Two feet of leaf litter is not enough, three feet plus is. I was cold but not dangerously so, and it took two and a half hours to build. Everyone should do this once before they need to.

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Sign in to chatTwo feet of leaf litter is not enough, three feet plus is. I was cold but not dangerously so, and it took two and a half hours to build. Everyone should do this once before they need to.
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Sign in or create an accountA lighter, a headlamp, and a contractor bag have saved more of my bad nights than any survival tin. Simple beats clever when you are cold and tired. What is your always-carry?
Filter for clear water, chemical for backup and silty sources after settling, boil when I have a fire going anyway. Redundancy is worth the few ounces. What is your decision tree?
Standing dead wood only, split down to dry heartwood, fine feather sticks, and a birch bark or fatwood starter. A folding saw matters more than a fancy knife here. Practice this when it is actually raining.
Dogbane in the fall makes cord strong enough to actually use. It took maybe thirty failed attempts before my reverse wrap stopped falling apart. Slow work but deeply satisfying.
Four inch, full tang, scandi grind. It batons, carves, and dresses game well enough, and it sharpens on a river rock if I have to. Anyone going smaller than that on purpose?
Hold the rod still and pull the striker back instead of stabbing at the tinder. Scattering your tinder bundle at the moment of ignition is the classic beginner failure. Ten minutes of practice fixes it.