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From: wildernessoutfitters
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  • Dave, i just found out that Iron pyrite aka fools gold is good for using against a striker for sparks and was used for muskets to ignite the powder, but its only a mohs scale of 6. you said u need 7 or higher, check it out brother. just thought u would like to know 

  • thanks for this great video!

  • hey dave, i gotta say you're one of the best guys on here. but i watch this video and i say, "what happens if you lose your altoids tin". i've always been of the idea that versatility means different options everywhere. ferro-rod w/ your knife steel wool and a 9-volt in the tool kit,maybe a bow drill set in the pack etc.

  • I trust classic gear more because a skilled human probably made it instead of a greedy conglomerate's machine. I'm also not into the whole fell-off-a-spaceship look...

  • another great video Dave, held my attention

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  • EXCELLENT> Very informative. Definitely one of your best videos. This should be required viewing for every Scout., and in fact, anyone that expects to be outdoors in remote areas.

  • Thanks for the video, I also have a piece of magnesium in mine as well.

  • hey dave,

    love the vids keep em comin i was wadering where i can purchase yhe pathfinder scout??

  • @tomknapton1 pathfinderschool llc . com

  • the pathfinder knife sure is beautiful!!!

  • you can just place the cap on a spanish spur or nail to light some tinder

  • my kentucky rifle is a percussion (i decided to go with percussion because it does better in wet weather), but i have had luck making fire by removing the drum with the nipple still on, placing a cap on the nipple, and busting the cap with my knife or hatchet, while holding the drum and keeping the vent pointed at some tinder. it works every time, you just have to make sure not to burn yourself or smack your fingers with your knife or hatchet

  • btw where can you get those small little ranger band things you have wrapped around your tin?

  • @Hoodwoodsbushcraft14  its inner tube from a bike cut

  • @survivalishtegame ah, ok. ty 

  • great video dave! can anyone tell me where to get a magnifying glass like that that will fit in an alto ids can? and is there a certain magnifying strength you need you to start at?

  • Thanx Dave great video. I was just thinking Home Depot, Lowes, and any Hardware store now sell these quick light, or fire starter logs, made from saw dust and other paraffin type composites. They are pricey, around 7 - 10 bucks, for (I think 8 logs) but if you cut them up and mold them, you can create a good amount of those sure fire cubes off of one of those logs. Better yet get a PVC pipe, stuff it with saw dust and wax and boom, ur-ah sure fire making machine. Wrap them in char-cloth and...!

  • If I had nothing in the wilderness in a survival situation, what rock(s) would I use to get a spark to begin my fire making? Or do I have to do the wood friction approach.

  • @jacksonhobbs1 If you have literally nothing, you are probably better off going to friction. Could spend days trying to find a random stone that produces sparks. Pyrite works the best but good luck just finding a good piece just laying around. And even then the sparks from pyrite are very weak/low temperature compared to what you get with flint and steel (and lightyears behind ferrocerium). Friction takes a while to gather good materials, but the materials are common.

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  • I've just watched this video for the 9th time in the last days. It's so full of knowledge, it's really a fantastic lesson!

    I've got 2 questions about Dave's firekit:

    1. In my opinion STEEL WOOL is the best tinder because it drys up very quick, is compact and can be lit with a lighter, a ferrorod or a battery (e.g. from your cell phone). Am I wrong?

    2. Did you see that Dave cut off the handle of his FERROROD? Why are there no ferrorods without those handles? That would be much more versatile.

  • @vitopetre go to firesteel . com

  • Probably first vid I ever saw where a lighter was included as a first resort. That has always amazed me how a simple lighter is left out of the equation.

    If I am cold and wet I want the easiest way to get a bonfire started. Like he said try a lighter first and then go onto the hard methods. You can dry them out once a fire is going or stick them in your shorts to dry them out.

    Maybe its just me but I think I was traumatized by 'waterproof' matches as a child.

  • i made this same fire kit besides the fire starter rod deal i have kinda like a light thing but just sparks cant add fuel its pretty small and cotton balls cause idk where to get the fire cubes

  • Just adding 2 cents... for those that want matches... use wooden or strike anywhere matches. to water proof them dip the sulfur end in paraffin wax. It serves two purposes actually, but the primary is the water proofing.

