Fuel-Oxygen-Heat: (FIRE) THE most understood concept of survival. Rain-Cold-Fair, an absolute necessity. Physical-Psychological-Sustainable. Master The Basics. Very well done Dave. Beyond what you have on your back.

This is probably THE best video on how to correctly make a fire on you tube! I know it has been said many times, but this should be taught in school. I'm glad you are sharing something that at one time was common knowledge in such an informative and entertaining way. Keep on it brother.

This isn't about trying not to die. It's about learning how to live.

Excellent. Love that you clearly explain the reasoning that underlies the steps in your process.

Well done Sir! A most definitive treatment of a foundational skill. I enjoyed the rope and stick trick at the beginning! Once I used that method to gain dry wood. The momentum of the stick jerked the slick rope from my hand, and the stick lodged in the branches with the end of the rope dangling 10 ft above my head. As I stood in disbelief at my predicament I know I could hear the squirrels laughing at me! Tie the other end of the rope to your wrist! Thanks again Dave!

Best fire starting vid yet. Simple and straight to the point. I will be sharing this. Thanks Dave.

I have been with you for a few years, now. You have become a truly excellent instructor. Your intro was about as good as it gets. Really glad to see you striving and improving, over time.

I'd just about kill for the opportunity but providing for the family comes first, so I'll have to miss you on this trip. Enjoy the banquet and don't stop your outstanding work. Take care.

Greetings from Alabama! This was great information that revealed both the theory & techniques of fire building. Now comes the hard part: practice, practice, practice…. 🌋

ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW - GREAT THANK YOU DAVE. HOWDY ROCKY MTS.

I swear, you cover so many more of the important little details that almost every other person skips over. That bit the fine fibers falling out of the bark is a perfect example.

I love these basic videos for helping to teach my wife these things. We plan on going to the wilderness alot more in the future and this is the perfect primer for her to learn survival skills. Thanks again.

great job buddy Im glad to see you are still able to open my mind about fire lays and construction you've been a big influence on me and my channel thanks and keep up the great work

Thanks again Dave for the lesson. The wet bark versus bone dry bark was a great tip. I have learned so much from your videos and appreciate you teaching The Path.

Coffee time......Good job Dave !!!!!!!!!

This is a pretty awesome technique, I tried this out tonight and had my fire going strong in less than 2 minutes.

Nice job. You are the professor of woodcraft teaching

Thank you Dave much appreciated! This precious info has been stored in the memory hole and will be put to the test shortly.

Nice trick, holding the knife and pulling the rod. So simple, yet I've never thought of doing it that way. Normally I push the rod into my tinder and scrape it. Your way is much better!! So, I've learned my one thing for the day, guess I can go back to sleep! LOL!! Love your channel for all it's great info.

Thanks Dave

Great video just got my first fire lighter at 27. never to late to start learning. can't wait to try this out. I was pleased to see that I already instinctively ordered all of my sticks and resources before starting the fire. I've just been teaching myself but these videos help greatly 😊 so thank you

This information is going to make a big difference for me. Thanks brother.

really enjoy all of your lessons and take it all to heart. One day I may have to rely heavily on these skills. Thanks

Every time I watch a new video I pick a little something up. Thanks Dave.

Even his hat is multi functional.

Great video. Thanks Dave.

Dave, Thanks for a great video. Fire starting is such a basic yet fundamental skill that has been lost in modern society where you can flip a switch and have heat. I appreciate your constructive dialog throughout the video, not just useless banter. I have learned or was reminded of a few great techniques such as processing bark into a nest and remembering to move the rod instead of the knife when creating a spark. Cheers.

Once again you are on top of it Dave. Ill check it out.

Love the videos, brother. Lots of thoughtful, helpful information ALWAYS. Thank you, Dave!

Best how to with fire building I've seen. Great job bro. Nothing wrong with getting back to the basics. Love it.

Love the basic vids, Always good to go back to where you started to make sure you haven't forgotten what you thought you knew. Also never even thought of throwing a rope with a stick up and over higher hanging dry branches to snap'em off. Brilliant. Climbed a pine last weekend to get at the higher stuff, but that idea never came to me to get at the Aspens. As always thank you.

Another amazing vid dave. Great vid for a beginner or seasoned woodsman. Like the tip on the ferro rod being pulled back towards yourself.

Can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge. Above all, you have a great gift of teaching. I thought you should know that what you share will save lives if they haven't already.....God Bless you brother!

great lesson Dave... another one to save... thanks

the program in discovery was only an introduction, that is the highlight! much more deeply learning! thanks

Nice demo. Thank You

Thanks for another great vid Dave.

