Do you carry redundant backups of critical gear?

"When I have been this cold, with hands shaking uncontrollably, I haven't even been able untie my boots. I can't imagine how I would hold a knife with enough dexterity to make fuzz sticks. Even striking a flint, match or using a butane lighter wasn't easily do-able."

Hi Lynn,

You don't actually need any dexterity to split wood and only need a small amount to male "fuzz sticks". But there's fuzz sticks and then there are fuzz sticks. I mean the way I was I taught you have your hand firmly around the handle no fine motor skills required. I know there are "survival" books and videos out there that show fancy and unrealistic fire making techniques. You could argue that any technique that requires fine motor skills is not a legitimate survival technique.
Even if I was not able to carve good feather sticks its not the end of the world, you can just do the best you can and make a pile of shavings after you split the wood and you still have a good pile of dry shavings even if you can't manage a proper feather stick. So it still works.
But, no thankfully I have never been truly hypothermic and needed to light a fire under high stress while shaking uncontrollably. But I have lit plenty while cold and uncomfortable with little patience to get a fire going already!
So I feel pretty confident I could get one going if need be. But its good to practice before your in that situation! Still, I feel its far better than not having a knife or dry tinder with me. There are no guarantees, just risk reduction.

+1 on the when hypothermic you aren't going to have the dexterity to make fuzzy sticks. That was my experience as well.

My redundant / overlapping items:

Fire: the most important to me is to be sure I have a way to start fires. My primary firestarter day to day is a mini-bic lighter which lives in my cook kit. I typically also have a small number of water resistant / wind resistant matches and tinder in my firstaid/emergency bag, and some some sort of fire steel, right now it's a UST Sparkie that typically lives in my pocket. I typically carry some extra fuel (esbits or alcohol) which can be used if i end up wanting to cook something extra or can be a way to quickly get a fire started without having to make a fuzzy stick :)

Water Treatment: I typically use tablets. I bring some extra because they take up almost no room. They can also be the basis of an irrigation wash if someone has a nasty wound.

Sleeping/Clothing Insulation: I bring a quilt or bag which should keep me warm enough to be comfortable (by itself) in expected conditions, and alive in likely worst case situations. I bring clothing that will keep me warm enough while doing low level activities given worst case expected conditions. This means that if everything is dry, I can combine my clothing and sleep gear into a system which keep me comfortable if I get worse case conditions, or alive if one piece of the system gets too wet to function properly.

Battery for camera… because I have found them to be unpredictable.

Map/Compass/Flashlight: I always have a printed map, compass, and flashlight. I also carry my iPhone, which is turned off. The iPhone's primarily a platform for journalling in the evening and reading ebooks… but it has a flashlight app and an GPS app that I pre-cache maps of the areas I will be in. On one trip I dropped my map without realizing it… and used the iPhone for the rest of the trip rather than going back to search for the map.

–Mark

This is OT, but something I do (occasionally) is to practice making a fire and pitching my shelter using only my non-dominant hand. This is to 'practice' for the unlikely event that one hand or arm is badly injured and becomes unusable. This is why I prefer a butane lighter or a one hand operated flint fire starter. Using a flint and separate steel with one hand is tricky, but can be done with practice. For me, it's just easier to carry things I can use reliably with one hand, I.C.E. Are strike-anywhere matches still available in the US? I wish I could get my hand(s) on some of those!

nm

Lynn, on the first cross-country ski trip of the season, I always ski off on my own, then stop and try to build a fire in the snow. All I allow myself is one butane lighter and one metal Sierra cup. I have to find some burnable wood twigs. The cup is filled with snow, and the fire melts it. As soon as I drink warm water from that, my exercise is done.

–B.G.–

I take the matches for the simple reason that they are easier than the firesteel/ tinder method. But I still use the fire steel most. Simply because I like the practice.
I use the matches when Im in a hurry and just don't feel like using tinder.
You can light matches one handed but its certainly a pain, maybe I should practice that?
The reason Im no big fan of lighters is that you burn your hand quickly if you try to light something. A match and certainly tinder can be held longer and even thrown/dropped into some kindling. A butane lighter like the ones made for lighting grills is a good idea because the fire is away from your hand. I would just find a brand that is easy to light or learn how to hack it so the child proofing doesn't make it difficult in a survival situation. I find them a pain to light when at home!
The reason I like the firesteel more than all others is simply because its the most bomber. Its water proof, hard to break, no moving parts, won't run out and can light a huge variety of natural materials thats only limited by your knowledge and skill set. but, ya a butane lighter is easier and a good idea but I will always have a firesteel as a redundancy.

Lynn–

Diamond makes strike-anywhere matches. I think I found my last batch at the hardware store.

The only thing I will always carry is a backup fire starter. Other redundancies depending on trip and weather are a light source, space blanket, and extra insulation. And extra food, but that's less planned redundancy and more just my eyes being perpetually bigger than my stomach.

extra days worth of food, fire starter, gloves, socks and sunglasses. I don't go out unless it's pretty cold, preferably with snow on the ground.