[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

I heard of you from Billy at Perma Pastures Farm. I’m in Cumberland County, NC. I don’t want anything, I just wanted to say congrats on your quarter of a million subscribers!

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Here’s another one for everyone’s consideration: a thumb drive.

We have all heard that it’s a good idea to have a thumbdrive with a copy of all of your important information saved and in a secure location, but how many of us haven’t quite gotten around to it yet. Birth Certificates, Social Security Cards, Medical Records, Prescriptions, Titles, Deeds, Registrations, Permits, Licenses, Tax Stamps, Tax Records, Receipts, Insurance Policies, Contracts, DD-214s, your Will, banking info, contact names and numbers, usernames and passwords, private keys for crypto, GPX files for emergency travel, whatever you need after a house fire that you wouldn’t grab during one should probably be saved on a thumb drive and stored securely.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Once you’ve gathered your fuel, it’s time to decide on a site. If your backyard has a fire pit, or your campsite has a fire ring then there isn’t much critical thinking required. On the other hand, if you’re out in the bush, there are some factors that you might want to consider before you strike that flint.

Security: Humans aren’t the only predators in the woods. People may be at the top of the food chain, but the individual person is not. Don’t cook where you sleep in bear country. If you are trying to avoid people, you might want to nix the tradional teepee fire and cooking at night and instead go with Dakota fire hole while the sun is still up.

Safety: Make sure the area around your lay is clear of combustable material by scraping the immediate surrounding area down to bare earth and emplacing a makeshift fire ring and windbreak. If you’ll be sleeping near the fire, be sure to consider the wind direction so that you can avoid smoke and sparks.

Smothering: Do you have something readily accessable to kill or control this fire? That pile of wet leaves you just scraped away might be a good start.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

BA on Step One Survival on YT, I’ll check it out. Much appreciated!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Barred-Rock-or-Brahma.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Welcome! Please start a reloading thread. I’m very interested in learning, and I’m sure that I’m not the only one.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Cool idea!

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Nope. Depending on the brand, it could work, but definitely read the label and scrutinize all of the ingredients.

https://youtu.be/5lsoUfT-Bt4https://youtu.be/5lsoUfT-Bt4

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Happy to help.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Better late than too late, welcome!

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

I’m pretty sure that it was one of Dr. Peter Vincent Pry’s books that tipped me off about the LDS stores. Your post reminded me of him so I looked him up to see what he’s up to. Turns out, he just passed away 8/19/2022. It’s a shame, he was one of the loudest voices in DC calling for better protection of critical infrastructure from EMPs and cyber attacks.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Now THAT, my friend, is a lint trap!

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

The LDS stores are definitely open to the public unless something changed very recently. What is not open to the public is their version of a food pantry, called the Bishop’s Storehouse or something like that.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

If you have thumbs, you don’t suck at starting fire, you just haven’t yet invested enough time learning and practicing to perfect your technique. Keep at it, you’ll get it.

In the meantime, have you ever heard of WetFire? Individually wrapped, hard candy-sized blocks of manufactured tinder that lights easily, stays lit, and burns long enough to get your fire going.

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Ok, so I’m thinking high elevation, mountain terrain, snow on the ground, cold weather, and sparse tree cover? What is the purpose of your DIY Duraflame logs?

[Barred-Rock-or-Brahma]

Ignore that comment, I misunderstood what you said, and the “edit” feature isn’t working. Please see below for a (hopefully) more relevant comment.<div>

I don’t do anything with my lint except store it in two plastic sandwich bags (one inside the other). With a propper lay, a golf ball sized lint nest feels like cheating. My tinder weighs almost nothing, and takes up very little space.

<div>
</div><div>It seems like you might be using your lint as a DIY Duraflame log? I’ve never done it that way. I only bring a very small amount of tinder with me, and rely on deadfall for the rest of my fuel.</div><div>
</div><div>If I can’t find anything dry to burn, then my best defense against cold is staying dry in my shelter.</div></div>