Fire Making

Homo sapiens sapiens have relied upon fire (and language) to spread to the four corners of the earth. Fire was kept by our ancestors for millennia before it was discovered that it could be made. The making of fire opened up new frontiers, and like language, has many variations and methods. Flint and steel kits hearken back to a bygone era - get good at this on a drizzly, windy 4°C day, and you've really earned your stripes. Fire pistons use technology developed by tribesmen in Indonesia to coax embers from devices using compressed air. Good ‘ol stormproof matches use 19th century chemistry to produce a flame, while firesteels use a man made metallic alloy to give off a 3000°C spark. While most outdoor use will consist of lighting stoves and getting campfires going, having a least a couple of methods on hand, and especially one on your physical person while outdoors is good practice, as should an emergency situation develop, possessing the means of making fire provides the possibility of keeping warm, purifying water, and being able to signal for help.