Fire Starting in the Rain and in Wet Weather 

Morale.... The greatest tool in the devil's arsenal is discouragement. You'll need morale!

That was a lot of useful information... Thanks bro.. Stay strong! 🇺🇸

Life lesson #8: For all of the arm chair expert arsonists and backyard grill masters...make your own video and show us how its done rather than picking apart the effort shown here. Try a little honey instead of vinegar and perhaps you might make a friend or two. God bless our republic and all those willing to defend it.

I want to thank you for showing us it isn't just a piece of cake but is tricky so people don-t give up the first time

10 uses for vasceline impregnated cotton balls 1. lubrication 2. waterproofing things 3. buffing up your leather boots 4. rust preventative 5. cleaning out your belly button. 6.preventing nappy rash 7. lip balm 8.making certain female toys easier to use 9.hair gel 10 fire lighting

God bless America long live the republic

Had it been raining much or been windy you'd have seen failure here. In bad weather you need a lot more tinder and smalls than you think you do- gather triple what you think is enough and that will be about right. Once it's lit, growing a fire means concentrating the heat where you want it to go while not impeding airflow (oxygen) and protecting it from rain till it's big enough to withstand that without added protection. In the woods always gather tinder as you travel along. If you don't need it save it for later or dump it on the forest floor for nature to recycle. Make a habit of this and you'll find yourself spotting the best tinder in your area by second nature and you'll never be wanting for fire starting materials ever again.

For little sticks when I lived in the woods and it was raining I would put them inside my jacket and let my body heat dry them as I walked around checking traps, It's uncomfortable and annoying but it's an easy way to dry sticks. Also when you're in wet conditions or just walking change your socks often.

Milk weed pods are really good. The innerards are really combustable with a fire sparker. And find pine sticks.

I never thought about using my knife put in a log to create tinder. Thank you

When you feather a stick you need to try and keep the feather attached to it. Then once you have a two or three feathered pieces of dry wood get a large log to lean them against and light some birch bark or whatever tinder you have and then lean the feather sticks against it the log on top of the tinder. By only using 2 or 3 feather sticks there will be lot of oxygen and combined with the feather it will burn hot with no smoke almost straight away. Then you can add quite large pieces. NEVER use pencil thin sticks it will just starve it of oxygen as you saw here.

Since we’ve been having so much rain here lately should practice

A one inch length of cut dinner candle wrapped in wax paper like a piece of taffy lights instantly and burns for a long time in wet conditions.

If you can add a fire blower stick to your fire pack, it helps to get air where needed without getting a face full of smoke. Great tip about using the larger sticks logs to keep the fire off the ground.

Thanks and good info. I found that chap stick is a good accelerant that is compact, cheap, and comes in a small containers that fit well in a fire kit. A long time ago I found myself out on a wet cold day without any common fire making tools. I ended up separating a shot gun shell to get the powder out and used a battery to heat up a wire to ignite the powder. In that split second of flare up it caught my tender bundle up and I was able to have a nice fire by providing a lot of attention and nursing to it along the way. It never hurts to practice basics from time to time to keep your skills in check.

This was great! I’ve been camping and made a fire or two but not like this! I wouldn’t have had a fire if it was raining 🌧 that’s for sure! 🌻🌻👍🇺🇸 Thank you

One thing you can add to your fire kit would be pencil shavings. You can go to Dollar Tree or Walmart and pick up a pack of cheap number 2 pencils. And then just sharpen them and get as much shavings as you want.

Excellent demonstration! I have learned so much about why I was having a tough time getting a fire started quickly from vids like yours. I always have cotton balls with Vaseline on me when I go camping now. Keep up the great content!

Nice video, the bic lighter can be attached to a small zip tie underneath the fuel button to prevent fuel leakage. Then it can be connected vertically to a chapstick roll with about a foot of paracord wrapped in duct, gorilla or gaffers tape to prevent losing it. A spare cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly, can be placed in the cap. The empty bic can be useful even when empty, the plastic can be shaven, the wheel when rolled but not sparked can make a firestarter for the shaved plastic, when used that child safety device can then be removed with leatherman pliers can also be made into a improvised fishing hook and sharpened. If carefully removed, the two springs underneath the sparking wheel and the fuel cable button, can be bent into fishing hooks and a snare.

Thank you brother Sootch!