  • love your work hope you keep it up

  • Love the videos, keep up the great work Dave!! Another good fire starter to add to the kit would be a small or folded piece of brown paper bag soaked with a little wax or grease. It's waterproof and might help start moist kindling during wet conditions, and doesn't take up very much space in the kit at all. You might even have some left over from when you were treating the guns and stove top in the yurt; for the multi-use/recycling aspect. Not sure how well it takes a spark yet, though.

  • The intertube makes an excellent fire starter too.

  • do you still carry murry's bees wax still

  • YO Dave, my name is travis and i was wondering if i could purchase the steal stricker made out of a file in this video.

    please get back to me

    -travis sanders

  • @666freak999 Try the website thepathfinderschoolllc you will probably have better luck. Link is also under the video.

  • 18:39 "I wouldn't carry a match if you gave it to me." that is until your R&D discovered the beauty of reloading a 12 ga shell with strike anywhere match heads, instead of black powder. True example of let's learn together.

    Awesome refresher. I Love the science and history lecture at the beginning of this video!

    Thanks Dave!

  • Dave. Thank you so much for your contribution to the education of many.

    I hope to replicate that many times over. Please, can you tell me where you got your

    camo jacket in this video. Thank you.

  • @zulu700 it is a nice jacket.

  • @zulu700 I have the same jacket its a colombia recycled wool archers jacket

  • I love Daves old school style. His gear has such class and character and looks far better than the cheesey modern tacticool gear. Some bushcrafters look like characters from a Modern warfare game. It looks so naff. Ray Mears has that classy old school style too.

  • you must replace sun eventually

  • i use shotgun powder in my fire starting kit

  • What happened to your hand brother?

  • hey another great vid! didnt hear you mention it and didnt read all the comments but your ranger band is another useful thing for holding a flame, as you know.

  • Nic

  • You really packed a lot of valuable information into a short video. I already changed what I carry in my Altoids/char cloth tin.

    Great job. See you again at the next Gathering

  • Good video, great information. However, I'm a little concerned about your health. I pray that you're OK.

  • What a great Vid Dave. Thanks for the info.

  • Awesome Dave!

  • What type of jacket are you wearing in this video?

  • Chucked your dry board marker and didn't even miss a beat, smooooth ... lol ... that's not all I got out of it : ) Great Vid

  • The bic lighter is the best modern day fire starting tool. They are cheep, lightweight, store easy and are water proof. They last a long time and are very durable. If you need to start a fire the Bic lighter is the way to go.

  • lmao

    "i hate matches, but a lot of people seem to like them - i think they suck."

    classic.

    and i agree.

  • im really digging how you are progressing as a teacher man. the white board is an awesome touch to cover all the teaching wickets. (tactile, visual, verbal etc.) GREAT videos man keep it up!

  • Excellent video...especially loved the analogy to the Longhunter..A Longhunter (or long hunter) was an 18th-century explorer and hunter who made expeditions into the American frontier wilderness for as much as six months at a time. The parties of two or three men usually started their hunts in October and ended toward the end of March or early in April. The information gathered by longhunters would prove critical to the early settlement of Tennessee and Kentucky. Daniel Boone was a Long hunter.

  • Great info. Thanks.

  • Great video Dave, just remember don't store all your fire kit in one tin, if you loose it you lose all means of making fire, keep one thing in your pocket, one in your pack, one attatched to your sheath, one on your belt etc, that way if you ever lose one piece of kit you still have other means to get fire.

    Also use very fine steel wool (grade 0000) and it will take a spark from a piece of carbon steel and burn ferociously at 1300 degrees...

  • Dave as always a wonderful video packed full of wonderful information. Your passion for what you do is fantastic and infectious. If I may be so bold as to offer one piece of advice it would be to slow down just a tad. You have so much knowledge to impart and it is sometimes hard to follow someone with so much passion. I enjoy every one of your videos and thank you for sharing.

  • @tonyockleshaw Don't change a thing Dave. I love your pace, and your tangents (they are applicable and entertaining). If i miss something (usually because I am multitasking and watching while working - grin), the beauty of YT is you can rewind.

    "I wouldn't use a match if you gave me one." (dave) | Love it Dave!

