Building a fire may look easy but for most people, it takes some practice. The quickest way to start a fire is a fire starter! Fire starters are designed to start quickly, burn hot, and last for a couple of minutes. This allows tree branches that are placed over the fire starter the time and temperature needed to catch fire. There are many fire starters to choose from. The best way to determine which works best for you is to try a few of them.
Quickest Way to Start a Fire in 6 Easy Steps
- fire pit (a surface that is dry that will contain the flames)
- firestarter or a large pile of wood shavings about the size of a small plate
- ignition source (matches, lighter, etc)
- twigs
- tree branches
- logs
3 Awesome Fire Starters
Below is a video of three fire-starting aids: fatwood, fuel tablets, and a cotton ball lightly dipped in wax. I prefer these fire-starters because they are inexpensive and burn the longest allowing me to build a fire with relative ease. I use the cotton ball fire starter the most because its the cheapest. Fatwood is my favorite! It smells the best and doesn’t leave a waxy residue in your fire starting kit. Fatwood is a natural resource found in dead pine trees and can be collected during your outdoor adventure. The fuel tablet burns the hottest but is a little more difficult to light.
The best part about fire starters is that it doesn’t take a lot of materials to make a good fire. As you can see from the video above you’ll need spark (ferrocerium rod) or flame (match) to ignite the fire starter. Once the fire starter is blazing build a tepee or log cabin over the flame using twigs and branches. Lastly, adding logs to the fire will provide the best fuel for long-lasting hot fires.
Fire Starting Kit
The quickest way to start a fire is having access to fire-starting tools. It’s particularly helpful when camping in a light rainfall or in the morning when the dew sets in. Experience has taught me that when tinder is damp fire making can be a lot more difficult. Here’s are a couple of examples and a list of the items in my fire starting kit:
- Waterproof plastic case
- Fatwood
- Lighter
- Wax dipped cotton balls (DIY instructions below)
- Handsaw
- Pocket Knife
- Ferrocerium rod
- Matchbook
- Metal tin box
- Matchbook matches
- Storm matches
- Matchbox Striker
- (2) Fuel tablets
- (3) Wax dipped cotton balls
- (9) Fatwood
- Ferrocerium rod
- Fresnel magnifying lens
Cotton Ball Dipped in Wax – DIY Fire Starter
4 Items Used: wax paper, candle, cotton ball, wax warmer
Steps:
- Plug in a wax warmer to warm-up.
- Break-up candle and place wax pieces in the wax warmer dish.
- After the wax has melted, lightly dip a cotton ball in wax covering the outer layer of the cotton ball with a thin layer of wax.
- Then place the cotton ball on the wax paper until it drys completely.
- After it is dry, rip the wax dipped the cotton ball in half to use as a fire starter. The center of it should be wax-free (just cotton) which makes it easy to light.
A good fire starting kit makes life a little easier. Having everything together in one compact package means I never have to search the house or my supplies for fire starters. I’m always ready no matter the weather to get a comfortable fire going knowing I have the right supplies.
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That’s great, but I would add a small Bic lighter and magnesium shavings.
I used to keep a lighter in the kit but eventually took it out. Matches are easier to use when lighting a campfire and more reliable. I have had several lighters not work. They leak or stop working after a year. Plus, they take up a lot of space in the small tin.
I vacuum sealed several of the small big lighters 5 years ago and last month I ran out of a lighter at 5am, so I opened one of the lighters and used it, was like it just came out of the store. I think the trick was to vacuum seal as to not let any propane escape and the little lighters hardly take up any space in my pack. So I be sealing in some more since 10 of them are a buck at the Dollar Tree.
You list 9 items in the tin; however there are 10 items. What is the item in the bottom below the fatwood
It’s a cotton ball dipped in colored wax.
Even a dead lighter can be useful, if the flint still sparks…just sayin’
how long can i keep and use coleman fuel? Also the propane bottles? Help!
Thank you
These are good questions to ask the Coleman company. Here is where you can contact them.
https://www.coleman.com/contactus/
The fatwood can be EASILY ignited with a ferro rod if you scrape dust-sized particles off the fatwood and hit with a few sparks. Easily stored in a 35mm film canister
I soak my cotton balls in wax and lamp oil. They burn well once started. I might try ripping them in half and see if that helps!
Thanks for sharing these valuable tips on starting a fire quickly! I’ve always found that having reliable fire starters is essential for any outdoor adventure. One product that I highly recommend is Black Beard Fire starters. They’re incredibly effective at igniting even in adverse conditions like wind or rain, ensuring you can get a fire going fast when you need it most. With their compact size and long burn time, Black Beard Fire starters are a must-have addition to any survival kit or camping gear.