If you’re spending time outdoors, you need a way to make fire. That burning flame is a veritable lifeline in the wild, after all. From keeping you warm in low temperatures and purifying water to cooking food and bringing light to camp, a fire starter is one of the most important things to have in your stash.
Of course, not all fire starters are equal. Some rely on fuel, while some require nothing but pure elbow grease. Some create flames faster, some slower, while some can start fires in the face of wind, rain, and similar conditions where others can’t. Fortunately, you’re not very limited to what kind of fire starters you can bring to your next adventure, allowing you to bring along a selection of gear to make sure you have what you need in any situation.
These are the best fire starters you can add to your stash.
SE 2-in-1 All-Weather Magnesium Firestarter Kit
Ferro rods are great for creating sparks, but you’ll still need proper tinder to get an actual flame started. This kit combines a strip of exposed ferro rod wrapped inside a magnesium bar. Yes, magnesium, which burns incredibly hot when it comes in contact with sparks. That way, you can shave off some of the magnesium to create a shaving pile, then direct your flint strikes towards that to get a small flame going. Magnesium can light up even in damp surroundings, making this a weatherproof solution for starting fires. According to the outfit, this combo of the magnesium bar and the ferro rod should be enough to let you start hundred of fires, depending, of course, on how much of the magnesium you shave off each time you start one.
UCO Sweetfire Strikeable Fire Starter
UCO makes one of our favorite tinder materials with their tiny Sweetfire bricks, which is made from a sugarcane byproduct that widely used as a biofuel. When used with an igniter, the brick quickly catches flame and keeps it burning for a few minutes, giving you plenty of time to get a bigger fire going.
This product uses that sugarcane byproduct to create matches with a large tip that you can strike against the side of the matchbox to get a flame started. Each stick starts off with a very aggressive flame that can burn up to seven minutes, ensuring the fire won’t go out on you even if you take your time gathering a bundle of kindling together. With that said, we recommend you have your fire bundle ready when you light this because the darn thing burns hard.
UCO Titan Stormproof Match Kit
While ferro rods are always our main choice for a reliable way of starting fires, it never hurts to have a more convenient alternative as backup. This windproof and waterproof match kit definitely does the trick, allowing you to easily start fires in any weather condition, all while offering a burn time of 25 seconds each, so you have enough time to get the most stubborn tinder ablaze. The kit comes with 12 matches measuring four inches each, along with a durable waterproof case that will float on water and three stick-on striking surfaces. Suffice to say, this isn’t your average box of matches, ensuring it will make for a more reliable way of making fire in the backcountry.
Zippo Emergency Fire Kit
Another great backup option, this set consists of a lighter-like device with a flint wheel on top that you can use to create sparks by simply spinning it with your thumb like a standard lighter. It’s convenient, while being able to spark up to 1,700 times before dulling out (wheel is replaceable, so you can use it for far longer), albeit without creating the same intense sparks as a good, old ferro rod. That’s not an issue because it comes with five easy-to-light cotton rings coated in paraffin wax that you can sue as tinder, all of which fit inside the textured grip’s tube-shaped container body. It floats in water, too, and comes with a lanyard hole in the cap, so you can put a multi-purpose paracord in there that you can use as tinder when the need comes up.
überleben Zünden Fire Starter
We don’t know what those German words in the product’s name actually means, but this ferrocerium rod is easily one of the best things you can use for starting fires. Sure, it’s a bit old school, as you’ll have to strike the rod to create sparks, which you’ll then use to light your tinder, which is not as simple as using a lighter or a match. However, those options tend to run out as soon as you use up all the fuel, battery charge, or match sticks. That’s not the case with this thing, as you can strike it many times over to literally create thousands of fires.
When scraped with any hard and sharp object, the rod will rain down molten sparks up to 3,000 Celsius, which should be hot enough to set whatever tinder you’re using aflame. It works in wet conditions, too, so you can start fires even when you had to cross a river and unavoidably get all your gear wet. It comes in three sizes, each one rated at 12,000 strikes, 15,000 strikes, and 20,000 strikes, respectively, with each one coming with a six-function multi-tool that also serves as a straight-edge striker for scraping your ferro rod.
SOL Fire Lite Fuel-Free Lighter
Electric devices tend to not fare that well in the backcountry, with all the potential for taking impact and getting wet that the outdoor presents. If you want a fast and quick way to light a fire, though, it doesn’t get any easier than with a lighter and this battery-powered dual-arc plasma model definitely gets the job done. Of course, it won’t last you through a long stay in the outdoors, as the battery only lasts for 45 uses (at seven seconds per light), which leaves it more of a backup than a primary option, although it is windproof and waterproof, so you can get a fire going even in inclement weather. It comes with a 100 lumen LED light on the opposite end, too, in case you need a flashlight in a pinch.