stansbrew, thats the idea of having it light and packed, you take it with you.

Thanks for the comments guys. I use the mag block as a surefire way to start a fire. It can get soaking wet, covered in mug, droped 20 feet ect and will be just fine, but yes it is harder then a lighter.

I have a gortex bivy in the 'other' BOB.

Some of the cotton balls have wax driped on them.

I added: gloves and a headlamp and a few more batteries to the bag.

Nice setup surefire. Gregory packs are nice as are Big Agnes bags. You obviously have done some research on ourdoor gear. Are those Bic lighters? I like the mini bics for my various carry bags. I have had cheaper lighters frag on me when I needed them. I gave up on zippos as well because they seem to run out of fuel if they sit too long. I pre shave my mag stick at my house and them keep the shavings in a film container. This save some work and a knife edge when I am out.

Putting kits together is a good time and I always learn something when I do it.

do you KNOW what they do with spoons in west virginia?

I too only use Bics. I’ve had way too many China lighters fly apart on me when I tried to use them, with the spring shooting out the flint making them worthless.

Zippos aren’t great unless you’re a smoker and use up the fluid before it evaporates. But if you do want to use them, here’s a tip. Pull out all the synthetic wadding under the felt pad in the fluid reservoir and replace it with cotton balls. That way if you need to start a fire and you’re out of fluid, you can pull some cotton out of the reservoir and spark the flint to light it and start a fire. It’s also a good idea to store a couple extra flints under the felt pad so you have spares.

Instead of shaving a magnesium block with a knife, what I’ve found works much better is to use the metal file on a multi-tool. It saves your knife edge, and produces shavings/dust much faster.

[quote
Instead of shaving a magnesium block with a knife, what I’ve found works much better is to use the metal file on a multi-tool. It saves your knife edge, and produces shavings/dust much faster. [/quote]

Good idea.
Also, check out some of the larger gun shows in your area.

The last one I attended there was a fellow selling thin magnesium ribbons in small plastic bags. With the right container (film canister/Advil tube/etc)it would seem a great way to take the "work" out of scraping enough shavings to adequately get a fire going.

You can also buy it like that on eBay. The only problem with storing it pre-shaved like that is it’s a fire hazard, so make sure it’s safe from any sparks. Otherwise you’d have a 5,000 degree fire going up when you don’t want it. And to see what a REAL magnesium fire looks like, check the pics I posted here: Cutting magnesium/ferro rods <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Good warning Andy, thanks!

I purchased a magnesium block and some 1.5"x 1.5" ziplock baggies and use a file from course to fine and make lil' baggies of scrappings to go with my LMF firesteel in stead of toting the mag block,I pack 4 zip bags of magnesium pre-shavings... kinda cheating huh ?

I like fatwood. It’s easier to use than a mag bar, and just as bombproof. Easier on your knife, too. I set a stick to soak overnight, shook the water off, scraped some fine curls, hit them with sparks from a fero rod: instant fire. If you’re stuck and you have to make a fire, you can use your fatwood as secondary tinder.

I like fatwood too. I use it and dry cotton balls for most of my fires. At the end of the season, they had packs marked down for $.25 each at Walmart, and I bought almost all they had. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> (We don't have wild pines here, so I had to buy it)

[censored] sharp - got enough blades on your thigh!!! I LOVE that scrapper 6... (best knife ever made IMO) and the busse looks nice too. also, love the little benchmade cbk175. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />