Coghlan's Fire Discs - Gear Review

I like to think of myself as a bit of a fire wizard.  Getting a blazing inferno going in even the most inhospitable conditions is kinda my thing.  That said, there have been failures.  It isn't a big deal if you are close to supplies, like in the backyard or at the local state park.  When you are somewhere you can go grab some dry kindling or a can of lighter fluid and cheat, things are pretty easy.  If you are off grid and eating and staying warm depends on having a fire, rolling the dice just isn't an option.

Traditionally I am a DIY kind of a guy.  I have made fire starters of all kinds, from whatever I had laying around the house.  I had the chance to try out these Fire Discs from Coghlan's this fall, and they put my home grown concoctions to shame.

I took the kids to Afton State Park a few weeks back, it started training about an hour after we got to camp.  The only firewood available was scraps from a lumber mill, so we were at a disadvantage from the beginning.  After a few misguided attempts with birch bark and pine cones, I pulled the Fire Puck out of my pack.  Knowing we needed to get another fire going in the morning I broke it in half and saved the rest.  I split up a board into a few smaller strips, stacked them on top of the fire disc and struck a match.  The pressed cedar wood shavings and refined wax immediately set ablaze and burned hot for about 15 minutes.  Long before the half disc was gone, we had a raging fire.  One disc lasts about 30 minutes, so in a pinch you can even cook with just a disc.

There are times when off-the-shelf products just outperform expectations, and this is one of them.  Honestly, I didn't expect much from the Fire Disc, but I was wrong.  The best part is, you can snag these things all over the internet for under $2 each...  

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