Brass Fire Piston - Compression Fire Starter, 125g

Lighters fail when they get wet and run out when you need them most. A fire piston has no fuel to run out of and nothing to soak — it makes fire from physics, by compressing air fast enough that the heat of compression ignites tinder.

Drive the piston into the tube in one sharp movement and the air inside compresses hard enough to reach ignition temperature, lighting a small piece of tinder held in the recess at the tip. Pull it out and you have an ember to transfer to your kindling. The body is machined brass and aluminium alloy, so there is nothing to corrode in a damp pack, and at 125g and 13 x 2 x 2cm it stows in a pocket of a survival kit and stays there for years.

Two things to know. Only the fire piston is included — you supply your own tinder, and char cloth is what most people use, as ordinary tinder will not reliably take an ember this small. And it takes practice: the technique is a knack, and the time to learn it is at home in daylight, not on a cold night when you need a fire.

Specifications

• Materials: brass and aluminium alloy
• Size: 13 x 2 x 2cm
• Net weight: 125g
• No fuel, flint or batteries required
• Tinder not included — char cloth recommended
• In the box: 1 x fire piston