The Best Fire Starters for your Bushcraft Fire Kit (2021)

Fire is essential when out in the wilderness, without it you will not have a good time and in extreme conditions, you may not survive. In this post, I am going to be sharing with you the best fire starters to get a fire going in all climates.

The best overall fire starter you can have in your bag is a Ferro rod fire starter, a Ferro rod can create sparks even when wet which makes it the ideal fire starter for bushcraft. However, if you are looking for something easy, it would be the Zippo Emergency Fire Kit. This emergency fire starter from Zippo can get a fire started in seconds for you even in the worst conditions making it an ideal fire starter to carry in your bag.

Fire-Fast Ferro Rod

 Zippo Emergency Fire Kit

Best fire starters for Bushcraft

Let me tell you a quick story before we get into detail about the best fire starters. One time I was out on a camping trip with my family, it was pouring rain for days but luckily we had some dry wood. Unfortunately what didn’t stay dry was the only pack of matches we brought (Stupid, I know). Well, as a last-ditch effort I looked in my bag, the one I usually bring with me on solo trips and wouldn’t you know it, I had my Ferro rod. I’ll tell ya, I will never forget the look on my family’s faces when they saw me get a fire going in the rain with this “weird stick” as they would call it.

In a forest, you cannot rely on matchboxes as they might get wet and become useless in case of emergencies. Thus, you must keep tools that you can count on to come handy whenever required and be effective. To know which fire starters you must pack in your backpack and why continue reading!

 

Best Ferro Rod – Fire Fast Trekker

bushcraft fire kit

 

When it comes to the best fire starters, nothing beats the Ferro Rod.

Ferro rods are made of a combination of metals called mischmetal. These contain lanthanum, cerium, iron, neodymium, magnesium, and praseodymium in varying amounts. A Ferro rod is an effective tool that can be relied upon for making a flame quickly.

One of the best features of this tool is that, unlike matches, it can work even when it gets wet. These have been extensively used in modern wars and have come to become a part of the survival culture. They have been widely adopted for their ease of use, durability, and reliability.

One of the best Ferro rod’s that you can find on the market is the Fire Fast Trekker Ferro rod. These are high-quality equipment made in Austria that can produce high heat and ensure durability. Its components include:

  • Metal Rod
See also  Can You Start a Fire With Diesel? (Interesting Things to Know)

The Fire Fast Trekker makes use of military-grade magnesium to make the rod. With less effort, it can produce a generous amount of heat to start a fire.

  • Handle

It has a hardwood handle to enhance the grip. This handle can also be scraped to obtain dry tinder in case of emergencies.

  • Striker

This tool has a striker made up of hardened steel with carefully sharpened edges. It is efficient for generating an adequate amount of spark to kickstart a fire by striking against the metal rod.

 

Pros
  • Waterproof/weather-resistant
  • Durable
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Effective and quick-fire starter
  • Easy to use
  • Shockproof
Cons
  • Only generates sparks
  • Not every Ferro rod is made of the same metal composition, and thus some might have lower efficiency.
  • Vulnerable to rusting

 

Best Bushcraft Lighter – Zippo Emergency Fire Kit

bushcraft fire starting

 

Using the primitive methods and skills of survival is the essence of bushcraft camps. However, it requires ideal conditions and some skill to be able to confidently light a bushcraft fire. Thus, it is wise to keep a fool-proof product handy as well. The Zippo Emergency Fire Kit is easily one of the best fire starters for wet weather on the market.

A lighter is one of the best fire starters out there and can be used to serve the purpose effectively without worrying about the weather conditions or collecting ideal materials. It can prove to be useful when you are in the middle of an emergency as its process is effortless and efficient.

You can purchase a Zippo Emergency Fire Kit, which is a reliable fire-starter tool for outdoors. It contains five lightweight paraffin cotton spark tinder that is wax-coated. It also has a flint spark wheel with a high-grade plastic container.

Pros
  • Reliable Spark
  • Weather-resistant
  • Portable
  • Water-resistant
  • Shaped for a steady grip
  • Long-lasting
  • Convenient, compact and easy to use
  • A great back-up option.
Cons
  • The flint wheel might need replacement when it stops sparking.

 

Flint and Steel

How to make a bushcraft fire

 

One amazing set of tools & techniques is using flint and steel. Though since the invention of magnesium rods and Ferro rods, the use of flint and stone considerably sublimed. For a bushcraft camp, adding this fire-starter equipment to your kit can be a great option.

This equipment generates orange sparks when you strike the flint with a high-carbon steel striker. The best part about using this fire-starter kit is that you can easily use alternatives for char cloth tinder and jute twine kindling. Thus, according to the materials at hand, you can prepare your kit.

Though the fire obtained by this process is quite sustainable, finding a flint or chert in your area can be hard. They are highly dependent on your geographical location and might not be easy to find. However, you can easily purchase a flint and steel kit for the purpose.

