Fire without the Hassle

One thing many people tend to overlook when gathering emergency supplies is fire starting materials. Anyone who has ever been in an emergency situation knows that fire is not something you want to be without. It’s one of those things we take for granted because it’s always readily available to us. But when disaster strikes and you’re out in the cold without the right resources, you realize just how important having a fire is.

The Many Uses of Fire

The ability to start a fire during an emergency situation is important for many reasons. Most obviously, it provides warmth. Even in the warmer months you may be surprised how cold temperatures can drop in the middle of the night. While blankets and warm clothing can definitely help keep out the cold, there’s nothing quite like a fire on a cold night to keep you comfortable and in high spirits.

Fire is also a source of fuel. It is invaluable when it comes to cooking or heating water for sanitation purposes and personal hygiene. If you aren’t able to start a fire, then any food supplies that require heating up become obsolete. If you don’t have some other method of water filtration, you also won’t have access to clean water unless you are able to boil water.

So being stuck in the cold with no way to start a fire is not a place you want to be.

Quick and easy fires

The perfect emergency preparedness solution for fire starting is something that is lightweight, and easy to use. A more traditional approach would be matches or a lighter, and some lighter fluid. While this can be very effective, you can’t be sure what your circumstances will be when an emergency occurs. You may not have any fuel source nearby. Or if it has rained recently, you will have difficulty starting a fire with wet wood. Another fire starting method is a fire starting log. While these can be effective at starting a fire even with wet wood, it is somewhat impractical to store many of them. You can’t be sure how many nights you’ll need to start a fire.

One of the easiest solutions out there is a product like InstaFire. While it may look like just a pile of kitty litter, it is an extremely useful tool. It lights in seconds with a match or lighter and stays lit whether it’s raining, sleeting, or snowing. It’s lightweight, and contains no harmful chemicals so it can be stored along with food and can be used to prepare meals. It also has a shelf life of 30 years.

Another great solution is eFuel discs. While they won’t start a full-blown fire, they are ideal for cooking or boiling water. The tiny lightweight, waterproof discs light instantly with a match or lighter and will then burn for 30 minutes. Simply place a pot or pan on top and you have a little stove. eFuel discs can be extinguished and relit so that you can use them more than once.