Rainwalker is right that it's worth learning how to make a friction fire, too. However, friction firemaking and man made firemaking tools should not be viewed as exclusive alternatives. They are complementary, to cover your bases as well as possible for the widest range of circumstances.
I totally agree, it never hurts to have more than one way to get a fire going... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />
The cool thing about learning Friction Fire making is, once you've learned it, you don't necessarily have to carry the gear for that, only a backup or two just in case everything is soaked... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
