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How To Have Fun Making A Survival Firestarter

By Dorthy Lloyd


Americans are experts in the art of disaster preparedness. This is because whoever we are, wherever we live, we are subject to the wrath of Mother Nature. The Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf coast have their hurricanes. California has its earthquakes and the Midwest has its tornadoes. Left without gas and electricity, we need a means to produce fire. This is where a survival firestarter comes in.

You can buy these at the store or online fairly economically. One form that is popular comes packaged with parachute cord that is fashioned into the shape of a bracelet with a fire starter attached. You can use the paracord to tie your food up and hoist it up a tree to keep it safe from bears or as a clothesline. This type saves space and multitasks for you.

Other manufacturers package a fire starter as part of a sewing kit or tucked inside a length of paracord that is wrapped around a carabiner. Other items inside kits of this type include needles, sterile wipes, needles, wire and other tiny essentials. Do not kid yourself, however, that you will ever be able to wind the parachute cord the same way that it is packaged.

The problem with buying a commercial gadget is that, after factoring in the costs of food, water purification tablets, first aid kits, and so on, prepping can get very expensive very fast. As an alternative to a store-bought fire starter, why not make your own out of dryer lint. Strike a flint over a very small parcel of lint and it will ignite quickly and burn cleanly.

The nice thing about lint is that it is easily compressible. This means you don't need a huge container to put it in. A leftover yogurt pot or butter dish will do nicely. Here's a useful tip: if you can convince the kids they are helping you prepare for Armageddon or even just a camping trip, they will happily wash a week's worth of towels just to produce lint.

Another big advantage to using a lint fire starter is you avoid having to carry or use flammable liquids. This is much safer, especially where children are involved. All it takes is a very small bundle of flint to get your fire started.

If you are preparing for a natural disaster, you could require as much as two weeks' supply of dryer lint. Make it fun by assigning each family member their own color and see who can make the most dryer lint in that color. Get them to practice forming it into amusing shapes. This will also help the family kill time in the event of a natural disaster.

Prepping doesn't have to be expensive or boring. Like the lint fire starter, you can save money and have fun making other essential items. One way to practice is to wind your own parachute cord.




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