This SURVIVAL SKILL could Save Your LIFE! Make FIRE in WET WEATHER!

Knowing how to make a fire is one of the fundamental outdoor and survival skills. But people rarely practice fire making in the rain. Whether you're out for a short hike or tarp camping in the northwoods, this survival hack could save your life. In this bushcraft skills video Clay Hayes shows you some ferro rod techniques and how to start a fire in a downpour. The goal is to find dry tinder but all the fine fuels are wet. But the interior wood from standing dead snags contain dry wood. The key is that they're standing up straight. We'll cut firewood and split it into kindling. Then select a piece of wood with straight grain to make a feather stick which will catch a spark from a ferro rod. Clay was the winner of Alone Season 8 where he survived months alone in the wilderness and used a ferro rod to start fires on a daily basis.

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[clayhayeshunter]

Hey folks, one note on this vid. I usually use the back of the sawblade for striking the ferro rod. Not sure what the hell I was thinking 🤪Too focused on making the vid I guess!

[ostekuste]

Started learning true bushcraft skills last year. After a lot of time spent watching videos like yours and others like Gray Bearded Green Beret and Dave Canterbury I have become more capable in most situations. Last winter I went out in really bad conditions, days when it was raining after multiple days of snow. Some days it was near zero Fahrenheit, everything covered in ice. I had no problem starting a fire, keeping almost too comfortable, cooking food, and generally making a miserable and dangerous day in the woods actually pleasant. I am surprised at how little I need now to be comfortable in the woods in any weather. Thanks to all you experts for sharing your knowledge

[peterkoval]

if you're ever stranded in the woods in the rain, make sure you have a tarp, sharp knife, rope, a ferro rod, and a saw... i appreciate the 'survival' tips, but if you're really stranded I doubt anyone will have any of these things handy unless you're already prepared to be stranded.

[Friend_]

You don't have to be good, you just have to be persistent. Very true.

[scottlee]

I started a fire in a wet environment last night. What a confidence booster. Thanks Clay!

[tesla-spectre]

Fixing the knife in the wood was a genius idea I never had come up with myself. So much more logical, reducing risk of slipping etc and increasing stability of the whole cutting process. Excellent video.

[searchingforthgear]

On the lighter side of starting fires in the rain... I was in military training at Ft. Bragg, NC in the early spring. We were in the field being all tactical. A major winter storm/ice storm/rain came in. It was about 33 degrees and raining for hours. Finally our cadre said, you can have a fire if you can get one going. One of the soldiers I was with was a lineman for the power company in California. He whips out half of a road flare and commences to get it lit and start a fire! lol. Then it was a matter of bringing in wood close enough to dry out before putting it on the fire. He said he always carries half a road flare, "just in case."

[weekendwarrior]

Clay, I struggle with feather sticks too. Driving the knife into the log and pulling the wood was a great tip. Also, pulling the ferro to prevent hitting the bundle (I’ve done that a hundred times)…that was a game changer. I feel stupid for not trying that before now. Thanks for the video.

[larrywhalen]

Greetings Clay, I came across your video on starting a fire in the rain and enjoyed your techniques to get a fire going in adverse conditions, as well as how to obtain "dry" wood from a dead tree which is still standing, but one thing I've found, is a tree which has been dead for awhile will still be more than dry enough inside to obtain good/viable wood to make shavings or a fire stick with, as well as fuel for the fire.

One thing I've used, for so many years now since I was in my early teens is a small plane to obtain the shavings I needed to initiate those first flames from a meager spark.

Speaking of which, sparks, the early VW's eng cases were made from magnesium for several years and due to the fire hazard we're eventually discontinued in favor of aluminum instead - and as a result I managed to obtain a couple of cases which a friend would break up and file/grind into fine shavings with great care which I've used for years to produce more than enough sparks from a few grams of magnesium and only carry it in small apothecary bottles to avoid any possible static build up,

One other item I've started using is the lint from the drier since it is 'safer' than magnesium and doesn't weigh practically anything, and a considerable amount can be carried without taking up any space to be concerned about.

Although I'm 76 and have been doing this since I was ten I learned something new here so thank you.

[corvuscorax]

Great video! Like Ray Mears once said about fire; "The harder you need it, the more difficult it is to make."

[iggreene]

Excellent tips man. Making a base as you show is one thing I see so many people fail to do. Fire burns up and down and as you show, it helps retain heat and keep coals/embers going. The tip for splitting kindling and suggesting having everything prepped before sparks are thrown is spot on. Great vid and I appreciate your humility and attitude amigo!

[survivingnewmexico]

Thank you. I just spent 4 days in the woods and had a hell of a time building a fire. I'm a desert rat and usually have dry wood but not last weekend. It was so humid with the rain and hail that receipts I found in my bag wouldn't burn. I'm glad you showed how to do this in the rain rather than wetting wood for a few minutes under a sprinkler or quickly dipping tinder in a stream. I'm getting your book now.

[hallelujahhomestead]

I’m loving this, Clay. This kind of content - taking the hardships seen on Alone and showing us real, practical ways of addressing it... that’s prime A1 stuff right there. I watch Alone with my daughter as a bit of educational entertainment. But yours is even better because you show us the skills and the ways you’ve come up with to be even more successful. Thank you!

[BryanTheHunter]

Always a good thing to practice. I found myself in a really heavy wet snow last elk season. It had rained a lot the prior day so everything was soaking wet. As I sat in some semi-protected place waiting for some visibility to return, I decided to test my fire making skills. I was under impressed by what I did accomplish and how long it took me to actually get one going. However, I learned a lot and have some new tricks to try next time. Thanks for putting these videos out there!

[josephbriceno]

One of the best fire starting videos I have ever seen. I didn't think I needed to learn anything new on the subject. I love the direction you drug the blade on the ferro rod & the knife stuck in the log to drag your feather stick on was pure genius my boy!

[ArtByHazel]

If you can start a fire amidst the rainy season - that’s rad!!😃👌🏼🇨🇦

[donnievance]

Clay, I think you're the best survival skills video producer I've come across. I'm 73 years old and lived alone for many years in the backwoods in northwestern Montana. You've taught me a few wrinkles I didn't already know. Many survival videos I've seen have silly aspects to them, but everything I've seen you put out is always sound and to the point. You also have a great sense of video production, balancing thorough presentation against unnecessary tedium, your shots are well set up, and your audio is great. Subscribed.

[MySockKeepMyToesWarm]

Dude these are literally alone episodes just of you Clay. It is absolutely amazing. What you have done with the production of these and the camera work and everything that you learned from Alone I’d assume are absolutely incredible. It’s amazing to see you doing what you love man.

[brianthesnail]

That was impressive. I especially liked the way that risk in cutting the kindling was thought about and minimised. In my experience it is really easy to go from a relatively safe position into a dangerous situation outdoors just by getting injured needlessly. Losing the use of one hand with an axe, knife or saw accident makes everything 10 x harder even without major blood loss.

[coydog]

Excellent video Clay, been doing this “bushcraft” stuff for about 45 years. Your video was well explained and executed. Well done 👍