Thank you all for everything you do🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💯🙏🏻

[@rogerjensen5277]

Another great tender is a tea light candle with 1/2 cotton ball partly melted down in it, the uncoated cotton catches a flame readily and burns a good amount of time. Also, if you need to move it while it's lit, the aluminum cup helps keep it together! Make sure you have a teepee of small twigs ready first. Even damp small twigs will be dry enough to be ignited by this method!

[@Buddha-of8fk]

Pine is your friend in the rain. This is why Christmas trees drive me nuts. Let's drag the most flammable tree in most woods wrap them in the cheapest electric wire known. Just saying.

[@Heywoodthepeckerwood]

If everything is wet, you already got the fire started. Oh crap, wrong context…

[@chuckfarley567]

Lol...beat me to it ....

[@jhutch1470]

@@chuckfarley567 You're going to have to do that yourself.

[@zekethefishgeek8690]

Thanks for your time, I knew these already... But, it's always refreshing to see and hear a pro doing it again... Pre-she-ate-cha much, Mr. Kevin

[@feed_defend_evolve]

I’m surprised more ppl don’t also carry Uco stormproof matches. A few of those are SUPER COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT. If you’re gonna have a fire starting kit, pretty easy to keep some of those handy.

[@LoganCoutts]

Up here in the PNW and spending a lot of time in the woods, stormproof matches paired with Vaseline and cotton goes a long way. Works well for 95% of the applications.

[@Christianlucer07]

ok quick question, let's say all the wood is wet since it's been raining, will it burn?

[@MooreReviewz]

Kevin is the best for sure

[@aPizzaStainedSlob]

As a 35mm film photographer I may now have a business in selling old cartridges to people for survival purposes, haha

[@jerryj3047]

start a fire is one thing but keeping it live is another, anyway good video

[@jpaul8589]

I use 200 micron MAGNALIUM powder and a ferro rod. I call it my “White Dwarf” kit. Ignites and burns white hot above 5000F and immediately dries/ignites wet tinder which then warms/dries/ignites kindling. Watch out for your eyes if you use it and never pour the power over an open flame from the container - it will absolutely flare a whiteHot column of fire and go boom. Use small piles 1-2” across and once lit, take a knife tip and flip hot pile over once fully glowing and the oxygen in the air will cause it to glow white hot and start EVERYTHING on fire. Also - Don’t keep the knife IN the pile, it will melt the steel.

[@waylanator]

Keep a LOT of that combo in. Y pack, especially during the cold and wet fall/winter months and the wet spring months here in Texas.

[@n.u.t.y.]

If making cotton ball/petroleum jelly starters, make sure to get real 100% cotton balls. Most "cosmetic puffs" you find now in the drugstore are nylon or other synthetic fiber, not real cotton!

[@trollhunter6934]

Been using the Vaseline/cotton ball fire starter for years. They work great!

[@donfilkins298]

I have srips of duct tape made into a ball . Starts a fire well

[@TheRockInnRobin]

Dryer lint. Works every time.

[@shanepitzer4323]

You have to be careful of dryer lint. Most isn’t cotton anymore it’s newer materials not conducive to fire starting. FYI. 🤓

[@TheRockInnRobin]

@@shanepitzer4323 mixed with enough pet hair it will 😂

[@deathlis]

@@shanepitzer4323 Mine lights up easily. Only problem is I go through it faster during hunting season than I generate in a year...

[@derekwarren1548]

12 Guage marine flare waterproof and 12ga shell is fit to be packed, stored, worn.

[@FluffPuffkotj]

Ha! Julian turned me into a Vaseline hand model.

[@Bushcraftnbaseball]

Good stuff Kevin. The 2 years I lived in WA really helped with my firecraft skills. It was very frustrating for awhile.

[@mvpjordan7584]

Make a part 2 of this plz, he didnt go over the tinder stuff

[@SkeezyFPV]

I once started Little Cottonwood Creek on fire at The Spruces campground while making coffee 😂

[@alanwilliams2251]

Great information Kevin! Thanks for your time and God bless my friend!

[@ryos251]

Ive been in many environments had he ad to use survival skills . The hardest environment is without a doubt the Pacific Northwest in the wet rainy winter .

[@GrimrDirge]

You're up in my hood. By March you can pick up wood off the ground and wring the water out of it like a sponge.

