# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Making Stuff >  Carrying fire ember

## corndog-44

I think the ancient technology of taking a glowing ember from one place to another and making a fire out of it needs to be relearned. As I see it, rekindling a fire with hot coals would be a lot easier than starting a fire with many other methods around.

Fire ember can be carried with the use of a fire pouch (ember held between two shells). A more modern method would be to put burning pieces of wood and hot coals into a one gallon steel paint can and close the lid. A small slot could be near the bottom and top that can be bent open or closed to adjust the air flow to allow in just enough air to keep it burning but not so much as to consume all the dry wood in the container. The gallon paint can full of these burning embers wouldn't be heavy, as the water in the wood would have already boiled away.

Any other ideas on carrying burning embers to the next encampment to start the next fire?

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## Sarge47

> I think the ancient technology of taking a glowing ember from one place to another and making a fire out of it needs to be relearned. As I see it, rekindling a fire with hot coals would be a lot easier than starting a fire with many other methods around.
> 
> Fire ember can be carried with the use of a fire pouch (ember held between two shells). A more modern method would be to put burning pieces of wood and hot coals into a one gallon steel paint can and close the lid. A small slot could be near the bottom and top that can be bent open or closed to adjust the air flow to allow in just enough air to keep it burning but not so much as to consume all the dry wood in the container. The gallon paint can full of these burning embers wouldn't be heavy, as the water in the wood would have already boiled away.
> 
> Any other ideas on carrying burning embers to the next encampment to start the next fire?


Sounds like a lot of extra work to me.  I just restart my fire.  I suppose if I lost all my fire-making stuff I might have to resort to that but then how did I ever gett the 1st frie started?

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## Rob

I have been playing around with the mushroom like fungi that grow on standing dead trees.It is a coal extender and will hold a spark for a very long time without bursting into flame. It is also used as a way to dry out a tinder bundle until you can blow it into flame if it is wet.

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## Nativedude

You can make a tinder bundle and/or dried cow patties will smolder for hours. Sometimes these two methods will smolder for a couple of days, depending on the wind?!

For a tinder bundle take a combination of some semi-dry grass & leaves and a piece of flexible bark; birch, cedar, etc., and roll the bark tightly around the grass & leaves. Wrap and tie it as tightly as possible with some type of cordage or vine or thin green limb.

Place a coal from your current fire in the end and leave it until the bundle begins to smoke and smolder. This bundle can then be carried to another shelter site and used to expedite starting a fire.

*The bundle must be tight so that it does not get too much oxygen. Too much oxygen will cause it to burn too fast.*

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## flandersander

I take some birch bark from a rotted tree on the ground and cut it into strips. I put a coal on a 2 inch wide piece. i then wrap it with the strips of bark. the first piece smoulders and the rest keep out the oxygen. this smolders for days if you hold the tops tight enough. or you could tie them together with some willow bark or something.

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## Bladesypher

Burn the fungi from a dead tree till its black, it can hold a spark for a very long time.

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## survivalhike

Nativedude hits it on the head when it comes to animals.  The ones in the city are definately more dangerous than the ones in the forest.  I carry a gun when I camp and hike and it's only for two legged animals.  The ones on four legs will leave you alone.  It's the humans you need to watch out for.

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## HOP

I have never had to pull a gun on man or animal for protection but it sure is a comfort.
Find some material that smolders well wrap in bark or damp leaves but I think time would be better spent making a fire starting device.

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## sh4d0wm4573ri7

Bark strips work as do several other things yet tinder fungus is the one I would prefer though I have never really needed to carry an ember with several easy means of making fire always with me .

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## Borelli

What i do is take embers and coals from the fire and place it on top of a log where it has been chopped/broken in half.  After a while of this the log itself will have a hole in it that is a glowing red.... keep blowing on the embers of the log until you reach your new campsiteimmediatly make a fire pit or clear an area for fire and place the log there grab some pre-gathered tinder and use acoordingly.  build a fire like you normally would and dont worry about the original log because it was easy to make in the first place

It seems like a lot of work but if you do not have a flint or extra matches it is worth it.

Dom Borelli

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## Jay

Hi, I'm new on this forum and I live in Sri Lanka.  Some of the things below may not be relavent to your part of the world but I thought I'd share them anyway!

We have a few ways of carrying an ember.

one is dried elephant dung. it will smoulder for 6-8 hours.  the smoke from the dung also acts as a strong mosquito reppelent. 

Another way is a tight woven rope of coir (coconut fiber) or even cotton cord. light the end and it will smoulder for hours.

The husk of a coconut ( fiberous outer skinl of the coconut) when dry will also smoulder for a long time.

Some of the larger hard & woody types of fungus will also smoulder for a long time.  Chared wood or wood charcoal from a old campfire can also keep an ember going for a long time.   you'll need a vessel to carry the charcoal.

The trick with each of these methods is to attach the bolus of dung, or coconut husk to a string or stick and let it swing naturally in you hand while you walk along. (the motion will fan the ember just enough to prevent it going out,  but it should be checked from time to time.

Hope this has been of intrest.
rgds
jk

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