After attending the Survival Camp, I swear I'll never venture into the woods without a tampon.
In the picturesque woodland section of Wense, Peine district, lies Survival Camp Wense - a haven for those seeking to master wilderness survival skills. The camp, led by Stefan Winkler, offers a unique learning experience, teaching everything from filtering water to building shelters, and most importantly, starting fires.
Stefan Winkler, a passionate advocate for nature and wilderness survival, has honed his skills through books, personal experiences, and military training. Recently, he has demonstrated three innovative methods for creating fire, one of which involves using a tampon.
Tampons, primarily made of cotton, catch sparks easily and burn quickly. To make them better fire starters, they can be coated with beeswax, paraffin wax, or soaked in petroleum jelly (Vaseline). This makes them waterproof, highly flammable, and allows them to burn longer, providing ample time to ignite larger tinder and fuel.
Another unconventional item that can be used to start a fire is a battery. By touching its terminals to fine metal shavings or thin steel wool, a battery can create sparks that can ignite tinder such as the waxed tampon. The battery acts as the ignition source.
Even a Kinder chocolate packaging can be repurposed in a survival scenario. The colorful foil or plastic wrapper can be used as tinder or reflective material. The foil part can help reflect heat towards your tinder or be crumpled to hold waxed tampon fibers. However, chocolate packaging is not inherently flammable, but the foil can help focus heat from the ignition source or serve as a tinder container.
To start a fire using a tampon, follow these steps:
- Prepare the tampon by coating it with wax or petroleum jelly if available to improve burning time.
- Wrap or nest some fine steel wool or shave some fine metal (e.g., from a battery terminal if possible).
- Use the battery terminals to touch the steel wool or metal shavings to create sparks.
- Direct the sparks onto the tampon to ignite it.
- Use the Kinder chocolate packaging foil to reflect heat towards the tampon to sustain ignition or shield it from wind.
- Use the burning tampon to ignite larger tinder and eventually your firewood.
This method is effective in survival scenarios since tampons are lightweight, absorbent cotton that serves as excellent tinder, the battery provides an easy spark source, and the chocolate packaging's foil can assist in heat management. Always be cautious and ensure you control the fire safely.
In addition to these unconventional methods, Survival Camp Wense teaches traditional techniques, such as scraping small pieces of birch bark with a knife and piling them up to start a fire. The camp offers day and weekend courses in various wilderness survival skills, making it possible to learn essential skills quickly, even in short courses.
Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast or simply looking to learn new skills, Survival Camp Wense offers a unique and engaging experience. Under the guidance of Stefan Winkler, you can master the art of wilderness survival and be prepared for any adventure that nature throws your way.
- Incorporating household items into wilderness survival skills, Stefan Winkler showcases an innovative method using a tampon, coated with wax or petroleum jelly, as a fire starter at Survival Camp Wense.
- Delving into health-and-wellness alternatives, the camp also repurposes a Kinder chocolate packaging's foil as a useful tinder or reflector in outdoor-living scenarios.
- Building on the concept of lifestyle improvement, Survival Camp Wense presents traditional and unconventional methods, such as filtering water, building shelters, and starting fires, within a fitness-and-exercise setting, providing home-and-garden skills for self-sufficiency in the wilderness.