[@SonnyCrocket-p6h]

if it's raining, it's 31F or warmer. That AINT all that cold, folks, IF you can get out of the wind and stay dry. If you dont have the proper clothing, shelter gear, why are you in the woods? You know damned well that crap happens on a regular basis and it CAN be you that it happens-to. VERY easily. The most common, truly SERIOUS problems are being too hurt or sick to walk out and not have cell phone service. So you'd BETTER have enough gear and clothing to be OK for at LEAST 3 days and nights. in the worst possible conditions for your time and place, WITHOUT a fire. Even if people DO know to look for you and where to do so, bad weather or other issues can mean that they cant get to you immediately. In the mountains, it can drop below 50F on a warm summer afternoon, with rain and wind. At night it can freeze. Same is true of the flatlands for half of the year..

[@donmckechnie4129]

That is the condition to train in. My wife and I went camping several years ago, we hit 3 different seasons in 6 hours, extremely wet than cold at night. We couldn't have got any wetter if we fell out of a canoe. It took 45 min to get a decent fire going, but it was done. Get out and practice.

[@mikereese15]

Great info. Definitley lacking from my get home bag.

[@chadclayburg1410]

Home,sweat home. Tough to make fire during the winter.

[@fredpeers1955]

So, Kevin, we're abouts in the PNW Are you? I live in the beautiful Sky Valley.

[@atlantaswelder]

Sill using the Bic&Bike tube bands as a primary starter 🇺🇸 like u taught me

[@charlesl5226]

Another good option is coconut oil and small cotton pads.

[@w3w3w3]

good video

[@StefanieFaye]

Thank you for this! Very helpful to know

[@BarlitosC]

So use a bunch of stuff that isnt naturally there and bring your own fuel. great

[@Intentionallyalone]

Heat is the product of fire. This is what you need to make a fire: 1-spark 2-fuel 3-air

[@jumpvelocity3953]

You sound just like Dr. Mike from Renaissance Periodization, in both your voice and your demeanour 😂

[@DWMurry]

Good Stuff!

[@sword-and-shield]

Go one step more, and learn to start them "while" its raining. If you think it about it, that is when you may likely get hypothermia.

[@melvayaredaguilar]

a metal rod is a new way of creating a spark because it’s sold separately lol

[@Sourpusscandy]

FIX THE BIC LIGHTER by using some tweezers to remove the “safety” band across the spark wheel. Do it first thing.

[@zekethefishgeek8690]

Be careful it allows it to fall out occasionally

[@Sourpusscandy]

@@zekethefishgeek8690 never had that happen. The band makes it harder to get traction with your thumb running the wheel.

[@dadbodincorporated4411]

Great information and insights. A couple of things I would add are salt water will corrode and deteriorate your ferro rod. I think that’s what you were going for.😉 Also instead of a 35 mm photo container, a diabetic test strip container is real similar. Good video!

[@marmadukegrimwig]

Excellent! What jacket and trousers are you wearing?

[@11ccom]

Good stuff.

[@andrewjones5513]

I’d really love to attend one of your courses, unfortunately I’m in the U.K.

[@sombra6153]

Really good presentation with excellent instruction and demonstration. I have a couple of fire starters, including a fero rod and something else I received as a gag gift. Going to did them out and see how they work for lighting my charcoal grill. I had heard dryer lint recommended as tinder. Ought to actually it too. Thanks for the lesson!

[@williamyetman3609]

Great video. Thank you.

[@kathiemcdowellday1108]

GOD BLESS YOU! 🏡💋

[@derekwarren1548]

How you get Vaseline off your hands inn the bush? Lol

[@Provocateur3]

Absolutely none of my knives work worth spit on my ferrocerium rod. I bought a HSS lathe cutoff tool. Superlative results.

[@deathlis]

I found any softer steel whose edge rolls easily doesn't work very well. My high carbon steel Bear MGC throws tons of sparks by comparison. They're just a ginormous PIA to sharpen in the field.

[@Provocateur3]

@@deathlis : I sure have my share of "surgical stainless" knives but I have some good steel too. Nothing holds a candle to M2 HSS (High Speed Steel.)

[@Sebs3bs3b]

Didn't expect to be shown to start a fire with tools and a lighter.

[@JimEllwood002]

What knife are you using in the video? Thank you.

[@georgehennen]

Video pissed me off, not a single "This is a natural fire without stuff". Some survival expert. "How to stat a fire when everything is wet.... with a tool that can be used anywhere, and man made stuff you gotta get at walamrt"

[@ajd0101]

def don't be scared to sleep under a tree.

