What is an Arctic Necklace?
I first learned about the “Arctic Necklace” from Joshua Enyart of Gray Bearded Green Beret (here). A traditional Arctic Necklace consists of a simple lighter, a tube of chapstick, and a bit of paracord for the necklace. The idea is that the lighter is easily accessible around your neck, kept warm by your body heat, and the chapstick is easy to get to for chapped skin or fire starting needs.
With winter weather settling in here in the Appalachian Mountains, it was time to beef up my “on-person” fire kit and centralize a few items together into a mini kit. I ended up blending the arctic necklace with a neck knife kit and I’m stoked on the end result.
I don’t wear it around my neck all of the time unless I get into the field and start reaching for the items. Rather, I typically keep mine tethered in my coat pocket so I always have a mini kit with me. Then I can put it around my neck while I’m working so items don’t get sat down and misplaced.
Lighter in an Exotac fireSLEEVE
To get things started with my arctic necklace kit, I used an Exotac fireSLEEVE to carry a full-sized BIC Lighter with the child safety lock removed (your cold hands and lack of dexterity will thank you for removing that). The BIC Lighter is pretty self-explanatory…They work well in most conditions as long as they’re kept warm and they’re cheap to replace when they run out of fuel.
I added the Exotac fireSLEEVE to this kit for 2 reasons:
- It makes it super easy to attach to the paracord necklace.
- And it waterproofs & protects the BIC lighter.
(I have fully submerged these fireSLEEVE’s and left them before with zero leakage)
The fireSLEEVE can easily be removed from the paracord necklace if it becomes to bulky or heavy and placed back in my pocket, while the rest of the kit stays around my neck.
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Chapstick & Mini Survival Items
Next up in a traditional arctic necklace is a tube of chapstick. You can, of course, choose whatever type of chapstick you prefer. I like Burt’s Bees and I use it a lot in the winter months since my lips seem to stay chapped. The chapstick is also a fantastic item for coating your carbon steel blades to prevent rust and it aids in the fire making process.
I have also added a few other items from the Wazoo Survival Essentials Kit to my necklace:
- Fire plug tinder:
It looks like a Cheeto and will give you surefire in any weather. - Emergency whistle:
It’s compact but extremely loud. This is a great item to have with you in case of emergencies and you need to signal for rescue. - Ranger Bands:
I have used 2 ranger bands from the Essentials Kit to secure items onto my knife sheath. These are also a fantastic fire starter and burn for several minutes each.
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Random Items
This is a pretty big departure from the typical arctic necklace. And this is where I put a bit of my own style into it…
- Mini Glow Sticks:
These give off a small amount of light for seeing at night, while not destroying your night vision. You can also hang them up as trail markers, in case you have to step away from camp at night and find your way back. - Sewing needle:
For years now, I have duct-taped a sewing needle to the back of my knife sheaths. This allows me to use the inner-strands of my paracord to make in-field repairs to clothing or fabric items that I carry. It’s the small things like this that make a huge difference.
Esee CR2.5 Knife
I chose the Esee CR2.5 to rig up for the knife in this mini-kit. It is lightweight, razor-sharp, has a 90º spine, and has proved itself to be a very handy blade over the past 6 months or so. This is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated knives in the bushcraft industry.
My Esee CR2.5 is rocking a custom foldover Kydex Sheath that I made. If you like the looks of it and want one for yourself, let me know. I might consider making a few batches for popular knife models at some point.
Esee CR2.5 on SMKW Available on Amazon
This has been a really fun kit to build and it gives me a lot of versatility when I’m in the field. The Esee CR2.5 Knife gives me endless possibilities for processing natural materials and carving things out of wood. While the lighter and fire-making resources (fire plug + ranger bands) will give me surefire, as long as I properly prepare my fire lay. And lastly, the whistle, sewing needle, and glow sticks are compact enough to carry for those “what-if” moments.
Have Questions or Comments: Drop me a line down in the comments below!
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