It’s a good idea to have a lighter with you when you’re trying to start a fire, sure. However, what happens when you need to make a fire and your lighter is out of fluid or left behind? Knowing other ways to make a fire is going to save you when you’re in a pinch!
Make Your Kindling
Dry, dead branches are usually the best option. A combination of twigs, sticks, and leaves usually does the trick. If you have softwoods available, they are better than hardwoods for the beginner firestarter. Pine, spruce, fir, cedar, and other softwoods are all going to be helpful in getting your fire going. They burn quickly and easily, making them much better kindling than hardwood.
Of course, if you don’t have another option, hardwoods can work too. Hardwoods are more work to light, but wood like hickory, maple, and oak will burn longer and hotter. If you’re an adept firestarter, you may want to look for hardwoods instead.
Look for dry wood that’s small and free of dirt, mold, and other things that are going to be unpleasant to burn. Wood that’s about a thumb’s width is going to light easily but still stay lit long enough to add more fuel to your fire.
Position Your Wood the Right Way
Once you’ve got your kindling settled, it’s important to know how to position the wood that will ultimately be your fuel. There are two main ways to set your firewood up: the log cabin and the teepee.
The log cabin is just like the name suggests. Wood layered on top of itself in the shape of a square, mimicking a log cabin. This way, you can set your kindling inside the cabin and have it easily catch your fuel wood.
The teepee works well too, of course. You’ll position your fuel wood around your kindling in the shape of a teepee. This will catch faster than the log cabin but requires a bit more work to keep it burning. You’ll find yourself with a taller flame that’s more prone to falling over and ultimately means more maintenance. If you’re looking to light a fire fast, this is the better option. If you want to light a lower-maintenance fire, go with the log cabin.
Make Use of the Wind (But Not Too Much)
You need enough oxygen to get into your fire to keep it going. Position your fire so a bit of the wind can get into it. You want a small opening to keep oxygen flowing in, but not too open that the fire gets burned out. With practice, you’ll quickly figure out how much oxygen is too much.
Once you have the right oxygen amount and kindling set up, you’re ready to create a spark and start a fire.
Make Your Fire
Flint and Steel
This is a classic way to make a fire. Maybe you learned it in Boy Scouts way back when. Take your steel and strike it along your flint. Imagine shaving a piece of flint off with each strike. Aim your spark towards your kindling. Once you get the spark, it should catch your kindling and you’ll be off to the races.
If you have char cloth, that can be a good place to start your spark if you don’t want to strike it straight into your fire. Char cloth is a natural fiber cloth (100% plant fibers) that has been charred but not burned. This allows it to catch quickly. Once it catches, quickly move it to your tinder.
Glass Lens
This only works if you have the sun, just a heads up. If it’s gloomy outside, proceed to the next option.
Take a lens (magnifying glass, eyeglasses, etc.) and use the sun to concentrate its power on a specific spot. You want to focus on as small a piece of your tinder as possible to maximize its impact.
If you get the lens wet, that’ll increase its power and get your fire going faster. That’s all there is to it!
Ferrocerium Rod
Ferrocerium rods, or ferro rods, are another time-honored way of making a fire. You’ll need just the ferro rod and striker to get started. You can usually buy these together as a pack to get started fast. While there is a bit of a learning curve, foundationally, all you do is take the striker and strike the ferrocerium rod like you’re shaving a small piece of the ferro off into your kindling.
Just keep at it, adjusting the striking angle as necessary and you’ll have a fire started in no time.
Start Your Fire!
Are there other ways to start a fire without matches? Of course! There are plenty of traditional hand drill methods you can try out. However, those have a higher learning curve, so if you want to experience the pride of starting a fire without matches, these three methods will get you there the fastest.