[@SagemodeDuey]

Where is the Pacific Northwest at?

[@kentonsoufal6340]

What is a good ferro rod brand?

[@melkorred6784]

FACTS!!!!

[@Nervii_Champion]

What's up BJ Penn's brother

[@bobmcelroy7289]

Training learn repeat!

[@EVLfreak666]

Thanks for sharing this.🇺🇸👍

[@MiahSattler]

If you put the edge of the spark thing on the box lighter against a sturdy piece of flat wood and run it against it really fast a couple of times your bic lighter with light up again 😅 Stoners 1:1

[@azimut5226]

Lowa zephyr boots! Hehe.

[@waltlongmire6277]

🤙🔥🤙

[@bullridermusic2054]

You did not start a fire. Your title is How to start a fire when everything is wet.

[@therookiesplaybook]

Use cotton covered in vaseline. That's the answer.

[@danmoreno425]

What’s the name of pack you have on thanks

[@ericthomas9915]

🚒

[@SonnyCrocket-p6h]

I dont go out there without 15 lbs of gear, 4 lbs of water, 1 lb of food, The gear includes a 1 lb 9mm pistol and half a lb of ammo and spare mag. It's just stupid to do so, 20 lbs is nothing much to lug around. You're probably carrying 50 lbs of fat.

[@2fastg35]

He’s so good at starting fires that he showed us how to actually start one and keep it going 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@LZTANGO316]

Things I learned watching this video. 1. Kevin, you are a really handsome Filipino man. 2. Now I know how to start a fire in the rain

[@colorblindexposures]

If you need 35mm Film Cannisters HMU lol

[@Notonetime]

Hey, that's my elk hunting spot.

[@paaaatrika]

I always bring a vial of lighter fluid or something similar.

[@EV-ey5lm]

Trains by himself. Gets mauled by a lion😂

[@cochiez]

Good, simple tip that’s accessible for most. Well done. Gotta poke a little fun tho… First off, we have ourselves a new drinking game. One shot for every time you hear the words Pacific Northwest. Second, 90% of the Pacific Northwest is not a rainforest. Sorry, but as a three decade resident the stereotype bugs me.

[@JosephJoestar_420]

Now without tools

[@withoutfurtheradoforever]

👍

[@maxihuang8920]

F awsome

[@SonnyCrocket-p6h]

it's SUCH a strain to have a Bic lighter in your pocket and a peanut lighter in a ziplock bag in your pack, right? ditto a matchcase, and a fresnel lense in your wallet. and a keychain ferrorod. It will take YEARS to use up all of those fire starting methods, but since they weigh 1 oz or less each, why not have them? Are you THAT weak, that 1/4 lb plus or minus to your carry-load makes any difference at all?

[@dcahodl7189]

No knife. No rod. It's pouring with rain. Show me how to make a fire.

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

Take two pieces of flint/chert/quartz/iron pyrite or any mineral with a hardness of five to six on mineral hardness scale And do the same thing as knife and rod technique but with the two rocks.

[@zeph-8244]

Fat lighter works even when wet.

[@johnrourke4363]

Thumps

[@jhtsurvival]

Nice. I've Ben doing done for starting videos. Check them out

[@drunken_master007]

What??

[@Mike_Y.]

Frito chips

[@AllWeatherFirestarters]

Great Video and Great Channel! We have a really cool Firestarter, any chance of maybe doing a product review on our Firestarters?

[@jesseterrell2109]

Remii oh did me of home.

[@xDooksx]

Always have a lighter.

[@zekethefishgeek8690]

Torch lighter...

[@top6ear]

Use An old Indian trick I learned, gas and matches.

[@chuckfarley567]

Gas = Liquid Boy Scout...

[@deathlis]

Lighter fluid all the way! The above video won't help when it's actively raining AND windy. Lighter fluid works regardless if you've got a good tinder bed. Just need to start with lots of teeny tiny sticks and feed it slower.

[@zekethefishgeek8690]

​@@deathlis sure it will... been there fought that.

[@deathlis]

@@zekethefishgeek8690 Well this last season, in a swamp, light drizzle after a hard rain, I had about 50 minutes before my buddy arrived at camp that I attempted to get a fire going with 10mph wind, damp wood and dry tinder. Kept going out. I didn't pack lighter fluid that trip as he was bringing it. After he got there I lit it right up. Maybe I just suck, but I've been lighting wet fires for years - wind on top of that makes it near impossible without shelter from my experience.

[@TullisDrums]

Whole lotta yapping