Exotac ripSPOOL and fireROD

jtallen83 · January 21, 2020

First heard of this company on @beachmaster 's youtube channel. Nice looking stuff but the price is high so I had never bought. This year I was sitting with a little christmas cash from grandkids and Exotac had a 20% off free shipping sale so heirloom quality seemed appropriate. This schit is tight, it exudes quality made on the fit and finish!

The ripSpool is a nice compact rig, the tape adds some weight but nice to have it on a roll instead of flat like I store my emergency duct tape presently. My present sewing kit takes up less space but doesn't store the needles air tight so the Spool will be customized. At some point the duct tape will need to be used or wasted, I think it will be replaced with a few dividers and some different types of thread, also has room to add a few other needles in the sealed center. I hope I can use it as a learning aide with the grandkids, those fire starting classes have sparked a few bushcrafting questions :thumbup:

Next chance to do a little fire starting class and I will use the fireRod, bound to work better than the $2 chineseums I use now. Ergonomically it fits my hand just right with the lanyard wrapped on three fingers. I jammed a fire tab and some waxed jute in the storage compartment. They sell replacement rods that come with an O-ring, the standard length is 2.4" but they also sell a 3.1" rod. It comes with an extra O-ring and in a real fancy box with a magnetic lid, I'd rather see it in a plastic bag with an extra rod but I guess there is some psychology behind presenting a $25 ferrochromium rod.....

Found out both items had a dual purpose, the cat just loved them. They got batted and bit a bunch, had to take them away when she started whipping them around by the lanyard.

https://www.exotac.com/products/ripspool

https://www.exotac.com/collections/firestarters/products/firerod