Transporting Fire

Has anyone given thought to taking your fire with you when your forced to relocate in the bush? Say that your first shelter site is no longer usable. Rising water, too far from water, too windy, accidently caught on fire(not me of course), etc. We have talked about making fire many times, but when it's really needed it can be hard to do. Especially during and after rain. Any suggestions on carrying a bit of your fire with you to the next shelter site? Maybe something that smolders but doesn't go out?

. . .is the best way to keep and transport fire.

You take dry grass, small dry twigs, dry leaves, etc. Form this tinder into a cylindrical shape (like a cigar) and wrap with bark (preferably white birch bark). Cedar or Aspen or some type of bark that will hold everything together and easily ignite when you need it to. White birch works very well because it keep the tinder inside dry, yet it ignites easily if need be. Wrap the bark around the tinder and tie it up with some type of cordage or vine.

Drop a small tinder into one end of the bundle. You do not want it to flame. You want it to smolder. If wrapped tightly enough it should smolder for hours.

When you need it blow on it a little and it will come to life. If you blow hard and long enough it will flame up and you could use it as the tinder base for your fire.

You take dry grass, small dry twigs, dry leaves, etc.

The lack of these is what would make me want to transport my fire to begin with. With them I can make a new fire.

I haven't used this while camping but I do use it to transport fire from camp to the artillery demonstration area at historical events. Perhaps this might give some ideas for a practical version for your pack. I have some slow match sealed in a water proof match container. I can start a slow match with a flint and steel. It starts even faster if it has some char from previous burning.

Slow match is a cotton or hemp cord soaked in salt peter. It burns like the ember from a cigarette.

http://www.musketeer.ch/Bilder/SP_bild/match400.JPG

The case is a perforated brass tube with a wooden stopper that has a hole to send the slow match through. It has to be checked periodically so that it doesn't snuff out on the stopper.

http://www.re-enactmentshop.com/18-Match%20case.JPG

Here is a site with instructions for making slow match.

http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/lunte.html

You could use a real cigar. A Churchhill Magnum lit by a twig from your fire. Light another cigar from this one as it burns down too low. 2 should give you an hour to relocate. Remember you must puff on a cigar at least every 10 minutes to keep it lit. When at your new location blow directly on the cigar's lit end and get the cherry glow then knock the ember off into a tinder bundle and blow it into flame.
You can also make a fire cage out of green sticks and aluminum foil. Feed it with whatever is flamable as you walk to your new location. This is basically a trapped open flame and must therefore be carried with extreme care. Watch the film Quest For Fire the folks at the beginning only know how to make fire from exsisting embers or captured fire. One thing it shows is how miserable life is in the cold grey world when fire is extinguished and no means to bring it about again.
Tinder cups like on the thread "Fresh Tinder" can be made to be in a fire cage. As they burn about 15 minutes per inch if not fanned to burn more energetically. I think a Pringles tube filled with the wax and sawdust mixture of the tinder cups will burn pretty intensely for over an hour. It may or may not burn the sides of the tube up as it goes since it is foil lined I'm for sure. I know it will be rocket hot.

I like the idea of a cigar. 50 ring double corona should do it.

Here's a write up on making a fire bundle similar to what Native Dude was describing. http://books.google.com/books?id=7ZJ...um=6#PPA134,M1

Punky wood, true and false tinder. All will smolder for a long time. The key is allowing enough oxygen to keep the smolder lit but not enough to alow a burn.

You'll have to rely on whatever material is available to carry the smolder in but the fire bundle in Crash's link is good. Otherwise, wrap the wood or tinder in large green leaves. Something like big leaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla). And it's abundant, in the Midwest at least.

Tinder fungus is one of the best ways to keep fire.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...omentarius.jpg
Have dried one of these with you and you can keep your fire alive for hours, depending on the things size.

Here is the U.S. we call those True or False Tinder Fungus depending on the type. Here's a link that explains the two. And you are correct. Excellent way to move fire.

http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/surv...ngus/true.html

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Originally Posted by Rick

Here is the U.S. we call those True or False Tinder Fungus depending on the type. Here's a link that explains the two. And you are correct. Excellent way to move fire.

http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/surv...ngus/true.html

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I agree, I have used fungus in this manner, They also make great wicks for oil lamps!

Gryffyn,
your idea is a great idea as it could easily be made at home. Salt peter is found easily in US stores, if you know where to look. It used to be sold in pharmacies, as simply "salt peter". Now, in my area especially, you have to look for stump remover where the active ingredient is salt peter, aka potassium nitrate.

cow patties work pretty good too, but who wants to haul them?

Another effective way of moving your fire is to take an old scrap piece of cotton (from a shirt,) wrap it around the end of a stick, and if possible, rub it down with some hand sanitizer. Put it in the fire until it's good and glowing, then just carry that sucker with you. The ember should still glow for a good 15-20 minutes depending on the wind.

Hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol. Would it just burn?

Here's a link on a tinder tube I built. My instructions are on post 17. I started out asking about it then finally built one. Similar to gryffynnklm's slow match above.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ht=tinder+rope

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Originally Posted by Rick

Hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol. Would it just burn?

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ht=tinder+rope

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Hell Yeah! Although it doesn't just burn. It burns! :banana:

The alcohol burns and gets the cloth glowing all around. Plus it's pertty. :banana:

Edit: This thread was lacking in dancing bananas. Your welcome

Explanation and bananas appreciated.

Take You A Large Tin Can That Has A Lid,punch Some Holes In The Top And Around The Topsides Of The Can,put You In Some Smoltering Material And As You Are Moving Keep Adding Small Bits Of Tender To It,should Carrie You To The Next Camp

Oh It Must Have A Handle On The Top

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Originally Posted by jessielavon

Oh It Must Have A Handle On The Top

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Hey, how about going over to the introductions section and telling us a bit about yourself. Age, general location, and level of experience. Thanks.

You can find it here http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...splay.php?f=14

i think jessie joined the forum last july...