I'm thinking of starting a side buisness

[Joben]

A while ago I was showing my sister my survival kit that i take when I go walking in the woods...well actually when i go almost anywhere really.

She thought my swedish firesteel was really neat. So I made her a fire kit. It turned out really nice.

Being able to start a fire can be the difference between life and death, and getting one going in adverse weather conditions can be extremely challenging. Add to that the fact that matches and lighters can fail for a variety of reasons and you start to understand the need for a kit.

Butane lighters do not work well in cold temps, they may not work AT ALL, when it's below freezing. Classic style Zippo type lighters are quite reliable, but their fuel evaporates in as short as a week's time. All lighters have numerous moving parts that can fail, and are vulnerable to breakage. Further they generally don't work when wet, and can run out of fuel. Matches are very vulnerable to breakage and if they get wet they may not work even if they are carefully dried afterward. There are waterproof matches of various degrees of quality, but the good ones run into my more fundamental objection to depending on matches: Compared to other methods they give few lights for the amount of space they take up. In contrast a Firesteel, while it takes more skill to use, works when wet, has no moving parts, and last for thousands of strikes.

A proper kit needs a certain amount of redundancy so you can be 100% confident that you can start a fire.

The kits I make always involve an easy way of getting direct flame, like a lighter, and a reliable way of getting flame, like a swedish firesteel.

Then it must provide a means of maintaining a hot flame for long enough to dry out wet kindling so the fire can become self sustaining.

(Combustible materials like candle wax, rubber and resinous 'fatwood' are popular in the survival community)

I started to wonder if I could make any money selling kits like that. So i did some research and spent some time refining the design.

This is what I came up with:

• 
  
  
• Lanyard - My own design, you can easily unfasten it to add or remove items.
  
• Whistle - integrated into lanyard
  
• Lighter - Waterproof and crushproof
  
• Tinder Capsule - Waterproof and filled with petrolum jelly coated cotton balls that burn for 2-3 minutes each
  
• Firesteel
  
• Scraper - To spark the firesteel
  
• Keychain light - It's hard to make a fire if you can't see what you're doing.
  

Also, some of the components would be paired up with "ranger bands" (a.k.a bicycle inner-tube) to keep from tangling, and as a backup fire accelerant.

Like in this somewhat more extensive kit which I made for my nephew.

I've figured out pricing and sources for the various items, and believe I could make a useful amount of profit in small volume sales if the kits were priced somewhere around $15.

I think that price range would be competitive in the current market.

At first I would sell through Ebay. Then if it goes well maybe make my own site and use Paypal's shopping cart features.

I'm not trying to advertise here... I'm looking for comments and advice and needed to give some background on my plan.

I've just never done anything like this before. I want to try it, but I've got cold feet.

At the moment I'm not really envisioning this as a way to make a living, more as a hobby and thing to do in my spare time to help pay for my own outdoor gear.

What do you fine folks think?

[InsanitySorrow]

Do I spy a chance to make a logo?

Sounds like a good idea , I'll have a better reply when the cogs start turning again

[DsoS]

seem like it would be effective and its simple.

I'd buy one, but i'm not the outdoors type of person really I go camping maybe once a year or every few years

[Vince]

Joben,

There are couple of issues that might be worth considering.

Does the key chain LED light in your kit need to be squeezed to light? The inexpensive ones (~ $6 US retail) I've seen need to be squeezed, so you couldn't use both hands to start the fire. The ones with a switch seem to go for around $10 US retail or more.

Also, packaging can be important. If the kit is for emergencies, would a small box that could go in a glove box, purse, or brief case be better-- or a possible option?

Whatever you decide, I want to thank you for posting this topic. I carry an "emergency kit" in my brief case during the week and in a sports bag on the weekends. It consists of a Wenger Handyman Swiss Army knife, a 2X AA waterproof Maglight, and a butane lighter. After reading your post, I started thinking about the kit and realized I need to update it. I'll upgrade the light to a SureFire LED mini light. The SureFires are awesome, if you can afford them, and the LED lasts longer and provides much longer battery life for the same light output. Also, you are certainly right about the butane at cold temperatures. I need to get a firesteel and practice using it. The Swiss Army knife's nail file should make a good scraper. Thanks.

