The best tinder materials for starting a campfire

Starting a fire is usually quite easy, until you really need one of course. There are so many types of tinder and firelighters available, but which ones are worth it and are there better options than burning chemicals in the woods? Here are a few of the best tinder materials for starting a campfire.

Char cloth

This is one of the best options if you’re using flint and fire steel because they catch easily from the smallest spark. Char cloth is nothing more than chopped-up pieces of cloth that have been baked to remove all the moisture, which makes it very easy to make yourself from an old bedsheet or t-shirt. The cloth should be baked until it looks charred, with that classic semi-burnt appearance, but because it’s so sensitive to moisture, it has to be kept in a closed container so it can’t get wet.

(It may not look like much but char cloth is one of the easiest to ignite tinders out there, and costs nothing more than an old sheet)

Feather stick

Dried grass, reeds, and fine sticks can be lit easily enough if they are bone dry, but after it’s been raining they are a waste of time. The answer is to use something known as a feather stick, a shaved piece of wood that collects all the dry, curled-up shavings at the end which can be easily ignited from a spark.

Lichen

Certain types of this plant can be found throughout woodland for the whole year, but there are only a few types that are useful. One of the best for lighting fires and one of the most recognizable is called Usnea, more commonly known as “old man’s beard lichen”. This type of fungi becomes very dry when it’s in the later stages of life, and can be folded over and used in the same way as a handful of dried grass.

(Usnea, also known as Old Man’s beard lichen is one of the best lichens for starting a fire)

Lighting paper

This is just a small piece of card that’s soaked in chemicals that allow it to ignite instantly and burn slowly. A small piece is all it takes to start a fire and its flat design allows it to fit into almost any survival kit or pocket.

Natural firelighters

These are made from compressed wood shavings that have been mixed with an igniting chemical. Similar to the lighting paper but much bulkier, often comes in bags that can be awkward to squash into a backpack. They normally come in two forms, which are the solid blocks and the shaving strips wrapped into a small roll, both of which are known to have lots of little pieces flake off when you’re handling them, so be careful you don’t drop flammable materials somewhere you shouldn’t.

Chemical firelighters

They work just as well as the slightly more natural ones, but it just comes down to how much you mind burning a block of chemicals in the middle of the woods. They light extremely easily but there is one downside to them, and that’s the strong petrol-like smell they give off after the pack has been opened.

Fire paste

This stuff comes in anything from a hair gel-like substance to a thick spreadable paste. It’s essentially just some kind of flammable chemical that’s been turned into a paste and burns for a long time. It’s very easy to use and lights easily, but you can’t really handle it without getting sticky flammable liquid on your hands.

Tree bark

Most tree bark is useless as it’s normally too thick, but there are some out there that work wonders for lighting fires, particularly birchbark. Look for thin, peeling layers of outer bark on the main trunk and gather a few strips of the driest bits you can find. Another tree to look out for when it comes to fire lighting is the pine tree, especially the thick and flammable resin that forms on the outside. It can be difficult to light on its own but burns well.

(Bark from the birch tree is not only an excellent fire lighter but can be crafted into useful things like cups)