  • Hey Dave, I have an idea. You and Rob put your heads together and see what kind of gear you could put together from his site that would cover all of your long term survival bases, but the stipulation is... Do it for under $100 bucks, nothing that a beginner cant use efficiently and it has to be lightweight and easily transportable. I just want to see if you can do it, because I've had people ask where to get gear and I point them to Canteenshop but they dont have tons of cash they can part with.

  • @Set2Survive Search YT for "Building a Discount Bushcraft Kit" for Dave's 7-part Series on this. 

  • @NateNorris I'm quite aware of the discount bushcraft kit, I mentioned it to him and though he hasn't looked at them yet, he has copied my discount kit. But it brought to mind the fact that mainstream bushcraft/survival/self-relian­ce is a class restricted hobby, you have to have alot of money to use even moderate quality equipment. Its more of a challenge to see if it can be done. I know it cant be done with Dave's site, cause he's a big tv star now. Just a challenge to see if it can be done.

  • @Set2Survive That is an awesome challenge

  • Another awesome piece of work Dave!

    Reviewing the material you cover was real good, we all need to go over info like this now and again. I aught to do a short vid, on using my fowler's flintlock for fire starting.

    Good job again.

  • Dave, I love your videos, but I bet you could not make one (even one where you were just talking) if your hands were tied to your sides...LOL

  • Why has Ray Mears not done any videos or teaching like this via YT for free? Has he sold out to the great dollar/pound in the sky? I'm beginning to think he is not such the Christian altruist that he makes out. Share the knowledge of life, it will give it's rewards in many ways...

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  • Very nice.

  • Another EXCELLENT video Dave. You've struck a vein of "gold" with this series and I can't wait for the next installment. Thank you again for all your hard work and your willingness to share your knowledge!

  • Dave, who makes your knives?

  • @FRUNTCASTER I think Blind Horse Knives makes them.

  • great video as always, but what don,t you like about match's if in a water proof container and backed up with a fire steel kit?

  • Dave, are you getting the tattoos on your hands removed?

  • "I would never carry a match if you gave it to me..."

    ha ha, I love it

    awesome kit, I have an altoid can fire kit as well, but it has about half of what yours has that's the definition of redundancy, ha ha, with fire you can never have enough, definitely be adding to the kit

  • Great Video!

  • Great video,Dave!

  • Outstanding Presentation Dave

  • Excellent information as always.

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  • "I carry brand new Bic cigarette lighter" *lights lighter*.... not new any more :)

  • Thanks Dave! I was welding today and the 20yr old guy with me dropped his Bic lighter in the water, and didn't have a striker for the torch. I went to my truck and busted out the ferro rod and a boxcutter, BAM! got the torch lit. He looked at me like I had just landed in a space ship and asked me "What in the world did you just do?" He will be watching your channel real soon

  • Thank you Dave.

  • Dave,

    Fantastic video. We have talked on several occasions about how we are doing nothing more than the 18th century Longhunters did. As an avid Historical Re-enactor I am happy to see this series of videos. Keep up the good work

    Ryan

  • This is a great video, Dave. I'm going to try this Altoids tin fire kit.

  • Very nice

  • looks like your hand got bitten

  • Great video as always Dave. Looking forward to the others in this series.

  • great advice on the kit Dave in the UK have just found Altoids mints are ok tin great plus a history lesson as well keep the information coming lots of interesting things will follow.

  • Thanks for saying out loud that you hate matches : I think there's nothing worse to rely on for starting a fire.

  • awesome lecture! much appreciated :D

  • Is the 12 gauge vid still up I heard about it before but I havent seen it

  • @20:20 Great job just going with it. lol

  • thanks dave that was great learning from you

  • I really have to thank you Dave and the others people making vids on this channel. My jeep would not start after a long day hunting, the first thing to come to mind was. "What would Dave do." being raised in the Canadain north, I had everything I needed to have what turned out to be a great night of using new and old school ideas. I was warm, dry and slept like a baby. I hate wool alot less today than a week ago.

  • I will always prefer the good ole flint and steel. its just more traditional

  • Gravitas Leatherworks makes an awesome pouch for these types of altoids kits.

  • i love this channel

  • have you ever considered using the "latest and greatest" thing? I understand going with the tried and true, but why not try something new?

