If your like me, you have a bug-out-bag with items that you would need if there were ever (or as Creek Stewart says, not if but when) there were a survival situation where you had no power.  Fire is one of those important things that can be useful for cooking, purifying water, and warmth.  So i’ve had the Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Knife for a while.

    I bought it becasue, 1. It is a Gerber product and I really like their knives, 2. because it has the ferrocerium rod for fire starting.  This knife has a host of other features (which you can read about in the description on Amazon) as well which are an added bonus.  But for the purpose of this blog, I want to focus on practicing starting a fire without the use of matches.  If you follow @creekstewart, watch fat guys in the woods, or read survival manuals for fun, you’ve seen this method used.  Ive had the tools to do it for a while, but never tried.  So this past weekend, we decided to build a fire for the purpose of making smores. Instead of grabbing the aim-n-flame and starting a fire, me and daughter #2, set out to build it with just the fire starting tool on the Gerber.  We made our tinder bundle, started creating sparks with the fire rod, and before you know it, we had an ember.  Added some oxygen, and we have a fire.  Like I said, Ive had the tool for a while, understood the process, but have never done it.  Now I feel even better becasue I know I can do it, but more importantly, my daughter was part of the experience and it was a good learning opportunity for her.  I guess as parents we call that a teachable moment.  Remember, you dont have to be in the woods to practice.   Next time you want to grill, try to start the fire without matches and get a flame going before you add your charcoal.  Practice makes perfect!  Thats what my parents always told me!