Alternative Ideas

[Okiepan]

So what if you had to cook a meal and there is NO public utilities, What is your backup plan A, B , C ,D etc
Wood is wet ? No matches or lighter to ignite it , Can you start a fire with a flint and steel ? Etc

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I just remembered another source of fire: A magnifying glass!

My house almost burned down because of a magnifying glass. Several years ago I came home from work and walked into my house and immediately noticed the smell of smoke. Couldn't find smoke or a fire anywhere so I was worried that there was a fire inside a wall. I called my neighbor to come over and he said the same thing. I called our volunteer fire dept and asked that someone come and look around and see if they could figure it out. As soon as he walked in my house he called for a fire truck. Still no visible smoke or flame but a very strong smell and the hunt was on. It took us a while to figure it out.

My son had set a large crafting type magnifying glass on a cabinet in the garage. The cabinet was right in front of a window. No problem for months - but the sun changes positions in the sky during the year, right? When it got to the point that it hit that magnifying glass just right - FIRE! There were peat pots sitting on that same cabinet and they caught on fire and burned to ashes - the only thing that stopped that fire from spreading was that the cabinet had a concrete backer board on top of it and, thankfully, concrete board doesn't burn (even though the wooden cabinet under it was scorched from the heat.

Fire dept was as shocked as I was when we figured out the source was that magnifying glass.

 

[flowerbug]

I told DH that we should start saving the dryer lint.

too much clothing is synthetics these days for me to tell anyone that they should be composted or burned (at home you can't get the temperature as reliably high as they can at a industrial scale incinerator). if you know it's cotton/hemp/linen/wool or other natural material then i'd use it.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We have a Swedish Firesteel similar to this:

I am embarrassed to say we've never even tried to use it. I think we will remedy that tomorrow. It's a small miracle that DH knew where it was and I'm looking at it right now, lol.

We also have a camp stove and about a million and a half of those small propane bottles to power it. I know they won't last forever, but it would be my first 'go-to.'

Thanks for starting this thread - I'm anxious to see what others do.

 

[Okiepan]

Save the jars, Add any kind of cooking oil and a wick ( cotton cordage ) and you will have hours of light when you have no power, or if you want to save candles

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

We have our wood stove, a camping kitchen with the propane, tons of matches in glass jars, grills (yes plural) and propane and charcoal, and I save my dryer lint. I am not sure if we have any flint or strikers but I will ask DH today.

I also have a lot (and I mean a lot) of freeze dried fruits, veggies etc. So we would at least have something to eat until we get a fire going.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have cotton fields and plenty everywhere from recent harvest! 😁 I keep the little cans of stuff like they use to heat on banquet lines, plus propane, grills and flint/steel if needed. Have vac sealed matches and lighters....lots of candles, camp stove, wood. I'm pretty ok. It's not a worry for me as I'm prepared.

 

[Mini Horses]

That's not cheating! Knowing what works can be lifesaving. All survival skills are knowledge that is lifesaving. We just never know when we will need to use these.

And, certain wood on wood friction can start a fire. Harder but can.

Once you get a spark, feed it slowly. Don't smother it out. Learn to bank your fire so it can be reignited.

 

[Okiepan]

As you stated let us know if you get a fire started ,
Don't forget the charcloth ( easy to make ) and tinder

 

[flowerbug]

around here i have some old lighters which have flints and steels in them enough that i could get a spark from them, but more likely we would have matches (i have some various packs of matches and kinds in a jar here that i've had for over 20 years - i probably also have a working lighter around here too someplace).

i also have a camping kit that might have some other fire starter stuff in there but i've not opened it up completely yet to know all that is in there. i'll do that sometime in the next year before i decide which of it to keep and which to get rid of. i'm trying to get rid of things i'm not using and the whole camping kit was the ex-step--dad's stuff that he left behind when he split. he's since died. it's in the same corner of the closet as the tiny double tent and scuba flippers...