Evolution Glitch's Fire Kit!

Just yesterday, I was fortunate enough to win one of Evolution Glitch's Fire Kit via EDCF's Pay It Forward thread!  This kit is great for people who are just starting out or getting into prepping/EDC/survival/etc., as it covers many of the basic ways to make fire out in the wilderness without a lighter in sight.

With his permission, I present to you, Evolution Glitch's Fire Kit:

The instructions and contents of this kit are as follows:

"Evolution Glitch Fire Kit

This kit contains multiple methods for making multiple fires.  This kit will start a fire in good conditions and horrible conditions.  Listed below are the contents and their uses.  There are uses not listed but theses should keep you warm.

1. Ferro Rod - this 5/8" x 3" rod is large enough to spark thousands of fires.
2. Hacksaw Striker - this striker will throw BIG sparks from your Ferro and can be used as a back-up saw to cut small wood or get sawdust for tinder.  For additional tinder, use saw or knife to scrape clothes to get lint.
3. Fatwood - this wood will burn very easily due to its high sap content.  It lights easy and burns long.  Can be sawed for fatwood tinder powder and shaved for small tinder.
4. Thick Steel Wool - spread out and place on wet/damp/cold surfaces to keep your tinder dry/warm in harsh weather.  If you have a battery from a flashlight, twist wool into loose rope.  Set one end of wool in a pile of tinder.  Set battery on the end of the rope.  Put other end of steel wool on other end of battery.  Hold with a stick so it doesn't burn you.  Steel wool will get red then white hot and light tinder.  Can be reused.  Block tinder from dampness.
5. Thin Steel Wool - Spread out on dry surface or thick steel wool.  Place tinder on thin steel wool.  Steel wool will also serve to grab tinder on windier days.  Sparks from Ferro rod will hit steel wool and spread to tinder which will in turn ignite kindling.  Once burnt, it can be saved and used to keep tinder off damp surfaces, but will not reignite.  Save for when a quick light is necessary.
6. Matches and Striker - these matches are the best waterproof matches on the market today.  They should be saved for when you can't light a fire any other way.  If you are too cold and your hands are too shaky to use the Ferro, then use the matches.
7. This Instruction Sheet - use it to leave notes, take notes (charred stick works fine), roll up as blow tube to give your fire oxygen, and if need be... burn it!
8. Waterproof Tube - keep your fire goods dry!  Also can be used as a bobber for fishing or whatever your imagination comes up with.

Notes:  When building a fire, don't be hasty.  Use lots of levels of tinder, kindling, and fuel.  Start with small tinder and move up to larger stuff.  If you have many layers, it will take one small spark to get a roaring bonfire.  Skip steps and you will learn to curse like a sailor!  I like to build a log cabin with logs and a small lot cabin inside with sticks.  Then I like to make cradle of sticks with a "bird nest" of kindling and tinder.  I light the nest, shove it "through the door," into the stick cabin.  Take this sheet, roll it up, and blow the tinder.  Your fire will be roaring before you know it.  Keep it fed.  Keep a stock pile of wood.  The general rule is 3x's as much wood as you think you need.  Practice these skills before you NEED them.  Be safe and blaze on!"

Thank you, Evolution Glitch!  I look forward to receiving this package and will be practicing my firemaking skills once it comes!  :)

Best wishes.

Update (28 June 2012):
I'd received the kit last week and it's great!  I love that everything fits snug into a County Comm Tube Vault (soda bottle pre-form).  The kit was very well thought out and Evolution Glitch's instructions are great.  :D

Night Market is Here! :)

Just last Friday, the local summer night market opened up.  I couldn't wait and so I rode my bike out (to avoid the crowds of the parking lot and 'cause I like to bike).  It was so fun!

First thing's first, I got myself a balut.  :)

Yum!  Balut... Since they only give you a plastic spoon to eat with, I had to use my SRM710 to crack open the egg.  :P  For the fun of it, I'd also gotten "plastic balloons."

There were so many other foods to choose from!  And plenty of booths featuring random trinkets as well.

The most popular food item there has definitely got to be the roasted corn!  You can either get it on the cob or in a cup.  There's a condiment table set up to throw in your mixings and you're good to go!  My favorite is the olive oil (or butter) + green onions.  Delicious!

I can't wait for next weekend to roll by so that I can stop by again.  :)

Paracord Now Available at Michaels!

I was doing my nearly weekly Michaels run the other day and was quite surprised to find paracord in their stock.  It was prominently located at one of the front endcaps in the middle of the store.

The bracelets are priced at $3.99 each, with no tags regarding sizes - you'll just have to try them on and see.  They come in various color combinations, though.  :D  They also carry the buckles priced at $2.50 for a pack of 5.  On to the paracord themselves...

I opted for the maroon this time around.  These 16 foot hanks of paracord are running for $2.49 at my Michaels.  Coupled with a 50% coupon today, it came out to be $1.34 after CA tax.  Not bad for just a small bit of paracord when you want various colors.  +1 for being made in the US!  :D

The company that distributes these are Pepperell.  They seem to have a good amount of colors and accessories available.  I hope that Michaels continues to carry these, but since they do change their stock according to the trends, I'm pretty sure I'll just stock up as their weekly coupons come out.

It seems as though the idea of prepping, EDC, survival, etc. is starting to become a bit trendy.  :)  No worries!  More EDC goodies for me, right?  :D

Archery, Kool-Aid, and a Big Ass Pizza

Last night a group of friends and I went out for a night of archery fun.  With balloons and zombie targets at hand, we were all poking fun at the recent "zombie attacks" and just had a great night overall.  Congratulations to all of the new graduates and university transfer students.  :)  It was a wonderful celebration as well as a great hang out.

What started out as normal targets with a few balloons quickly turned into what seemed like a carnival game.  Balloons littered the wall anywhere that we could reach.  :P  These targets were put up 20 yards away and newbies as well as "veterans" had a blast.

Over the course of the night, more balloons were put up and the circle targets slowly converted into zombie targets.  I guess our group is ready for the zombie attacks.  Are you?  :P

I got my first true head shot.  Smack in the middle AND I'd popped a mini balloon in the process.  :D  This has got to be my best shot ever.  The first was too low and to the left, second was too low and to the right... third shot's the charm, right?  :D

The star of the show that night was actually Peach/Mango Kool-Aid!  This stuff is PHENOMENAL!  I hope they never take it off the shelves.  I was in charge of drinks that night and I'd wanted to stray away from the typical sodas and so, I decided to make some Kool-Aid, water, tea, and a couple soda bottles for those who really can't go a day without soda.  This stuff was great!  The Kool-Aid was the first to be drunk, the first to be finished off, and soda became the last resort drink after Kool-Aid ran out.  The Peach/Mango will accommodate the tastes of young and old alike (and can be mixed well with alcohol for the older folks).  For our purposes though, we mixed it with Twist Up (Wal-Mart's version of 7-Up) for a bit of fizz and everyone loved it.  :)

After about an hour and a half of shooting, our pizza came!  This big ass pizza was more than half my size, measuring nearly 1 meter in diameter.

This was one heck of a night and I look forward to more in the near future.  ;)  Kool-Aid's definitely on the list for upcoming hangouts and parties.  Should it be a limited edition flavor (still trying to find that out from Kraft Foods), I'll be stocking up for sure!