Video Micro Fire Starting Kit Howto

This is NOT a lighter; it's a tiny fire starting kit for micro survival kits I learned from others. It's like a "Spark Lite" spark generator but complete with tinder stored in its handle. You make it yourself from an empty BIC. It's small so you can carry it on your keys as a complete, emergency, fire kit. This is the first YouTube tutorial showing how to make them, as far as I know.

My micro fire kit carries a store bought, "waterproof" Tinder Quik in its hollow handle but most people carry cotton balls mixed with petroleum jelly in these, I believe. The tinder gets me going in an emergency when I can't rustle up any other sources or when all the available sources are dripping wet from recent rain, plus it is also smaller than the Spark-Lite, has a keychain mount, and it's practically "FREE"! I carry it for emergency survival situations.

The company which sells Tinder Quiks claim it is waterproof but my limited testing suggests it really needs to dry out some before it will ignite. I only gave it a brief test though. YMMV.

Hypothermia is a leading cause of death when people get stranded unexpectedly in the wild. You can live without water for a day or two, even longer without food, but hypothermia can kill you in just hours. Being able to build a campfire in an emergency is one of, if not THE most important survival skills out there! People often only pack a thin jacket thinking they are just going for a brief hike that afternoon, only to find they twist their ankle or get lost in the middle of the woods, and once the sun sets the temperature plummets. This can be very dangerous. Carrying this tiny thing, half the size of a pen cap, may save your life some day!

Besides warmth, fires also provide light, signaling, smoke signaling, repel animals and insects, let you boil water derived from natural sources to sterilize it, cook food, etc..

According to BIC a new Mini J5/J25 lighter has "more than enough sparks" for approximately 1450 successful lights.

Many people have already contacted me to suggest buying Clipper lighters because their sparker is already removable, but then where's the fun in making your own? [Plus they don't have a chamber to store tinder]

-M

100K 041516, 200k 0430, 300k 0504, 400k 0510, 500k 0514, 600k 0516, 700k 0518, 800k 0519, 900k 0521 1M 0526 6818TU1661TD