LightmyFire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Scout Strike Fire Starter

The Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Scout 3,000 Strike Fire Starter is an excellent firesteel to carry in your pack or haversack for hiking/camping/bushcraft. It's virtually unbreakable, weatherproof/waterproof, and long lasting. If you have adequate knowledge about how to gather proper tinder to take a spark (fine dry grass/moss, fatwood, charcloth, Vaseline-coated cotton balls, etc.), this is probably the most convenient, reliable means of fire-making you can carry. The included striker works great and has a built-in whistle that might be useful for signaling, though it isn't the loudest. Those who find this firesteel difficult to use must be using it wrong--most likely with improper tinder. If you want to guarantee yourself a fire, try this: Take a cotton ball and approximately 1 tablespoon of Vasoline (petroleum jelly). Massage the Vasoline deep into the cotton ball for a few minutes until it is completely coated and won't absorb any more (it should compact down into a tight ball as small as it will go). Voila, you have one of the best firestarters known to man! Thanks to the petroleum jelly, it is highly water-resistant and easy to ignite. When you're ready to light a fire, spread the cotton fibers apart with your fingers to thin and "fluff" them so they will take a spark more readily. Then place the cotton under a generously-sized teepee of thin twigs (preferably dry). Hold the firesteel close and scrape sparks onto the outspread cotton. One to three attempts should be enough to ignite it, and thanks to the petroleum jelly, will yield a wind- and rain-resistant burn time of up to four minutes on a single cotton ball--enough to light even quite wet wood! (Be sure to process enough wood ahead of time so you can build the fire properly, beginning with 1/8" thick and smaller twigs, then graduating slowly to 1/4", 1/2", 1" thickness, and so on up to logs). I've noticed with this firesteel that a slower, harder scrape produces a better spark than quicker, lighter strokes. Enjoy!