Vince

EDIT: If you haven't seen it already, the following link lists fire starter kits from about $11 to $24 that you might compare to what you are thinking about: Going Gear Fire Starters.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Vince

[WindmillTilter]

As a fun hobby and a way to make a few spare bucks I think it's an excellent idea. If it goes well and you're enjoying it you could always expand your product line to include other survival type gear as well. That said I don't think you'll ever make a LOT of money at it, it's a relatively small niche market and there's a fair amount of competition. Depending on the folks you hang around with a tag line like "Edorsed by S.A.R. members" or some such may be worth looking into.

I like the kit, it covers your basics in a very small package. If you do consider adding a slightly larger kit to your inventory I highly recomend including a mylar blanket. For the small amount of space and virtualy non-existant weight they can be a literal life saver. They're a staple in my emerg kit and I can say from personal experience that you can spend a night on the side of a mountain around the freezing point wrapped in one and mantain a relatively comfortable temperature (other aspects of your night may be less comfortable ).

WT

[Rowan]

I grew up in a small town in Alaska and walking and spending the night in the wilderness was and still is a big part of my life. I think that serious outdoorsy types like me tend to put together their own kits, and the more casual folks probably won't take the time to do so, so your in luck there. I agree with windmill that it's a pretty small market with lots of competition. Your going to have to come with some clever marketing devices - a catchy brand name and slogan will go a long way, as will a variety of designs - people like having choices to a point. You also need to make the kit pretty unique so that it stands out from what's already available.

[Joben]

Vince, the lights have a latch that keeps them on. I purchased dozens of that model for myself and to give to family and friends.

While i would recommend carrying a larger more durable, and longer lasting light in a kit, they're a fantastic thing to keep around.

My parents have them on their keychains. I use them as zipper pulls on my bags and jackets. I've got one on a dog tag chain around my neck right now.

Take a look at Fenix brand lights. I don't have one myself, but they are popular on CandlepowerForums and Bladeforums, and are generaly cheaper than surefire.

I got hooked on good lights when i bought a Maratac 9290 from CountyComm. (It's a rebranded iTP C7), It adjusts from 6 to 190 lumens. It stays in my maxpedition waistpack.

Soon after I bought a Maratac AAA (Later hit general release as the iTP A3 EOS) for an EDC light that i keep clipped to my wallet.

A 2aa iTP C8 is holstered on my backpack's shoulder strap.

The new'ish Maglite 2x and 3x AA LED models are pretty well regarded too for the price.

I like GoingGear, the owner posts a lot on Bladeforums where i spend time. He's a good guy and carries good stuff. I've watched his buisness grow over the past year or two. He has a brick and mortar store now, up from being just a mail order place.

============

Windmill Tilter Check out Adventure Medical Kits "Heatsheets" emergency blankets. They are made out of a more durable, flexible and MUCH less noisy material than the standard mylar ones.

Their 2 person blankets are WELL worth the $5 or so over the crinkly ones. They make a bivy sack out of the same stuff too, i've got one and tried it out, it's pretty nice.

Those are something I would look at stocking in my Ebay store because it's a related product.

============

Rowan - Yes, the fact that people who might be interested have probably made their own kit already has occured to me.

One thing i could offer is customized products for people who know what they want, but want to save the effort and expense of ordering components from various places.

Also i have a logo in the works I'll post a WIP of it later today

[edit]

Here is my rough draft of a logo for my business.

[InsanitySorrow]

Looking good, the use of the knife is similar to what I had in mind , Not too sure about the gecko placement, something seems a bit "off" there

[Joben]

Yeh the lizard needs work and isn't placed quite right. It's just a rough. I kinda slapped him in there quick because I was running late for class.

BTW, my Initials are J.C. the lizard is my Monogram...

[InsanitySorrow]

One idea I have is to have two lizards, curve each one around the inner edge of the circle, say one at the top and the other at the bottom with the Knife dead center.

[Joben]

Also, packaging can be important. If the kit is for emergencies, would a small box that could go in a glove box, purse, or brief case be better-- or a possible option?

Good idea. Maybe if you first run of kits sells well the second will include some in tins.

I've had very good results putting various kits into tins. I have more neat little kits than i know what to do with. I love making them and improving them. This one was basically made from extra stuff i had lying around.

• 
  
  
• Doan Magnesium block firestarter
  
• Duct Tape (for catching the magnesium dust)
  
• Tiny Knife to scrape, spark and shave
  
• Book of paper matches
  
• Candles
  
• PJ Cotton Balls
  
• Jute twine (tinder)
  
• Ranger bands to seal the box
  
  

[Vince]

Joben,

It sounds like you are really into this, so would enjoy this even if you don't exactly get rich. Thank you for letting me know about Fenix. I'm getting a Fenix LD20 which should be ideal for my needs.

