What a fire needs
Heat, fuel and air. Take away any one and the fire goes out. Most failed fires don't have enough small fuel or enough air.
Tinder, kindling, fuel
- Tinder
- Catches a spark: dry grass, birch bark, cotton balls with petroleum jelly, dryer lint, wood shavings.
- Kindling
- Pencil-thin up to thumb-thick dry sticks.
- Fuel
- Wrist-thick and bigger. Add slowly once the kindling is burning well.
Building it
- Clear the ground down to dirt, well away from overhanging branches.
- Make a small nest of tinder.
- Lean kindling over it like a teepee, leaving gaps for air.
- Light the tinder from the side the wind is coming from.
- Add bigger kindling as it catches, then fuel.
- Blow gently at the base if it struggles.
Ways to light it
- Lighter: easiest. Carry two.
- Stormproof matches: work in wind and rain.
- Ferro rod: scrape the striker down the rod to throw hot sparks onto fluffy tinder. Works wet and lasts thousands of strikes.
- Fire starters: petroleum jelly cotton balls, fatwood, or commercial cubes make wet days easy.
Fire safety
Before you burn
Check local burn bans. Keep water and a shovel nearby. Never leave a fire unattended, and drown it, stir it and drown it again until it's cold to the touch.
Fire kit checklist
Keep one in every bag
Fire kit
0 of 7 done
Fire gear
Stormproof matches
Light in wind and rain.
My pick: UCO Stormproof Match Kit with Waterproof Case
Fatwood fire starters
Resin-rich wood that lights fast.
My pick: Coghlan's Fatwood Fire Starter Sticks, 12 Pack
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