See also  Bushcraft Coffee - How To Make Coffee In The Wilderness

Such a kit contains:

  • Striker

Mostly a flint and steel kit contains a carbon steel striker with a shape that allows a steady grip. It is composed of a high-quality carbon steel material that is shockproof and sturdy.

  • Flint rock

The flint rock is mostly found in its irregular natural form. An English flint is considered to be of high efficiency and can be a great choice.

You will also need:

  • Char cloth

Other than the striker and flint, you will need a charred cloth material to catch the sparks. This cloth is showered with sparks until it forms a red ignited ring when it catches them.

  • Tinder

A tinder nest is used to wrap the char cloth so that it catches fire. You can even use dry grass or other available effective substitutes. This material catches fire after reaching the adequate ignition temperature.

 

Pros
  • A quick flame-starter
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Easy to use
  • Durable
Cons
  • Requires skill
  • Won’t start afire if tinder is not dry enough
  • Requires a char cloth or its alternative

The Art of Bushcraft Fire, The Best Fire Starters.

A DIY bushcraft camp tests a person’s skill, knowledge, and survival instincts related to wild outdoor living. The idea behind this camp is to develop self-reliance and preparedness for extreme situations. Some people indulge in this for fun and thrill, while some serious survivalists even go for adventures into the wilderness.

If bushcraft interests you, then you must start developing and enhancing your bushcraft skills. From preparing shelter, starting a fire, cooking, collecting fuel, to making equipment, you will have to do everything on your own. However, you can start by learning the art of starting a bushcraft fire with the best fire starters.

Starting a fire is one of the essential things you will require when you are in the wilderness (especially if you love your bushcraft coffee as much as I do). Bushcraft takes us back to the era when people used flintstones to ignite sparks for flames. It was one of the most important discoveries, and it also forms the base of all industrial development.

Learning to start the fire in primitive ways can allow you to explore and learn the connection between fire and man. From gathering around the campfire to cooking, baking mud to cooking food, fire is essential for all. It has multiple utilities and can be started in several ways. But you can’t start a fire without the Good Fire Starters.

 

Multiple Uses of Fire at a Bushcraft Camp

At a bushcraft camp, instead of using the usual electric lighters or matches, you may choose the primitive way. But what makes starting a fire so important when you are out in the wild? Why must you carry one of 3 fire starters in your backpack for this purpose?

Following are the essential uses of fire when out in the bush:

  • Cooking Purposes

One of the most general reasons is cooking. Part of the Bushcraft experience is hunting/gathering food, you will need a flame to cook what you catch. From heating the food to igniting the charcoal/fuel to prepare a grill, you will require fire.

  • Staying Warm

Outdoor camps are likely to be pretty cold, and you might require a strong fire to stay warm at night. It can also be used to dry up clothes while heating the surrounding air.

  • Smoking

Survival with uncertain food sources can require smoking the hunted meat or fishes to make them last longer. You will need a flame to smoke your meat which will keep the food nutritious for longer durations and what better way to make a flame than with your best fire starter?

  • Boiling

Drinking from random water sources when out in the bush can have serious consequences. Thus, to be safe, it is better to filter and boil the water to get rid of possible bacteria. This process cannot be achieved in the wild without starting a fire.

  • Source of light

Your bushcraft camp is likely to get pitch-black dark in the night unless the moon is shining bright. Thus, you will require flames to allow visibility.

  • Keeping safe at night

It is natural to find wild animals lurking around the camp in the dark. These predators can pose a risk to your life, and it is important to ensure some kind of protection from any undesirable attack. Here, you can make use of the flames to scare animals away. Flames act as a deterrent to most animals and thus can help in guarding the surrounding area.

See also  Bushcraft Fishing Tips to Never Get Skunked Again

From all the above points, you can comprehend the importance of a solid flame during outdoor camping. But which tools should you consider packing to light a fire in the bushcraft way? Let’s break down the best fire starters.

 

Final Takeaways

Igniting a fire at a bushcraft camp can even be a matter of life and death which is why it’s important to always have your best fire starter on you. While it is a great option to use primitive tools to build survival skills, you should always keep a back-up. You must keep exploring new techniques and prepare for harsh survival conditions & always have the best survival fire starter that will give you the best chance at making fire on you.

Such skills and knowledge can come in handy at any unpredictable point in life. So, go ahead and make yourself self-reliant, starting with learning the art of bushcraft fire.

 

Was this post helpful?

bushcraftinfo

Hey I’m Josh! I have been practicing Bushcraft for a little over 6 years now! I Started this website to review awesome bushcraft gear that I love as well as share information I have learned along the way!

This site is reader-supported and thus contains affiliate links to products that I may receive compensation from at no additional cost to you. View my Affiliate Disclosure page here.