Wilderness Survival Gadget: Fire Starters

Whether you plan to have a week-long hike or just a day adventure in the wilderness, you need to be prepared for an emergency. You will not know when you might slip on the rocks, or be attacked by wild animals. Preparing a wilderness survival kit is the best idea to start from.

Your personal wilderness survival kit must be small and compact enough so that it does not become a burden and can easily be carried on your body.  Pack only essential items that can help you survive an unexpected situation. Here are some of my suggested items:

1.Spark-Lite. This device is capable of starting a fire. It’s not complicated to use and very small and light. With a size of 58x7x7 mm and a weight of 5 grams; it’s not bigger than bundled small wooden matches that can be contained into a standard match container. Despite the size, it has the ability of producing a lot of sparks; approximately a hundred sparks.  

2.Matches. There are windproof and waterproof types. Waterproof matches are commonly used which are wooden kitchen matches that are dipped in paraffin. There are also matches that cannot be extinguished even in the strongest rain and winds. These matches are mainly useful since fire is a very important aspect of survival. Fire has many uses from giving warmth and heat to signaling.

3.Fire Sticks. These sticks are also useful for fireplaces and campfires and on emergency situations when you need a flare, light and heat. They leave no odor, they are non-toxic and still ignites even when submerged in water.

4.Compass. This will keep you move in a straight line when your searching for food, shelter, water and warmth. There can be instances that you’ll get lost in the wilderness and your compass can be useful in looking for a distant object, reach it and look for other directions.

5.Mirror and Whistle. Mirrors are useful to reflect sunrays and draw attention to yourself. You can blow the whistle as a signal also. These two items can make yourself visible to your rescuers.

Other items that can include the survival kit are flashlights, batteries, knives, gloves, safety goggles, first aid kit and supplies. Your personal survival kit need not to be fully packed; it can contain just few but very functional items. Remember that this kit will not be the only key to survival in the wilderness but your mindset that you can survive even the slightest danger ahead.