Dave, another great video. Thanks!

If you get stuck in am ice storm this method works so long as you can find dry tender. Had to get heart wood because everything was wet and coated in ice. You have to follow his building method to even have a chance at success.

Ty for the throw explanation of how to use the rod and knife I was doing it wrong Lol. Now I got knowledge I should be able to get it on first try...

Very cool.. I need to get out more and try that. Thanks for the great video Dave

Thanks for another great video Dave. I watch your channel often and always learn something. I'm a smoker and I always always have a lighter with me and since I've been watching your videos I've stopped using it for my fires and have picked up the ferro rod. Soon I will start practicing friction fire using the bow.

Hey there brother. So glad you're uploading videos regularly to this day. Would love to see some more series based out of the cabin and sustainable living in that scenario. Stay safe and God bless.

Love your videos, Dave.

i cut my hand pretty bad about half a week ago with an axe and using a ferro rod with stitches all over just doesnt work, gotta get me some real dirt time when i get my strength back. thank you for this vid dave.

Excellent Dave, wish you had put this on last week before I went out, couldn't get a fire going for toffee! torrential rain and thunderstorms :-( Another string for my bushcraft bow. Time to get out and practice me thinks, thanks for sharing Brother! Regards Ian

Thank you so much for the class. How can we keep the fire going in marriage, is another story !!

Great video Dave, thanks for sharing these great knowledge.

Great vid I'm lucky we have birch bark all over NE its been a life saver for fire buliding thanks for all ur vids brother

this is a very good fire video dave. *added to pathfinder playlist* :) thank you. :)

Thanks for the videos man! Ive learned some cool stuff in the past week from you

While I agree with most everything in this video, I prefer to make the tipi only of the matchstick size wood first with only a few pieces of pencil and thumb size. As the fire takes I add more pencil and thumb leading to the fuel size. The idea is that much of the heat in the early stage of the fire is being lost to latent energy. Feeding the fire slowly keeps the fire hotter which is more conducive to igniting the larger pieces. The dense tipi shown here has less available heat for ignition.

Awesome tutorial brother. Great tip on the rod.

Totally agree with you man, my son wonders why I'm always taking him out for weekends in the woods and practicing all these techniques. We need to hone and sharpen our skills or else they dull just like a blade.

excellent vid DC

Hi, Dave. As always you have provided another great lesson. Appreciated. I live in Russia and in some areas winter lasts for 9 months and more. Would you pls do something as a video of fire lay right on the cnow surface?We have some tricks how to do that in Sakhalin Island and Siberia where the snow layer is about 3-5 mtrs thick. Thank you and best regards

Dave is great, learnt so much :)

Good stuff, as usual.... from that home made grappling hook snagging that poplar branch, to making that pile of sticks stand up, again, like a Granddaddy Long Legs Spider. Good stuff! Thanks!

Another win hard to find a bad video on this channel. You can also pick up other debris (pine needles, grass etc) put them in a scarf, hanky, or anything else that will draw moister out while you're walking. (If the fire is just for utility and security not warmth you could put it in a pocket careful not to sweat on it.) By the time you make camp they should be dry enough to help supplement in the birds nest or put in your kindling to help it go up with a smaller or less effective tinder bundle. A birds nest/tinder bundle (lightly) laced with dried pine needles and (small) bits of sappy pine cone can help in moist conditions. If you put to much in your bundle, it might burn well up or burn to fast to.

Excellent!

THANK YOU. .

If you put a layer of fuel sticks on the ground first, you have better air flow and stay of the cold and damp ground. When the fire is sustainable, the underlying fuel will burn and become part of the fire.

Good video. It is important to note that you don't have to be out in the woods to practice this skill. Gather up some natural materials and instead of reaching for the lighter to light your backyard fire pit, put these skills to work.

nice vid Dave.

Good video!

Excellent video! Like button approved!!!

Love the back to basics series

It would be cool to see a couple of tree identification videos and their uses.

Love the stick an rope trick .. WAY COOL!!!

And I always fanned the fire. It turns out you can just take off the hat and fan the fire hat. Thank you very much for the video. It is always interesting to watch.

Awesome stuff

Another great advantage to your tee-pee method is that it will help shed water should you be doing this in the rain. Great video. Thanks.

You remind me of my Airborne-Airassault Infantry brothers. Are you a veteran by any chance bro. I love your KZfaq videos. Makes me miss my Army brothers. Peace be w/you bro & many blessings! RLTW, Hoo-ah!

