Creating a Long-Lasting Torch

Creating a Long-Lasting Torch

(SurvivalDaily.com) – Spending the night in the wild without a source of light, or heat, can be a recipe for disaster. Not only is there the threat of nocturnal predators, but hypothermia as well. With a little elbow grease and know-how, you can create a torch to light up the dark, keep you warm and even fend off unwanted four-legged visitors!

Even if you aren’t facing a survival situation, knowing how to create a medieval torch can be a fun way to impress friends and family (consider how many films show the hero walking through the darkness, torch in hand). Be it for survival or adventure, knowing how to make a torch from scratch can be a great skill to have.

Read on to see how it’s done.

Quick Torches

For a quick torch needed in haste, simply find a long, yet thick enough branch that you can split in half near the end. Find some dry bark, insert it in the split end of the branch and light it. Birch works really well for this, and if you’re near any dried cottonwood, wrapping it around the bark will help to ensure the bark catches.

If dry bark isn’t an option, the following video may help:

Long-Lasting Torches

A long-lasting torch will not only put off more light, but it will also emit heat, which may be helpful if the evenings are chilly. Use strips of cloth, preferably fabrics that don’t like to burn — fiberglass and Kevlar are great examples. Soak them in a fuel, preferably one that’s not highly flammable, such as vegetable oil, for a few hours. Wrap them around the top of a “green” stick or branch and secure them with some type of wire.

Light the end, and now you have a long-lasting torch. Be extremely cautious though, one misstep could turn the torch into a full-blown forest fire.

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