Vince

[HeyYou]

Looks unanimous so far.

Great idea. Run it up the flagpole, and see how it flies.

[Joben]

Yeh I'm giving this a shot.

I've got enough stuff for a run of about a dozen kits on the way.

That should be enough for a trial run on Ebay.

I'm looking to get my hands on a video camera too. A demo/promo video on youtube might help. I've been thinking about starting a channel for a while anyway...join the small army of knife/flashlight/gear reviewers.

[Joben]

Latest Logo WIP

A more Lizardy looking version of my initials.

[edit]

Edited September 22, 2010 by Joben

[Joben]

Stationary WIP.

Letterhead, Envelope, 3 business card variants.

Comments/Criticism welcomme.

[Joben]

This is my other product.

Bracelets made out of paracord or jute twine.

Paracord is a high strenght nylon cord with multiple inner strands that can be used seperately. It's popular with Woodsmen type people.

Jute is a natural fiber which is made into twine, it's also a useful natural tinder material.

In an emergency the bracelets can go from fashion accessory to useful commodity in minutes.

The paracord ones contain about 1 foot of line per inch of bracelet, the jute ones a bit more.

Quite a few other people make paracord ones, but i think I'm the only guy doing jute.

[HeyYou]

The Jute sounds like a VERY good idea for the survival oriented folks.

[Vince]

Joben, I want to thank you for starting this topic as it's made me think about what I should have as an emergency kit, beyond the Swiss Army knife, flashlight, and lighter I keep in my briefcase.

It's easy to think that, unless I go backpacking in the wilderness, I don't need an emergency kit. However I've had a couple of experiences that could have been very serious that convinced me that I should prepare for possible similar events in the future.

About a year ago I was driving home from work when three bad things happened at the same time. 1) I had a flat tire. 2) The wheel was stuck on the hub and I couldn't get it off. 3) When I went to call 911, my cell phone didn't work! I later found it wasn't the battery; it had just died. If this had been on a rural, infrequently traveled road, it could have been a very serious situation. However, the road was well traveled and after about an hour, a big, burly guy in a tow truck pulled in behind me. I explained that I didn't need a tow, if I could just get the wheel with the flat tire off. He went up and slammed the wheel so hard the whole car shook--and the wheel was loose! I gave him $10, changed the wheel, got a new cell phone the next day, and put a 4 foot long 4x4 in the truck for future stuck wheels.

So, I want to put a sports bag with emergency equipment and supplies in the trunk. I'm just starting to research possibilities and make a list. So far I've discovered that I can get a dedicated 911 cell phone for $30 that includes a charger, but it can only be used to call 911 (there is no contract or fees). I plan to fill out my list and would be interested to hear about others lists as well. A little thought and preparation now, could save a lot of grief on some deserted road in the future.

BTW, Joben, did you create your logo with Inkscape?

[Joben]

Thank you very much for your story Vince. I agree with you about the necessity of gear and preparedness.

In fact, I think i might start a different thread to discuss this sort of thing.

Maybe other people can share experiences and talk about what equipment they think is worthwhile be it for emergencies or everyday happenings.

I made my logo in Adobe Illustrator

Heres the latest version with multiple varients (the format required for a school project)

btw, i got the first good sign that my buisness might work...i found a funny litlte product that sold out within ours of my putting it up...the mini plastic whistles, like the one i keep on my favorite knife (the tan "Izula", theres pics in my knife thread)

[Joben]

I got my first set of kits ready to test the waters, and shot a demonstration video today.

[Joben]

Thanks to everyone who weighed in and encouraged me to try this.

It's going really well.

If the current upward trend continues I won't have to look for a new part time job.

My fire kits, various paracord accessories and hand made items are all selling pretty nicely.

[Nihternnes]

i would guinie pig but the last time i did product testing i peed green for 2 weeks and i couldnt get the black marks off my left hand around where my cigarette was but for a pack ill test it for you

[Joben]

Lol thanks, but I'm a bit past the need for testers for this one i think. If you want one i can hook you up though.

[Nihternnes]

just show me to the community designed website and your shiny order here button and when i got the cash ill grab one cause its neat