After packaging full fire-starting capabilities neatly inside a 2-oz (57-g) capsule that doubled as a high-pitched whistle, Outdoor Element is now integrating that same spark-flicking capability into a more useful everyday tool: the common pen. Whether your 9-to-5 job involves a rare combination of manual record keeping and precarious wilderness travel, or your idea of outdoor recreation includes journaling your day while remaining at the ready for whatever nature hurls at you, the all-new Pen-metheus equips you for it all.
The Pen-metheus looks like a basic writing instrument at first glance, albeit one made from anodized aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum instead of more commonplace plastic or steel. The knurled rings around the center and bottom of the pen's cylindrical chassis allude to a possible twist-to-deploy design, but the compact ballpoint pen is actually located below the upper cap.
Those knurled rings, meanwhile, serve to help you twist off the tubular lower body to expose the replaceable threaded ferro rod. The pen cap then screws onto the lower tube to create an extended striker that's easy to grip and move. The tip of the pen cap unscrews to reveal a small piece of rolled-up fire-starting cotton. The user simply scrapes the ferro rod with the contoured, hardened-edge striker plate secured to the top of the pocket clip to throw sparks down into the fabric tinder.
Both the tinder storage and ferro tube sections of the Pen-metheus are sealed off with O-rings to prevent any moisture penetration. The O-rings also glow in the dark, along with the reflective panels located on the cap, making the Pen-metheus easier to find and use after sunset.
The Pen-metheus promises to serve loyally as an everyday writing instrument that happens to have a separate survival function or as an outdoor-specific tool that both writes and starts a fire in a pinch. Either way, it's easily pocketable in a backpack, briefcase, or pant or shirt pocket.
Outdoor Element is working to launch the Pen-metheus through an active Kickstarter campaign. It's offering single units at pledge levels as low as US$18, a 30% discount off the planned retail price of $25.95. Each unit comes with three ballpoint black ink mini-cartridges. The company is also packaging the Pen-metheus with a waterproof Rite in the Rain notepad and a PNWBushcraft waxed-canvas storage pouch for a pledge of $65.
The Pen-metheus shows what it can do in the clip below.
Source: Outdoor Element
