This guy will save your life. It's cheating, but if your cold, wet and the wind is blowing and your fingers are numb... cheat at it, cause that bic lighter ain't gonna work...
There is nothing new about a road flare being used to start a fire. But a good Boy Scout can also do this with a single ordinary match.
Once I was on this picnic in the mountains with a beautiful babe and it started to rain and I started a campfire but it took me 2 matches. I asked her not to tell anyone about the 2nd match. She said she was going write a letter to the editor.
Use the wood end of the match to very carefully extract any ear wax you and others may have available. Put this and any lip balm anyone has into the bird's nest you made before you light it. See some pitch reachable on nearby tree trunks? Stick it in the nest, too. Yeah, spray the nest with hair spray if you got it. Do you keep a bag of dryer lint in the truck? Yeah, build it into the nest. Place the extra deadwood branches, large deadwood, anything you gathered that don't go into the initial fire build on the side that breaks the wind for the fire to get started. This is a large fire, a lot of wood, to get warm when you're freezing, no small cooking fire. The road flare reminder is a damn good thing. And a Zippo is good to have when the BIC fails. And maybe a ferrocerium rod for your last chance when you run out of everything else for ignition. Charcoal starter, or siphon a little fuel for starting wet wood? Yeah man, but if it don't work remove the bark and try again. Just make sure the fumes go downwind away from you before you light gasoline soaked wet wood. The "V'room" may be scary but it won't get you if it's downwind. Burn the headliner and carpet if you have to? Yeah man. Maintain 98.6 or close at any cost of getting a large fire started. The fire's going good and you have gotten warm? If there's no good size and large deadwood left to gather get out your folding saw or bow saw and start cutting firewood. It ain't dried out, but you got to use what you can get. The fire that's already going should start it as you build it on, not too quickly. Oh, huge heavy deadwood you see? Drag it to the fire if possible. The bigger, the slower it burns. Roll it onto the side of the fire. It will reflect heat onto you. You might get a little shuteye with really large deadwood on the fire. Got enough firewood for the night? Be certain. Now think about signaling, water, food, shelter, everything that can get done or has to get done before twilight ends. Hopefully you have a firearm, just in case.
Harbor Freight sells magnesium fire starters for cheap. Many survival knives have a waterproof compartment holding matches and fishing stuff. I have started survival fires with wet wood in the rain. AR-7 survival rifle, currently made by Henry. .22 LR
