Let’s Build A BOB, pt 5

Supply Categories to include in your BOB:

Fire / Heat Source

Fire is an essential item when bugging out, or even sheltering in place. When it comes to fire, We cannot emphasize enough the mindset of “two is one and one is none”. You should have multiple means of starting fire as well as tinder, and know how to use them all! We recommend having 3 methods in your BOB. They don’t need to take up much space, and can be a difference of life or death. If you don’t have a backup method to make fire and your primary fails, you are in a world of trouble. Get out in your backyard or somewhere safe and take some time to practice making fire with different methods. Getting a flame is only half the battle, you will need to know how to maintain that blaze with your tinder and build it to a functional size with dry wood.

Some simple fire starters that shouldn’t have much of a learning curve would be a lighter and matches. You should still get familiar with maintaining the fire and practice this skill. We also recommend getting waterproof matches and lighter or at least storing them in a waterproof container. Another fire starter would be a ferrocerium rod (also known as ferro rod). We have found a favorite option that also includes some rope for tinder and decided to include them in our pre-made Survival Kits, which are found in our shop.

There are many options on the market for tinder; some will work better than others in different situations. Keep in mind, if you find yourself in a disaster such as a hurricane where everything is left wet, you will need to have something dry to burn. For this reason, we are big fans of “fat wood” or “fat rope” which will catch easily and continue to burn longer than an untreated piece of wood or rope. You can also make your own with common items such as cotton balls, petroleum jelly, melted wax, or dried orange peels.

Your fire starter needs to be completely weather-proof, reliable, and above all, you need to know how to use it. As every good outdoorsman knows, we are to “leave everything as you found it”, which means not leaving behind hazardous or unnatural material. Fire tinder gathered from the ground, like leaves or pinecones is eco-friendly. However, rather than taking a chance on gathering dry materials, we like to keep some tinder in our bag, ready to go. This also helps having a longer burn duration, which allows a more powerful flame in order to catch the wood before your tinder burns out.

We are happy to assist anyone that would like to learn how to use ferro rods or how to make and maintain fire. Feel free to reach out through the links provided.

We also have pre-made, ready-to-go Survival Kits available in our shop (under the Merchandise tab).

Their work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

1 Corinthians 3:13

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