I like getting back to basics as much as possible but fire by friction for a novice can take some time. I usually light the fire with a firesteel and the back of my knife but when I saw the Wilma’s Traditional Fire Lighting Kit I was fascinated.
The traditional design has probably been around longer than the Vikings and the kit contains everything you need to naturally start your fire.
I haven’t used Amadou before and the kit contains a ready prepared piece, along with wood shavings, a piece of fatwood and some dried grass as course tinder.
The hand-made steel felt solid and easy to grasp and the sizeable piece of natural flint had some razor sharp edges. I tried a few test strikes before using any of the precious Amadou. The sparks, thinner and cooler than my firesteel, were still sufficient to put a tiny hole in my trousers.
Tearing the Amadou left a soft, fluffy edge, perfect for catching a thin spark. It only took a couple of strikes on the flint-edge before a spark caught and glowed. I blew it into a flame in the tinder bundle (after adding some feathery birch bark). The wood shavings and fatwood kept the flame going while I built up the different sizes of kindling. The whole process took no more than four minutes (probably quicker than using umpteen damp matches).
VERDICT
As a fire lighting kit the Wilma’s Traditional is definitely fit for purpose. And with the addition of the Reindeer leather pouch it’s a beautiful piece of kit too. I’ve now swapped the larger piece of flint for a smaller piece I found in the woods. Leaves more space in the pouch for birch bark, seed heads and char cloth. The Amadou would probably last for a maximum of around 20 fires as long as you’re well prepared with tinder and kindling and only use a small piece.
Don’t just get the Reindeer leather pouch for your fire lighting kit though. It makes a perfect pouch for carrying coffee, and we all know how much I love my coffee!
Related posts:
