Posted by LukeDolman on November 24, 2008 at 19:09:58 user LukeDolman.
In Reply to: Starting a fire posted by Pam Adams on November 24, 2008 at 17:13:55:
I think this is more a fanciful problem of etiquette and a little bit of pride. Plus it was a shame for Dick to use the dust jacket of the book (though not quite up to the black spot on a page torn from a Bible as in Treasure Island). Yes, it is good to have the skills to light a fire using only what is available around you but then I've always thought that argument rather diminished by then using a match... ;-)
I'll happily use anything to get a fire going and carrying good tinder seems sensible enough to me - after all a tinder box used to be a common accessory for travellers. These days dryer lint makes a great fire starter (and when you see it in action you suddenly get far more diligent about cleaning the filter at home), as does natural-fibre rope teased out into fluffy strands. It's made with parafin wax and lights very well indeed. :-)
Our best fire start yet was done by rigging a taut wire at a steep angle from a nearby tree and pegging it in the middle of a firepit. From the wire was hung a heavy wooden arrow on little pulleys, the tip wrapped with rag and soaked in camp fuel. We built the fire so the arrow would go right into the middle (more rags and fuel!) and when it got dark we lit the arrow and let it fly in front of a bunch of cub scouts. Worked well - "OOOOOOOOOOHHH"
Cheers
Luke