This is the Bow Drill Fire Starter Kit from the team at Survival Frog, as you can see in the above image, it’s a bow drill designed for starting campfires the traditional way – as our ancestors did long before the invention of matches or lighters.
We’ve all seen bow drills in illustrations in various survival guides over the years, very few of us have ever actually tried to make or use one, and that’s where this kit comes into play. It includes the bow, spindle, rope, pressure cap, and a pre-drilled fire board with notches and cutaways in place already.
The kit requires some assembly, but it requires all the parts you need to start a fire, and it can be used again and again, only requiring fresh tinder each time.
To use this kit you assemble it, place one hand on the pressure cap, and use the other hand to move the bow back and forward. This spins the spindle/drill which generates friction and thus heat, eventually igniting your tinder.
Of course it’s always possible to build one of these from scratch to save on the $24.97 USD MSRP, however for those who have always wanted to give this try and perhaps lack access to the tools to make their own, this kit is a solid option.
The listing notes that it’s suitable kits from the age of 10 and up with adult supervision. It has a bamboo bow, a black 550 paracord rope, a soft cottonwood fire board to help create embers quickly, and a pressure cap with steel bearings to minimize the energy loss.
Moving the bow backwards and forwards causes the paracord to rapidly spin the spindle, generating friction and starting your fire.
Each of these kits includes detailed step by step instructions (with pictures) on how to prepare your bow, locate a good position, load the drill, and every step required to achieve a burning ember and use it to start a fire.
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
