Sunday, July 5, 2015

Making A Survival Firestarter And Having Fun

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.

Preparation is simple. Wash towels and put them in the clothes dryer. Clean out the lint trap, which you have to do anyway in order not to have your clothes catch on fire. Get your kids to help. They will learn two skills at the same time, prepping and doing laundry.

Another big advantage to using a lint fire starter is you avoid having to carry or use flammable liquids. This is much safer, especially where children are involved. All it takes is a very small bundle of flint to get your 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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