Forever wary of solitary woodland pursuits, my experience in survival camp instilled in me the necessity of always carrying a tampon.
In the heart of the wilderness, survival skills can mean the difference between life and death. Stefan Winkler, a passionate nature enthusiast based in Peine, has honed his survival knowledge through books, personal trials, errors, and his military experience. He founded Survival Camp Wense to share his wisdom with others.
One of the essential skills taught at the Survival Camp is fire-making. In an unexpected twist, Stefan demonstrates the use of tampons and birch bark as highly effective tinder materials.
Birch bark, with its thin, dry layers and oils that ignite easily, is an excellent natural tinder. Peel thin layers from dead wood or fallen branches, ensuring the bark is dry and flaky. Tampons, made mostly of compressed cotton, can serve as excellent tinder due to their fluffiness and high absorbency, catching a spark quickly.
To create a fire, prepare the tinder by combining birch bark flakes and the fluffed tampon material inside a nest. Birch bark burns hot and long enough to ignite larger kindling once it catches fire.
For ignition, a reliable source like flint and steel or a ferrocerium rod is recommended. These tools can generate sparks aimed at the tinder nest. Tinder made from tampons and birch bark usually ignites quickly from a spark.
Once the tinder is burning, gradually add small dry sticks and then larger kindling to build and maintain the fire. Avoid trying to burn materials like Kinder chocolate, as it can melt and is not useful for ignition.
A ferro rod, a small, portable tool made of carbon-rich steel and an alloy, is a crucial tool for starting fires in the wild. It can last a lifetime and can function even when wet.
In the absence of tampons and birch bark, other unconventional materials like birch wood, a knife, and a fire steel can be used to start a fire. Even a battery and Kinder chocolate wrapping paper can be used to start fires through a simple trick.
Remember, the key is fluffing or preparing materials for maximum surface area and ignitability, then applying sparks from primitive or ferrocerium tools. Learning primitive fire methods complements using unconventional tinder for successful survival fires.
The Survival Camp Wense offers day and weekend courses on various wilderness survival skills, including fire-making. Whether you're a seasoned camper or a city dweller looking for a new adventure, these courses provide a unique opportunity to learn and practice essential survival skills in a safe and supportive environment.
The Survival Camp Wense incorporates unconventional materials into their fire-making lessons, such as tampons and birch bark for effective tinder. This outdoor-living experience extends to home-and-garden knowledge, with participants learning to appreciate nature's secret tools for creating lasting fires.
