A crackling fire, some good music, and a heap of roasted marshmallows are just a few of the classics that campers enjoy when spending a day or two out under the stars. However, in some cases, things don’t go as planned and disaster strikes at the worst times. That’s why it’s important to always be prepared for when the weather gets nasty. If you’re not ready to face Mother Nature’s wrath, you might pay the ultimate price. In the event that you need to spend an extra night outside for some reason, you’re going to need to stay warm. For the unprepared, there’s one small piece of unassumingly useful gear that the musician of the group might have brought along with them — a guitar pick.
This small strumming tool might be exactly what you need to start a fire and stay toasty.
Guitar picks are made out of a very flammable material called celluloid — the same stuff used in film. This makes picks extremely handy tools for starting fires.
First, find yourself some wood and carve out a small divot. Next, cut a slit down the centerline, starting about an inch or so from the top.
Scratch the flammable celluloid off the surface of the pick and collect the shavings in the freshly carved divot. Don’t be cheap with the shavings; you’ll want to slice off around a quarter of the guitar pick’s surface. We’ll use the rest later.
Now, place the rest of the guitar pick in the slit you cut down the wood’s centerline, above the divot.Now, add heat to the small pile of collected celluloid shavings by either rubbing a sturdy stick against the wood like Tom Hanks did in Castaway — or you can use a ferrocerium rod if you have one.
Once you get the shavings lit, add a small amount of kindling (the drier the better) and let the flame breathe and grow.
Note: All fires should be built safely and cared for responsibly. We wouldn’t want an already sh*tty situation to get worse.
Check out Black Scout Survival‘s video below to see how this little tool can start the perfect fire in mere seconds.