Fire from flare

[sharpshooter94]

How hard is it to star a fire from a hand held flare.

[DancesWithKnives]

If you're talking about a standard road flare, it's pretty easy. They burn hot and stay lit. Sort of heavy to carry in a pack if you have much other gear.

DWK

[stinky]

They are fairly common around here for snowmobilers. But, for a backpacker a solid fuel tab...you can get em at a surplus store or a backpacking store works almost as good, and is a lot lighter. Those are the things that are used in a little folding stove, about the size of a deck of cards.

I have a friend and he swears by the flares....like when they stop on their snowmobiles to rest, or in case the break down. You put it on top of some wood and light it and then start piling the wood on top...before long, and I do mean real soon, you are warming up. But, as mentioned, they are heavy to carry in a pack.

[GF.]

Matchlight charcoal briquets. Threw a couple of those under some logs (and some fresh & dry, some a bit charred and probably somewhat damp) - no tinder at all - and had an inferno rolling in minutes.

Just not exactly sure how best to carry 'em... wondering if the lighter fluid might eat through a plastic bag.

And of course, they stink.

Trioxane tabs are another killer fix.

[Just a Hunter]

steel wool and some tinder

[GF.]

Effective, but not spectacular...

I learned one thing real well on my last Elk hunt: when you really want a fire, all o' those boy scout tricks work pretty well. When you really need a fire, it's a fine thing to live in the 21st Century where you can pull out a much bigger hammer if needs be. After fussing around with a lot of damp twigs trying to get a fire going in the stove in the neighbor's teepee, I realized just how bad a spot I'd have been in (after a heavy, wet, early snowstorm) if I had been outside in the weather and needing some heat NOW. I've always prided myself on being able to get a good fire going quickly enough with a single match, or even just a flint - matches being for sissies, right?

Call me CandyPants if you have to, but until you have built yourself a few fires under Dire Need conditions, you really don't (IMO) have the first clue how hard that can be. All of a sudden you realize that those fools who carry some kind of axe aren't so stupid after all....