Carry your heat source and tinder with you.

The Magnesium Block is a proven method of lighting your fire, and is very handy to carry where tinder may be damp or in short supply. The magnesium comes in a block, which in its solid form is inert. To enable you to get fire you need to process it a little by taking the striker (supplied) and scrape shavings off the block, then simply reverse the block and scrape the striker along the flint surface to drop sparks on the magnesium and light the material. Burning at around 5000 degrees you get a flash of flame into which you can add further tinder.

So what do our instructors think? Here Alec writes:

"This is a great little piece of kit to carry with you to ensure that you can light fire no matter what the weather. As with the fire steels this piece of kit will work when wet, and if you struggle to get your tinder going then you can add the magnesium to it to increase your chances. I have used this method of fire lighting many times. But I have to say the one down side to the magnesium block is that in windy weather you have to take measures to protect the shavings from the elements otherwise they will just blow away... but you'd need to protect any tinder if it was windy so don't let this put you off!

Advantages: The Magnesium Block will work in any weather, even if it has just been submerged as you came out of your canoe! The other great fact about this product is that you carry your tinder with you and it doesn't matter if it is wet.

Disadvantages: The magnesium can be difficult to control in the wind once it has been processed... we have found the best way to counteract this is to use your body as a shield against the wind, but also to build a little shelter for the tinder to go in to consisting off the smaller grades off your kindling