  • very informative.

    thank you, professor canterbury.

    :-)

  • I have the same stuff in my altoids tin. I looks forward to seeing more vids!!

  • & the ranger band will flame in very wet conditions.

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  • Can't wait till the next one!

  • Dave, I have yet to meet you but as a full time college student, I can say with confidence that you are a teacher of the highest caliber. I can only hope to attend one of your courses in the not-too-distant future. I have become a huge fan. Much love and respect from California.

  • I always find it so interesting that today with all of our technology, we do not have the skills in our day to come close to those frontiersmen that you mentioned. All the fancy gear in the world cannot save someone who doesn't have the knowledge and mental toughness to survive. The lesson I got from this video wasn't about fire, but how the tools to survive start with the mind. Thanks Dave!

  • If you don't have any charred cloth... One of our finest natural tinder is PUNK WOOD that catches spark quite nice.

  • I sent you a video Hudson Bay mountain man trapper fire kit fire, showing the exact HBC fire box you are talking about. Could you please post this as a video response. Thanks!

  • interesting

    thanks ;)

    regards

    streetartist

    

  • Is a zippo good :D??

  • Hey Dave I know this has nothing to do with the video. But what's your opinion on the best outdoor/survival boots? I'm looking to get a pair. I've looked at them but just love your opinion on things and your video reviews.

  • Thank you for the greatly knowledgeable videos!

    I cant wait to make it to my first pathfinder gathering this next spring!

    Take care, and i cant wait to learn more :D

    A.J.

  • Well i rarely go out anyways

  • I carry pocket knife and a magnesium/flint rod

  • Good video and great kit! ...good stuff, big sparks!

  • Great video Dave. I have long had an interest in the Longhunter and Mountain Man era and enjoyed readings articals from Mark Baker, have you ever seen his fire tin? He uses a small round tin that has a hole drilled in the side so when the lid is twisted the hole can be covered and uncovered as needed. I have found the altoid type tin doesn't need a hole drilled at all because the lid has a large enough gap to allow the gases to escape. I bet you know Mark Baker. Great stuff Dave.

  • dave, could u carry a small file to sharpen your axe and use that as your flint striker? or would you recommend a dedicated striker

  • Great new look on the subject Dave!

    Do you got a new jacket?

    Cheers,

    Dutch

  • Very good, thanks Dave.

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  • Nicely done. Straight forward and easy to understand logic. Always a pleasure.

  • i realy hated history lesons,until now...good teacher.keep it up.greetings from holland

  • dave, do you have rheumatoid arthritis ?

  • awsome vid brother thanks for the info

  • it's great to learn new way's to make simple things simpler. thanks dave! what happen to ur hand? and i look forward to your san videos. thank you and iris and everyone at the pathfinder school for helping people become more self reliant. and again thank you!!

  • Another lesson learned. thanks Dave

  • I hate matches too!!!!!

  • Bic lighter, the best!

  • does Steve Critr Davis have a youtube channel ? Great information Dave !! Thanx

  • Another great lesson from Professor Canterbury. One thing I would like to see mentioned is a reminder for beginners to practice fire making skills in the backyard before traipsing out into the woods.

  • dryer lint, sawdust, wood slivers and petro-jelly is my "I NEED FIRE NOW" starter, keep a large pipe tobacco tin full on every trip. I have lit my pipe before and then took the tobacco ember out of my pipe to start the fire bundle, works great. WOOT for the pipe smoker!

    Love the videos, great info givin in a down to earth presentation.

    keep them rolling!

    scott

  • just have to say snus cans are everywhere in my kits/fishing bags

  • i would put a small stiker in your fire kit for your ferrocerium rod. i like to have the strikers with my ferrocerium rods just in case i lose my knife im not screwed for fire.

  • Great series Dave.Looking forward to what's to come. Mitch's vid on char cattail is very good.

    Nate

  • Thanks for the history ...... History is where its at !!!!

  • very good video ! lots of detail. im glad you explained the Pyrophoricity of metals. it seems to be a subject that most people dont understand. it wasa good recap of the importance of having multiple ways to start fire

  • Makes perfect sense if you think about it... If someone now-a-days smoked cigarettes and they needed a fire, that lighter (that they carried all the time and used it to light all them cigarettes) is going to be the first thing they think of to start that fire. So it makes perfect sense that if someone back in the day needed a fire and smoked a pipe, they would use the magnification lens in the top of the tin to get their fire going. Great vid Dave and looking forward to the SAN Project!

