Firesteel Retention Trick

I was recently talking with Dan and Spen at JRE Industries about the new Willett Firesteel Belt Loop (pictured) and the conversation turned to firesteel retention and the problems one could encounter once the diameter or length of the firesteel had been reduced through heavy use.

This, I thought, was a major problem that needed to be addressed because I might use my firesteel so much that it no longer snugly fits into my Willett. Of course I'd have to use my firesteel much more frequently for that wear to be very noticeable and I've never managed to wear out an Army Model Firesteel (by the way, that's a heck of a price at JRE) in all of my years of use. Perhaps that's because I continue to give them away to folks who express an interest in them when I'm describing the many firelighting methods.

So, there's this major problem facing firesteel users...and then Dan and Spen suggest a solution so simple I'm a bit embarrassed that I didn't think of it on my own.

Replace the cord on your firesteel with a piece of shock cord. Then you simply insert your firesteel in the Willett and loop the lanyard around the bottom end of your firesteel. This effectively locks the firesteel into the loop and is easy to remove when you want to use the firesteel.

Complex (not really) problem; simple solution.

Thanks for reading,


B