I have built fires in Downpours by Building a little shelter or roof on 4 three foot sticks making a kind of rack. Cover it with sticks then wet leaves ,mud ,whatever to keep the rain off My fire... Great Video with Great information that can save Lives!! Thanks

Love the soundtrack. So relaxing.

Always after all these fire starter video he has done, I always end up with something new I learned. Thank you!!

Thank you for taking the time to show how to create, keep, start, and maintain a fire in wet weather. No matter how many tools I have and know-how to light a fire, without having dry wood, I always feel vulnerable and desperate out there. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge.

You have to practice to build a fire. And you did a great job building your fire Don! I didn't do so well on my first real attempts even with a magnesium rod. It took practice to achieve that skill. Even in my survival training classes a bow drill was impossible to me. But I learned. I carry a fire kit in my Jeep bag. It's changed over and over again throughout the years. 3 item's will always be in my kit. A large magnesium rod, a telescoping bellows tube and a bag of magnesium shavings, of course I have fire tinder in my kit. But mag shavings really burn super hot. Here's one for you. A small pencil sharpener can make shavings out of sticks. I have one in my kit. In my first survival kit I ever built our teacher told us to add it to our kits, during wilderness survival training a longtime ago.... Anyway, thanks for the video Don! 🇺🇸 🔥🌧

The padding under your carpet is also very flammable. Most carpets melt when burned but they too eventually burn as well. Good to know if you break into a winter cabin after surviving a car wreck. All you need is a lighter or some good sparks

Thank you so so much for all of your hard work in presenting this information to us. God bless you

Very good information could save your life

Thank you for this video. Usually I am the one who starts an builds our fire. Again,great video!

I carry a pack of the trick birthday candles... The ones that you can't blow out. Wet and windy conditions use your lighter to light a candle and use the candle to start the fire. That way you don't waste fluid in the lighter trying to keep it lit in windy conditions

Sootch, and I've said this many times, if you wrap a rubber band around a Bic lighter, it prevents the gas accidentaly escaping and the rubber band also gives you something to burn in a pinch, especialy in wet conditions.

Thanks for the video. You're amazing.

SensiblePrepper👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Thank you sir. 🌿🌱💚

As a Boy Scout, we used to have a lot of skills, and things we could do in this situation, which takes a lot of work, like making kindling and fresh dry wood shavings. Now, I just have a lot of fire starter products in a fire kit :-)

Cotton balls and Vaseline are my favorite. Carry 4-5 of those in a small ziplock bag.

Great Information! I definitely recomend cotton balls. Beside that it's cheap most of us has it on hand or around the house. It sparks fast so you gotta get some of your kindling ready. I learned a lot, thanks!

Very nice. I found that wet fire and black beard fire starter works great in rain

Another great technique to making a fire in wet conditions is the top down fire.

That's a hell of a lot of effort for wood shavings. Get yourself one of those chunky pencil sharpeners with the double holes. Then simply turn sticks in it like pencils. Added benefit is you also get a sharp pointed stick if you need one

A Very Nice djob sir , yank you and supprot from Normandie France !

Thanks.

for those that their significant other loves Scentsy...when they clean out he old wax...the wax on cottonballs is a great fire starter

One of the best fire starters is just paper towels and vegetable oil. Just soak the paper towels in vegetable oil, light it, and it will burn for a long time. The paper towels can also be used as intended for cleaning and wiping, and the vegetable oil can be used for cooking.

He's driving me crazy, poking around in the fire all the time, blowing, ... it's a miracle that it burns.

Been binge watching these videos, really helps to constantly keep learning. Appreciate it

Made a few myself at the Pathfinders survival class. I enjoy learning new ways to get the job done. Great job!

Thanks for the tips, Don. may need a Scot Pack if the smoke gets too thick.

Yep. Those wet weather fires were alway hard to get going. In Estes park in the Rocky Mtns I would bring my coleman peak 1 stove and a LARGE bottle of fuel. You still had to be careful with your fire lay but that extra fuel to start a roaring fire was a Godsend. Especially in winter.

You need to fan that Fire again and again if its raining. It helps a wet fire immensely to dry out and get the oxygen it needs. Use a sit mat or something to start the fire.

Very good tips and instruction. I like the almost tv-like quality. Love you Sootch. Been watching you for years.

I've Subscribed to your channel for sometime now Sir and i never get bored of your videos lots awesome information and tips, i myself come from South Wales in the United Kingdom obviously my country is nowhere near the size of the United States but the Bushcraft and Survival still applys. Anyway Sir a class channel keep up the awesome work and long live the Republic.

Charcoal starter does wonders

Thanks for the video. Useful info, especially where I'm from. Greetings from rainy old england!

Very effective techniques. Thanks for sharing!

Excellent video!!!

Thank you SP.

Always carry some good tinder, BBQ lighting matches (compressed wood) are simple and work good. Burns for 5-10 minutes depending on the type. Over here we don't get showers, we can have weeks of cold miserable rain. Making a fire out in the open will often not work, need to first have shelter.

A flask of 150 proof moonshine is good to carry for various uses . Magnesium is good and hot . Finding burnable wood is the hardest part.

Great advice, thank you

this guy rocks, thanks for the video

Excellent video

Yeah to cotton balls and vaseline, but an overlooked natural fire starter if in your area is dry of course, but Pine Cones. Pine Cones are amazing fire starters as good as fire starters/sticks you find in grocery stores and Walmart. Pine Cones ya'll:)

Put a rubber band around the BIC between the body and the red switch you push down to release fuel. Don’t have to worry about an accidental fuel release. Good video

A great video with relivent and practical information, I love your work and I thank you for it.

Thanks

One of your better more informative videos in a while sootch. Thanks for this.

The best tinder if silver birch bark. I guess it depends if you have them where you are? And woodland in Europe or the UK has silver birch around the place. But if they are rare when you see one grab as much as you can and store it.

Fire lay in wet freezing cold weather is very important cause fire doesn't live on water or melting snow 👍 those logs on top of the ground and below the fireplace is essential. Great video!

Even if it’s dry, make a raised platform shown in the video, it helps draw more oxygen in and keeps the cold out

I usually keep some broken paint stir sticks in my pack it's dry cedar usually and lights really easy

If your expecting wet weather more preperation is required. A 4x6 tarp or plasic sheeting is invaluable in keeping your wood and pack/gear dry. Nice job on the fire schooch.

I made some "firestarters" once, with pet betting (wood shavings) and paraffin wax. Put into a paper egg carton. Fill each egg slot with the pet betting and then pour melted paraffin over each. I used just enough paraffin to hold everything together. (put something under the egg crate because the paraffin will soak through.) Once set you can tear off a block and use as needed. Works a little like a candle..

+1 for the Mora Garberg too!!

Thank you for the video.

All your videos are awesome - keep it goin!!!!

Good job! Great fire kit!

good tutorial thank you.

That knife looked like it needed sharpening.

Great video Don! Have a blessed Sunday to you and your family

If I go wild camping in bad weather, I take a small blowtorch attachment for my gas cannister just in case I need to set something alight easy in this scenario.

Another little piece of ADVICE the more resiny the wood (pine cedar, or like sootch mentioned, birch) they'll light and hold fire a little more easily then regular hard wood. Even pine needles and dry leaves make a quick and relatively simple fire. Just will take a lot more leaves and pine needles then ya think

Tks a very helful video., I'm going to add the log feather to my tricks. All need to know how to do this and practice.

Nice video 👍😊👍

Great 👍 job sootch00, you are a amazing Man, I always trust you opinions, I wish my family lived next Door to your Family, If there is mail fraud, I really don't want to think ,what are country will become, so please stay vigilant and safe. Sincerely Rick from Mo and God bless you and your family 👪

Good video thank you.

I just got that same watch. It looks good on you 👍

Good video

I admire people like you by adapting and using everything to your advantage in survival situations. Every move is crucial and can leave you injured/sick especially if your out in the woods away from civilization, I will subscribe to your channel and hope this helps since you helped me with some wisdom good sir salute 🇺🇸

Great video! thank you.!

That’s great info thanks for your video

I second the birch bark, used some on my trip this weekend might as well be soaked in lighter fluid lol.

Did anyone else notice the deer rub on that small oak tree?

Thank u, that helps

Disagree that fire doesn't help with exposure to heat. Main reason.... Water is what we need to cool down rapidly. Drinking water mainly. We overheat because were not drinking enough. Fire makes undrinkable water drinkable.

Take a bread tie around your push button to keep it from pushing it in your pocket.

I always carry a road flare burns for 20 minutes and hot

Don't worry if your lighter gets wet. Just roll the wheel until the sparks fly again.

I love your videos

Good video . If you have a tarp make a shelter .

Good effort👍