  • hahaha 21st century vid 21 mins long on nov. 21 hahahaha

  • @tylerpienta OH MY GOD! It's the end of the world!

  • @tylerpienta Don't forget the video doesn't actually start (due to intro) until 0:21 =)

  • @tylerpienta omg 21 thumbs up

  • My understanding of English is very limited, but seemed to me that you could use a rubber band more large to close the metal box and use pieces to make fire in wet weather. Great lesson, brother! Keep it up!

  • we forget that most early woods runners carried their gear on a pack horse. an 8x10 canvas tarp weighs 3-5 lbs. floor, salt pork, hard tack and other trail food at the time is also very heavy. so are the steel traps the beaver hunters used. the old timers were as reliant on horses and or mules as we are on our pickups. they also mostly traveled in groups as conflict with the locals was still a reality. and the workload shared is lighter.

  • Dave, looks like you're right back in your element and it shows! Really looking forward to seeing your future work - thanks!

  • Dave, I really enjoyed the comparison between historical and present outdoor skills. A podcast I listen to (Outdoor Podcast) recommends the book The Frontiersmen: A Narrative which talks about the life of some famous Longhunters.

  • you rule

  • Another great vid Dave...Interesting and very informative. Thank you once again.

  • The rubber band is also great for lighting a fire, waterproof too

  • i agree with the matches.... they get wet they are ruined, they are every limited even if you spit each match in half. and they go out from the wind very very easy. i always carry 2 knives and that way i have 1 i can use for a little more abuse and use it for my magnisuim block.

  • Fantastic! I've enjoyed meany of your vids but, I particuarly like looking at history survival and the comparison on todays methods.

    Looking forward to the rest of the series.

  • Why do matches suck?

  • Awesome vid!

  • wow dave your hand looks like it for into a fight with a thorn patch or one pissed off critter. great video as always. I really like that you went into renewable resources for char. i am a huge believer in learning the renewable. so there's less stuff i have to carry or stock up on.

  • Great info Dave.

    I really need to refresh the contents of my tinder box with a few of the items you pointed out.

    Thanks again and stay safe and well.

  • Where did you get that jacket from?

  • @PerfumeCantHidePiss

    I been looking for wool coat like that myself. Don't be shocked when you start seeing sticker prices upwards to 500 bucks.

  • @TheMojavegreen1 Whoa! I mean I've seen a couple pendelton wool jackets for around $280,but wool jackets sure are nice...

  • Great Video! I agree 100% and matches do suck for sure. They never work when you Really need them too. Been cold and wet and hypo-thermic and was lucky I survived until daylight when I was able to self -rescue.

  • Great video Dave!!

    I need to make myself a fire kit now.... the one I have isn't up to snuff.

    One thing though.. I always get lighters I can see into so I can always check the level of the fluid. >_o

  • Hi Dave, Great Videos as always- a true service to our fellow man- Thankyou.

    It be great to see a quick vid on Tinder fungus aka chaga.. and what you think of Chaga for its medicinal values aswell as its fire starting functions..

    Peace

  • Great video dave.oh,and for you other two-both c.o.d. And battlefield rock!quit splitting hairs on daves channel.

  • You make history fun, Dave!

  • great idea for a new series Dave...really enjoyed the video....safe journeys

  • I take the child safety off of my emergancy lighters. As a trapper I run the risk of getting dunked in icy water most days. And starting a ligher with half frozen hands is hard enough without the child safety.

  • Great info, thank you so much for sharing all this cool knowledge with the world!

  • all video games are for virgins such as all of you

  • Great video Dave, one of your best. The history lesson was great, the ideas were great, and that viking style striker is sweet.

    One question; has a dog been chewing on your left hand, or did you try to give the cat a bath?

  • i like flint and steel first then the ferro rod i make my char cloth out of kerosine wick cut in sq. holds together better

  • kewl vid Dave, very good info.

  • Not bids but vids lol

  • Love ur bids learned a lot and practice the stuff u teach here in good ole Kentucky backwoods