Tag Archives: pitch

The Art of Fire Starting

Posted on March 29, 2013 by

Fire starting is an art.  I know everyone who reads this blog carries some type of fire starter and that is a good start.  However lately I have been challenging some people to actually start a fire with what they carry.  The results have not been very good, we are not all Davey Crockett’s or Daniel Boone’s.

Under ideal conditions, most people can start a fire with only minimal problems, but add damp to wet conditions and a bit of wind and things get bad fast.  Amongst the things, I am noticing is some of the fire starters were brand new and had never been used. …

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Posted in Shelter, survival | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Lighting Fires Under Wet Conditions with Pitch

Posted on March 10, 2013 by

Yesterday I was out walking in the woods.  One thing I always watch for is sources of pitch or resin.  The best sources are usually pine or other types of evergreens that have been damage or died.  When a tree is damaged, it uses pitch to heal itself.  This morning I was quite lucky I came across a big old pine that had lost some branches. The branches were surprisingly dry and had a lot of expose pitch.  It had rained only the day before quite hard.

I gathered up some of the branches and took them home to experiment with. …

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Posted in Self sufficiency, Seventy-two hour kits, survival | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment