Outdoor Survival Tips
Helpful Tips for New ATV Riders
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The Use of Fire
Whenever you build any fire, for warmth, overnight,
or for cooking, get all the materials together in their proper place, before
you strike your match. Matches are one of your most valuable physical assets in
the outdoors, and haste and poor preparation defeat the purpose of being able to
quickly and efficiently start a fire. There is the old outdoor adage of only One
match for One fire, if you practice, prepare and predetermine your actions you
can accomplish this task.
For a midday cooking fire, pick a sheltered
location, away from overhanging branches and on solid ground, and make a very
small fire. For evening cooking and for an overnight fire, plan for a larger
one or several small fires around you, this will help provide for greater
warmth. Three (3) fires in a triangular arrangement is a recognized air to
ground signal of distress.
For overnight fires, pick your sleeping location
first and build your fire in relation to it for maximum warmth. Do not set
your sleeping bag too close to the fire, and make sure your fire pit it is a
safe distance from overhanging trees, etc.. Do not use wet or damp rocks, they
can heat up and explode.
Start any fire with the utmost of patience. Plan it
carefully and one match will do. Get as much out of the wind as you can
before striking your match, shield your fire area with your body or make a
windshield with your jacket or other gear before lighting your match.
Lay a foundation of fine tinder, such as shavings
from dried twigs, a birds nest, or whittle with your knife from a dried branch,
or use an Esbit® Solid Fuel Tablet, whatever you have or decide to use
get a good supply of dried tinder into your fire area before your strike that
first match.
Crisscross above the fine tinder bed you have made a
few larger dry twigs about the size of a pencil to begin. Have
increasingly larger wood at hand. A good method is to lay your tinder beside a
short length of stick 3 to six inches in diameter, lean the twigs over the
tinder and against the large stick. Now when the tinder catches, the twigs go in
a moment, add larger ones and in seconds a good blaze is there. Put an Esbit®
Tablet down on the surface, light it, and slowly add your small twigs building
the fire up gradually.
Always light your fire with the breeze at your
back, on the side nearest you to provide additional ease and shelter, and
from below the tinder, not on top. Take the time to plan, and your fire
will ignite quickly and safely.
COOKING FIRES: Look for flat dry rocks to
surround the fire, so you have containment and a place for your utensils. A
small pit built with rocks laid out in a "V" or a "U" with the open end
toward the breeze will allow draft in that open end to help keep the fire
going. If winds are strong, reverse the open end of your pit. Again, the most
important consideration is to start with a small fire and progressively add
larger material. Do not panic, take your time and concentrate and you can build
the fire that you want.
WET CONDITIONS: In rain or snow, fire making becomes
more important, and also more difficult. Here is where having Esbit®
Solid Fuel Tablets will be a great help for your tinder base. One method is to
make a tripod of sticks over your chosen fire area and drape your jacket over
the tripod to shelter the fire base. Carefully light your tinder, add some
twigs, and remove your jacket. If the ground is exceedingly wet, lay a base of
large logs and sticks and start your fire on top of them.
TYPES OF WOOD: When and where possible use old dried
wood from conifers (evergreens) for starting fires. Dry cones are great too. You
may not have the time or the energy to go around and select wood, so burn what
you can, get warm and safe and then look. Just remember that pine, cedar, spruce
will start a fire quickly but burn swiftly. Woods such as oak,
ash and maple will burn longer but are more difficult to ignite.
Aspen, birch and poplar are quite common and they make good fires as they
burn hot but fairly fast. Whatever you have at hand to burn, gather at
least 3 times more than you think you will need, experience shows that you will
use it
TINDER: Esbit® Solid Fuel Tablets are an
excellent long burning and hot ignition source for use as fire tinder. You can
make your own fire starter kit from lint, sawdust, etc. slightly saturated with
charcoal lighter, kerosene, and carry it in film canisters that have been sealed
with duct tape. Always have an "extra" supply of matches stored away for
emergencies. One easy fire starting kit is to take two small zip-lock bags,
insert 6 to 8 strike anywhere matches in one along with a small piece of emery
paper or sandpaper to strike against in wet conditions along with a combination
of dried wood shavings, purposely made or picked up on the trail. Seal this bag
upside down inside the other bag, for maximum waterproof protection and keep it
in your jacket pocket, just in case you ever need it. There are also a lot of
fire starting kits available in your local camping store, pick one of these if
you desire as your emergency back up that feels right for you. DO NOT rely on
the butane lighters to always function for you in the outdoors, also if they
slip out of your pocket and into the fire, you have a potential explosive
projectile coming back at you. Also with most lighters you can not determine the
fuel supply in them, and they will not light at higher elevations.
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Wisconsin Riders Inc. ATV Club visitors. North East Wisconsin Riders Inc.
ATV Club can not be held responsible for errors contained in this page or any
other section of this website. North East Wisconsin Riders Inc. ATV Club
strives to ensure that all our content is kept up-to-date. North East Wisconsin
Riders Inc. ATV Club is an all volunteer organization and please remember North
East Wisconsin Riders Inc. ATV Club is NOT offering any legal advice. We
are simply trying to raise awareness. As an ATV owner it is your responsibility
to know and understand the rules and regulations regarding your ATV and the
surrounding community. Lets all try to work together to educate each other.
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