no feather sticks etc

[capt.dunc]

there's been a few threads on here about fashion, polish army tents, hammocks etc and it got me to wondering about following trends.
i'd never made a feather stick or split wood in the wild for a fire until i joined this site. i've learnt loads of great stuff, but when i was in the woods last night i used none of the techniques i've picked up in the last year.
1

it had rained for days, and rained as i arrived and rained all night and rained when i relit the fire the next day.
before i started here, i always lit the classic twig-teepee fire, and if you look at the photo i've got wood drying around the edge, including some gathered from the floor, but only the fattest bits are sawn (i never used to carry a saw), are we losing fire management skills and becoming slaves to a one technique approach?

 

[crosslandkelly]

No we're not. Whatever technique that works for you is good, but having other techniques at your disposal greatly increases your chances. No one says you must use any particular method.

 

[capt.dunc]

true, and knowledge is the best tool, but do you find yourself always lighting a fire the same way? how many here use a match as their first choice? it's what we had in scouts and you get them in every survival tin but how often do you use the old ways? as opposed to a ferro rod, and some vaseline, a cotton ball, a feather stick and so on?

 

[caffeine]

a really good tip is always to raise your fire up off the ground ... i usually lay some sticks under my tinder bundle before i get started

allows the air to flow better and keeps your tinder away from the damp floor

 

[caffeine]

but how often do you use the old ways?

went through a phase of lighting my log fire using nothing more than a steel

would love to master a fire drill next

 

[lannyman8]

i quite often use bow drill to light fires, but its all about time for me, if i have the time to forage some tinder and collect the right woods for bow drill then thats great, but more often than not im in a rush to just get things done as im teaching things normally....

when i do have the time though i have used different fire lays for various reasons, its good to try different methods at times too....

 

[Wayne]

I use whatever method seems appropriate to the conditions and location. Plus the time I have to get a fire going will often determine my choices.

If I have a cold wet group then it would be unreasonable for me to light a fire from first principals. I will use and expedient method using modern kit. If I have more time and success is less critical I may choose more primitive means such as hand drill or fire plough.

Any skill is just a tool in your skills box to be used when necessary. One does not use a hammer to fix a broken pcb. A small soldering iron and a multimeter might be a better choice.

It's is safe and works then fine.