Spitfire – Pocket Fire Lighting Kit

It is only a month ago since I tested and reviewed the latest version of Polymath’s Every Day Carry (EDC) Fire Kit and here comes yet another new set from the innovative and energetic directors of this company. Last month I was impressed by the effectiveness of the new format EDC kit (see my review elsewhere on Polymath’s products), with 3 forms of tinder – waxed jute tinder sticks, a waxed fibre capsule, and a magnesium-backed ferro rod – in a similar container to the tube provided with the Spitfire Plus kit included in this review. However, that EDC kit is intended as a compact and discrete item to be carried for emergency use, whereas the Spitfire is a more comprehensive set that is eminently suited to inclusion in either larger survival kits such as a Bug Out Bag or Car Kit, or for regular outdoor activities like bushcraft, backpacking, camping, or even starting a fire for a brew while fishing or during a day at a beach. The Spitfire kit is compact and lightweight and should fit easily in a pocket of most outdoors clothing. It is housed in a polypropylene box that feels strong and durable, contains the kit securely and even has a small amount of free space for additional items. The nylon pouch that comes as part of the Plus pack provides good protection and features a loop on one side that will take the carabiner for attaching the capsule. The kit includes an efficient ferrocerium rod and striker, a telescoping tube to blow through for enhancing the temperature of embers to promote or rekindle a fire, a pencil sharpener, and 2 types of tinder – jute tinder sticks and waxed wooden dowels. I have long been a fan of Polymath’s waxed jute tinder sticks as simple, reliable and effective fire starters but the waxed dowels are a new feature so I decided to test those and the robust new ferro rod first. The striker design included with this kit is becoming so common that I have used versions with many other fire starters but how well any striker matches the rod with which it is paired can always vary depending on the alloy in the rod and the quality of manufacture of the scraper, so it was well worth a thorough test of those together. The Polymath product descriptions of various kits state that shavings from the dowels will ‘act in a similar way to Fatwood to create an intense burn that will help you to get a fire going, even with quite damp materials’, claims that provided what little encouragement is ever needed for me to get outside and practise my fire lighting. Using the sharpener provided in the kit, I shaved down half of one waxed dowel rod into fine flakes and piled it in front of a section of branch in my outdoors fire place. The dowels are dry to the touch and quite light coloured, with little sign of wax, so I was unsure as to whether the shavings would ignite from sparks or whether I would have to light a waxed jute stick and then insert that under the pile. Success certainly didn’t come on the first few strikes, even though the ferro rod and its striker were producing plenty of hot, bright sparks on each stroke, but several flakes caught a spark and smouldered where struck and then one ignited and the flame quickly spread to the rest of the pile. Satisfied that I could light them from sparks, I shaved another rod into tinder and piled some dry grass and birch sticks over it. A few more long strikes of the ferro rod and the tinder shavings caught and rapidly brought my kindling into flame. I let most of the sticks burn and then pulled a few away and let the remainder burn down to embers. I piled on a few new sticks, extended the bellows tube and began to blow steadily into the ember pile. The embers immediately glowed brightly and within a few seconds again caught light. A small rearrangement of the sticks and I soon had another fire blazing. This tube is definitely a positive aid to accurate and powerful intensification of embers and a great help in rekindling a fire. Also of interest to me, was the description of the pencil sharpener as a ‘Magnesium Sharpener’. Of course its intended use is to shave flakes from the waxed dowels or other sticks but my immediate thought was that if the material from which it is made is truly viable magnesium then it could also be an emergency source of intensely hot burning tinder as yet another fire starter. Many sharpeners that look similar to this are actually made from either aluminium or an alloy that doesn’t light easily, if at all, from either sparks or a match or lighter flame so a practical test was essential. The sharpener has a thicker and more solid area of metal on one corner of the face where you push in sticks to turn them, so I used my knife to scrape a small pile of shavings from that point. I only wanted to test the viability of the metal as tinder, rather than to get a large or long burn to start another fire, so I collected the scrapings and then transferred them to my fire place. A few strikes of the ferro rod had individual shavings glowing and sparking, and then the pile ignited and burned fiercely, just like good quality magnesium should. The aluminium capsule of the Plus pack arrives empty so that you can select its contents for yourself. I started mine with a fibre capsule, to which I had attached a match striker and added 5 additional jute tinder sticks, all from an EDC refill kit, then fitted in 5 wind and waterproof matches, a couple of self-relighting birthday cake candles, which are sold as a party joke but are great for saving on matches or other ignition sources when you are trying to light a fire in blustery conditions, and an alcohol wipe. There was a small space still at the top of the tube so I scrunched up another tinder stick to fill the hole. However, all these items are ones I have tested and used previously and are not provided as part of the Spitfire Plus kit so, other than finding out what would fit in the capsule that would make a useful extension of the main kit, I didn’t consider it to be relevant to include tests of them here. Once again Polymath has produced products that practical tests prove to be completely viable, yet that encourage you to apply your own ideas in using and extending them. Although most individual items included are not unique to this company, the combination and presentation of them is definitely Polymath’s own. These kits are well thought out and put together and the prices are very competitive. As always with Polymath, the instruction leaflet included is a clear and accurate guide that should enable even a beginner to fire lighting to achieve success with this set of gear if they apply the advice competently. In all, these are excellent additions to Polymath’s product line.