I’ve always had a love and hate relationship with all-in-one kits geared toward survival. One the one hand, I love the convenience of having a curated collection of gear assembled in one place for one easy purchase, but on the other hand, I’m really particular about exactly what it is that I like to carry […]
Fire starter
Marine Corps Vets weigh in on Top pieces of EDC gear
Everyone can agree that there are some pieces of EDC, survival, and travel gear that you can’t go without. For this article, I polled the writers of the Loadout Room and asked them to share with me in one or two paragraphs what their top three pieces of kit are. Much of it is due […]
Rad on Gear: Wood burning with the Crate Club Windproof Lighter
It’s not all about the time you spend looking for adventure in the great outdoors — sometimes it’s got to be about spending time with your family and getting work done. That’s what Rad’s up to in this edition of Rad on Gear: working on a walking stick project with his son. When it comes […]
Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL: Ultra-Portable Fire Starter
With a company like Exotac, you can pretty much guarantee that you are going to receive an amazing product for starting a fire in any condition. I’ve been so impressed with their products lately, and I’m more than eager to get my hands on their stuff when it’s available. For this review, I’ll be focusing […]
Rad on Gear: Light a fire in any environment with the Crate Club ‘Turbo’ Lighter
In this edition of Rad on Gear, Rad’s talking about starting a fire for morale or for survival (and wherever the two shall meet). There are lots of options when it comes to fire starting gear, and a lot of them have their place in any well-prepared adventurer’s loadout, but few will get a fire […]
Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL: The best ferro-rod available
Being able to start a fire is one of the most important aspects of survival as it allows one to keep warm, purify water, and signal for help. Therefore, a fire-starter is arguably the most important tool in your survival kit. I personally carry a butane lighter, stormproof matches, and ferro-rod in mine (always have […]
Exotac Matchcap XL review: An almost-perfect match case
One of the most important pieces of a survival kit is your fire-starting gear. As with any essential piece of gear, it’s also important to have contingency options. For example, my fire-starting gear consists of a Bic lighter, ferro-rod, and UCO stormproof matches. If and when one of these options fail, I can rely on […]
Enhance your EDC with discrete tools inside the Survival Belt 2.0
In my quest to carry as much useful survival equipment as possible on my body at any given time, the Survival Belt 2.0 is an invaluable piece of gear. It not only offers the convenience of saving space in my pocket and makes sure I don’t leave an item behind, but it also offers comfort […]
UCO | Behemoth Sweetfire match kit
UCO is a company that has been bringing innovation to the outdoor products market for nearly half a century. While the titular acronym stands for Utility, Comfort and Originality, the company’s products also feature another aspect, simplicity. So it was with the Behemoth Sweetfire match kit. Why Behemoth? Well, these are essentially massive matches with stormproof strike tips. […]
Starting a Fire in a Survival Situation
One of the key outdoor skills you need to master is starting a fire. In a survival situation, it may save your life. What do you carry?