Do you have the ability to make fire in your disaster supply kit? In an emergency or survival situation, the ability to start a fire can be lifesaving. Fire provides a source of warmth, the ability to cook food, light for visibility, protection from wildlife, and a feeling of security. That’s why we recommend always having a reliable fire starter in your emergency kit items. and have a variety of products and tools in our store perfect for this use. Read more to learn about types of fire starters, as well as some recipes for DIY fire starters you can make at home!

What Is a Fire Starter?

Fire starters (obviously) help create fires, and refer to both tools that generate heat in the form of sparks as well as highly flammable materials (tinder) that help a spark catch those materials on fire and burn long enough for your kindling (small sticks) on top to catch fire.

When referring to fire starters and fire starting tools, these terms are often used interchangeably:

Fire Starter = Tool to create sparks/heat that catch tinder on fire OR Compilation of materials that assist in either helping tinder catch fire, or acts as the tinder.

Tinder = Highly flammable material used to create a fire

When shopping an outdoor supply for fire starters, you’ll find both spark generating tools and premade highly combustible tinder solutions.

How to use a Fire Starter

Fire starters, when referring to the items that generate sparks, are typically a flint and striker or ferro rod. Wondering how to use a fire starter? When used properly, these generate sparks that will light your combustible tinder with ease. For example, with a flint and striker, you simply slide the striker downwards on the flint, pointed at your combustible material. Sparks will fly, and when they land upon your tinder (or pre-made fire starter) they’ll burst into an actual flame. You then feed this small fire kindling, working your way up to larger and larger pieces being mindful to provide air flow so the fire can breathe and grow.

Flint and ferro rods are popular fire starting solutions because they are small, fireproof in solid form, can last for thousands of strikes, and work reliably even while wet! In contrast, traditional lighters, while convenient, only generate a tiny spark that relies on the lighter fluid as fuel to catch and create a sustainable flame. There are certainly high quality lighters and even matches that are formulated specially for extreme circumstances, however with most lighters, you are in danger of the spark generating mechanism wearing out, running out of lighter fluid, or dealing with a wet lighter or matches that don't want to work at all.

That is why a fire starting tool like a flint or ferro rod plus a highly flammable combustible tinder is the best combination for survival and emergency situations. They are affordable, small, easy to pack, easy to use, reliable, and frankly, a little fun too.

Using Tinder and Fire Starters

For a spark to grow into the cheerful and warm blaze you desire, you have to start small. It can take a while for your kindling (the small, dry sticks you are trying to burn), to start properly burning. That is why you start with tinder. Tinder refers to anything that will catch fire from a spark quickly. Tinder materials are highly flammable and help a tiny spark turn into a small flame, which if fed properly with both oxygen and small amounts of dry kindling will continue to grow.

You can purchase premade tinder solutions, also referred to as fire starters, that will catch fire easily, burn cleanly and for a long amount of time, giving your kindling ample time to catch fire, or create or find your own with varying degrees of success. Then as your fire strengthens, you’ll be able to carefully add larger pieces (leaving room for air flow) until you have the campfire of your dreams.

Remember, fire needs heat, oxygen, and fuel to generate and survive, with the amount of the fuel and oxygen it needs relating to the size of the fire.

Simply put, the steps are:

Fire Starter to create Spark > Tinder/Fire Starter > Kindling > Firewood

Also, don’t forget to operate with safety first in mind.

• Never leave a fire unattended
• Only build a fire in a contained area with all flammable vegetation or materials cleared around it so it doesn’t spread. There should be a minimum of 15 feet of clearance from combustible material, and a minimum of five feet ground clearance around where the fire lay.
• Keep a supply of loose dirt or sand, or a bucket of water at hand to extinguish the fire in case the fire gets out of control. This can happen quickly if the wind suddenly shifts.

Commercially made Fire Starters and Tinder

The best case in a bad circumstance would be to have commercially made fire starters in your survival kit. Being able to start a fire quickly, reliably, and easily can help greatly in a survival situation where circumstances like rain or even a physical injury might make finding natural dry tinder difficult. Because fortune favors the prepared with emergency supplies, we carry a variety of convenient and high-performing fire starter solutions here.

Benefits of commercial fires starters are:

• Super quick and easy to light
• Compact and easy to store
• Clean burning (no worries about toxic fumes)
• Reliable in both damp conditions and wind
• Usually burn longer than DIY options
• Built with safety in mind

However, if you don’t have any manufactured fire starters on hand, here are some great ideas for DIY recipes that will help you start a fire with household items, or find appropriate tinder if you are in the wilderness.

How to start a Fire without a Fire Starter

If you find yourself in the wilderness and are wondering how to start a fire with no tinder, the best advice is to use whatever you can find in your surroundings to substitute. Look for plant matter that is dry. The more moisture a flammable material contains, the harder it will be to light.

Good natural sources for tinder / fire starter materials:

• Dry grasses
• Dry leaves
• Pine needles
• The bark of trees

If none of those are options, consider the clothing on your body. If dry and made from 100% natural materials (not polyester, a form of plastic), it can be used as tinder if absolutely necessary.

Make your own fire starter at home

If you’d rather make your own fire starters, here are some homemade fire starting solutions both unconventional and tried and true. While they may not burn as long and clean as commercial firestarters, they can work quite well in ideal conditions.

Meaning, although these are great solutions for creating fires, their effectiveness will vary in both duration and cleanliness of burn, and won’t be as reliable for emergency survival situations where the weather or elements are disagreeable.

Also, be aware of any chemicals in your materials that will turn into potentially harmful vapors and fumes when burnt. If you are trying to start a fire for s'mores, be sure to wait until you have a fire burning a clean source of fuel (like untreated wood) before using it to cook any food.

• Pinecones (bonus, dip them in wax for a longer burn)
  • Warning, they burn quickly! Dip them in wax to both preserve them and help them burn longer to catch fire to your kindling.
• Empty toilet paper tubes stuffed with dryer lint
• Hand Sanitizer
• Potato chips
  • The more greasy (filled with delicious flammable fat) the better they’ll burn!
• Egg Cartons covered in Wax
  • Be sure to use paper cartons, not styrofoam. For a better-burning bonus, fill the carton spots with dryer lint before covering with wax.
• Cotton Balls covered in Vaseline
  • Stretch out the cotton ball, smear the vaseline into the cotton, and roll the ball between your hands to fully coat the fibers. When you’re ready to light them, rip the cotton ball apart for fibers to become exposed and easy to light.
  • Bonus Tip! Burn this on a non-absorbent base like a rock or crushed can to prevent the vaseline oil from vanishing into the ground and extend your burn time.
• Shredded paper
  • Put your paper shredder to use! Be sure to use paper not fully covered in ink (think shredded bills, not advertisements. It burns better, and the ink printed on paper can release toxic fumes when burned.
• Wine bottle corks soaked in Rubbing Alcohol
  • You’ll want to let the corks soak for a while so they can absorb some of the alcohol.
• Dried Orange Peels
  • Fragrant and functional, remember to let them dry! Freshly peeled, they’ll still retain moisture and be difficult to light.
• Sawdust or pencil shavings
  • Though messy and difficult to maneuver, these can light easily in an emergency.

We hope you are never in an emergency or survival situation, but believe that having items needed for emergency preparedness like a reliable fire starter and tinder solution on hand is one of the best ways to make a bad situation a manageable one.