It is amazing how stress or trying to hurry can make people do foolish things it may be fire starting or hanging a tree stand. Last year I moved a hanging tree stand early in the season to get closer to where I saw the deer moving at sunset. The next day at work my forearms were itching like crazy. When I returned to the moved stand I saw poison ivy vines all around the tree. In my haste I didn't even notice the vines. Slow down....check your surroundings!

In your series, I'd be quite interested in information regarding how much wood should you gather for an "all night fire" outside your shelter. I know that most people do not come close to gathering enough firewood, or do enough processing (splitting, sizing) to make it work. Could you please do a video showing comparative fires and show how long they burn and the differences among different types of wood in terms of use in a long burn fire? This might be a challenge as some fires don't last!

You are the man.

This is a great variable to teach. Wet wood or supplies can be a death sentence, especially if it's cold.

Very helpful.

Damn, those are some great results. I'm going to pick one up

Cool!

Dave, have you ever done a video on the Swedish torch or the council fire (upside down fire lay)? Do you have any methods of your own for making self sustaining or longer lasting fires? Thanks

Dave, do you know anyone that is doing these same sorts of videos here in the N.W. It would be awesome to see someone using the materials I'm around. Trask Mountain Oregon. P.S. bow season started this last weekend and I bagged a beautiful Roosevelt. Keep it up brother, thanks again.

Great video as always Dave! Have you ever considered doing any videos on utilizing / working with a dog out in the wilderness and for what purposes they can be used?

Hey Dave could you do a video about the cloths you wear into the woods during the different seasons? Thanks

I was going to ask how to find good bird nest material in the rain but you showed it first thing. I didn't even think of dead standing trees. I could have used that idea last weekend. I do have 1 question. What are the odds of being attacked by a pack of coyotes. I woke up at 2:30am, fire's out, & had at least 6 around me, & I mean close enough to see one, eye shin of three, & hear at least 2 more behind me! I'm 6'5" 245lbs. & still almost wet myself !!!

Awesome video Dave. When I was a child my grandpa taught me to build fires like cross cross style, so it almost looks like an ancient funeral pyre. Have you ever used that style?

Dave, lighting the birds-nest while it is in the fire lay is different than I've seen you do it in the past. Generally, I've seen you light the nest, roll it in the air to get it to flame sufficiently, then put the nest in the fire lay. Is the method shown in this video for ferro rods and the I've seen so many time in the past used with charred material in the nest? Thanks for a great vid.

Hey brother. Are you ever planning on making it to the TN region for any meet and greets? Bought a fantastic book from your site that I'd be honored to have your mark in. Take care and keep doing what you're doing.

Don't quite understand why you want to get rid of all that bark dust. Dry wood dust will take a spark really well. It's the wood dust in a bow drill fire where you create the ember. Lumber mills have elaborate vacuum systems just to keep wood dust to a minimum. If you ever see an explosion when dust in the atmosphere ignites, you'll know why brother. lol Anyway, just wondering why you don't use the dust in the tender bundle.

Great video Brother. I am a Youth Pathfinder and this is what we are taught, hope to come to a basic class soon, keep it up. And as a question: have you ever tried the fire thong method like in the FM-71 survival manual? it looks really interesting.

LOL, yep, anytime needing a fire was life or death it took for ever to get started and was a chore to keep going. While, under the same conditions, a fire was not important it started easy and still ambering in the morning.

Dave do you have a blog?

Great vid brother! I know you prob get tired of these what if questions, but just curious as to what you would do in an extremely wet environment, unable to find any dry materials, with only a cig lighter? Needing to get a fire started quickly, curious to what you would try first. I'm sure the answer is prob in one of your vids, just not sure which one, lol. Thanks again brother for all that you do...appreciate all these great vids!

Love the videos you post.Have a question.Have you ever thought to use dryer lint as a fire starter?Anyone who has a dryer has a way to start a fire if they collect it.Thanks,and keep the videos coming.

Love the vids brother I do have a question or a request but the neck of the woods I'm in doesn't really have a lot of water how can I find water with out having some kind of creek or river close at hand thanks in advance

As a cheap trick I like to weave tiny sticks into my tinder bundle. No bigger than tooth picks. Or use lightly thick shavings. This helps extend the initial flame. Not sure if you've gone over this. A discussion on examples of fire setups. Ie this type is good for heating an area or this setup is good for wood conservation. And or self feeding setups . Thanks

I miss u in Dual Survival

Surely you would not have an empty pack to collect kindling with? Much more realistic to make a withy from natural material!

excellent

looks good brother! say we don't have tulip poplar in my area, but cottonwood works good for me. have you work with it any?