I keep a fire starter kit in a Ziploc bag for each of my various packs (hiking, any outdoor excursion), 72 hour kit, and other emergency kits that I have:
– 72-hour kit
– emergency kit in your vehicle
– bugout, evacuation bag
– get home bag (one at work?)
– day pack for hiking
– packed while hunting / fishing / outdoors
– camping equipment
– Emergency kit in your ATV, 4-wheeler
– kit in your snowmobile
– boating emergency kit
– EDC, everyday carry (at least a lighter)
The ability to make fire is one of the essentials of survival. And having more than one way to make a fire is very good preparedness. It’s suggested that you have the ability to make a fire within 5 minutes.
Fire Starter Kit List
Within my fire starter (Ziploc) kit, or kept in its own pack compartment, I generally may keep any of the following items:
BIC Lighter
While a BIC type lighter won’t work reliably under all conditions, it is by far the simplest and quickest way to get a fire started. I try to keep one in my pocket for every day carry, just in case (and in my kits). It will perform better in cold weather if it was warm in your pocket.
Zippo Lighter
The Zippo is nice in that it can light up, burn for a while without melting. It can stand there without you holding it and it will stay lit. This frees up both hands for task.
A plastic Bic type of lighter (though it has its uses) needs your thumb to always be on the valve to keep it lit. And it will melt, come apart after a min or so of being on.
Strike Anywhere Matches
‘Strike Anywhere’ matches are a great backup to a lighter. They’re even more effective starting a fire when bundling two or three of them together. Strike into a nice big flame.
‘diamond’ brand Strike Anywhere Matches
Keep them in a waterproof match box, like this one.
FireSteel Rod
This incredible firesteel rod will shed gobs of sparks onto a pile of tinder while firmly scraping down its edge with the metal striker that comes with it, or your knife, etc..
FireSteel.com
All different lengths and diameters. These are the best!
Magnesium Fire Starter
SE FS374 2-IN-1 All-Weather Magnesium Fire Starter
Make a quarter size pile of magnesium shavings using the scraper on the magnesium portion of the bar (or a knife). Use the striker (or knife edge) to direct sparks from the flint onto the pile of shavings. Have tinder ready.
Tea Light Candle
This little candle will burn for several hours and could be lit first under wet conditions to help with a consistent flame to get a tinder / kindling pile burning.
You can’t go wrong with this inexpensive candle:
Tealight Candles, (Pack of 100)
Vaseline Coated Cotton Balls
Simply smear some vaseline on a few cotton balls for a nice little ball of fire when lit. I keep pre-smeared cotton balls in a small sandwich bag (to keep the goo from getting on everything else) and I keep that bag within the Fire-starter kit Ziploc bag.
Fire starter Squares
They sell various types and sizes of fire starter squares or pucks. Right now I have the ones pictured above. They’re recycled wood chips blended with wax. When lit they will burn for awhile, plenty of time to get some kindling going!
Fire Starter Squares, 144 Squares
Fresnel Lens or Magnifying Glass
I keep a small flexible fresnel lens in my wallet at all times. If the sun is shining, I can probably make a fire with it. You could just as easily keep one in your kit, just like a magnifying glass.
Related article: Fresnel Lens Fire Starter For Your Wallet
Fatwood
Fatwood is harvested from the stumps of pine trees that contain a high concentration of natural resin. It burns well. You can get some yourself, or buy it:
Road Flare – The Best Fire starter
Don’t laugh, but a road flare is an excellent fire starter! While it’s fairly large and won’t be practical for all kits, it WILL start a fire! When it’s so cold that your fingers don’t work, this could save your life.
Related article: Paraffin Candle & Road Flare for Fire Starter Kit
Cold Weather Fire Starter Advice
Comment from a reader here on Modern Survival Blog:
Starting fires with flints and burning metal chips all works under ideal conditions; in which case just use your Bic lighter.
Emergency fire starting does not typically take place under ideal conditions! When you are so cold and wet your fingers don’t work anymore and your own thoughts betray you: You need a way to get a roaring fire burning when everything in your environment has been dampened by rain and fog for weeks on end.
When the best tinder you can find is damp, you must sustain a flame for several minutes to ignite it.
A paraffin candle on its side, dripping into your tinder has been successfully used since the days of the mountain men. I still carry one in my kit.
(Road Flare – Fire starter during Hypothermia)
But I have found the standard road flare is the best bet now. If weight is a concern, break it off, down to 5 minutes worth. Keep the end with the striker and cap of course. If it gets wet, light the striker end with your trusty Bic lighter or waterproof matches and you are still in business. The 3800 degree blasting flame will ignite the most stubborn tinder and in fact, you really don’t need tinder.
Take it from me; all of the fire making scenarios pale in comparison to the misery of hypothermia setting in because you slipped crossing a creek, fell through the ice or simply because you have been rain soaked for days and are starting to wear out. Keep it simple!
Another commenter said “Put your hands in a bucket of ice water for half an hour then try to start a fire with a match. Bet you can’t. Now try to light the highway flare, bet you can, been there done that.”
Read more: Tinder For Building A Fire
Read more: The Best Knife for Batoning Wood
The only thing different in our fire starting kit is that the candle is made from bees wax. It has a melting point of 140 degree’s. Since these are kept in our GH bag which are kept in the car I worry about a regular candle melting in the summer heat.
Ken
I don’t know how you could leave out the biggest fire starter next to lightning, the MAGA HAT. 🙂
hermit us;
OUCH!!!!!!! hahahaha
Yep hermit us
MSM, libsiders, and whole parts of the county went up with that one hat and a smile. Don’t forget to strike with a smile.
Yeah, that hat has started more fires than PG&E. Don’t forget to mention the toxic fumes that come from the hats because whenever a Socialist comes within proximity of the hat, they start acting strange and lose bodily coordination by jerking and thrusting violently. Also, the fumes appear to bring out some repressed Tourette’s syndrome with the language the socialists use when in proximity. I thought rocket fuel was volatile, well that is nothing compared to a MAGA hat.
All good suggestions, I have changed my thinking over the past cpl of years to Road Flares, FAST and no need to wait around for the fire to “get going”.
With that said I do like camping a LOT, or doing “Lights Out” weekends, so have quite a few means of ‘playing’ with fire. A pencil thin piece of C4 comes to mind HAHAHAHA
One suggestion, the “Fire starter Squares” are fine and nice, but get yourself a “Fire Log” and cut it up into smaller pieces, works very well, and is a LOT cheaper.
PS; Bic Lighters are a nice way to go, but don’t get them to hot, they will leak or go bang. Remember that a closed up car/truck in the HOT summer can get very VERY Hot.
NRP
Are telling us you had a flash-bang experience??? lol
Yeppers, Bic was actually in the back cross bed tool box (blue in color) in bed of a Pick-em-up. made a hell of a noise, and a mess.
Just make sure it says ‘flare’ on the side. Don’t use the one that says ‘dynamite’.
Used the GI issue trioxane fuel bars to heat many a C-ration can or canteen cup of water for the instant coffee when I was a soldier. Now they are in my bags for use as fire starters. Available on Amazon, through eBay and carried by Ready Made Resources.
9 V Batteriy and a wire on flammable material works, but I have an auto lighter. Do they still make cars with this feature? I have a 1999 suburban with one and no matter where I go up north, there’s a birch tree in sight for the bark that burns when wet.
HEYYYYY Stardust, good to see ya…..
Was just talking about the weather up your way….. a little cool I bet, need to keep those fires going for sure…
See how I kinda kept it on topic?? HAHAHA
In 2 separate containers, carry some anti-freeze and potassium permanganate crystals (available at Ken’s favorite store or a florist).
Have your tinder ready, make small pile of potassium permanganate, pour small amount of anti-freeze on it.
It will spontaneously ignite.
It’s as easy as it gets.
Paleo;
I like your thinking hehehehe
Dryer lints free cotton balls aren’t
Yes sir & every dryer load of lint goes into a Ziploc bag, have gallon bags of it.
You can get pocket size refillable mini butane torches for $5 bucks at Wally World or the dollar store. I got a few of them that I use for burning the trash and lighting the wood stove. Pretty much wind proof and will light in the rain. Burns hot.
but those same butane lighters are completely useless in any freezing weather unless your able to warm them and use before they cool again.
Just used one the other day. – 6 degrees F. This morning it was 14 degrees F. Took it out of my shirt pocket and it fired up.🔥👍
One thing I have in all my vehicle is a sterno, instant fire and heat ..
Can’t forget a Zippo. Good for low temps and wind, & you can use white gas/Coleman fuel in them.
-and maybe one of those usb/solar/12v rechargeable electronic lighters? No fuel needed…
After assembling the components for several fire starting kits, I realized there was no way they were going to fit into Altoids tins. So I found some tins a little bigger and that works great. I also cut up a bicycle inner tube to use as super size rubber bands to keep the tins from opening up and spilling the contents all over in the pack. The last thing one needs is digging through their pack in the dark for items to start a fire.
I kept the components the same for each kit so that if I grab a kit, I know what it contains instead of standing there saying ‘is this the kit with such and such or is it another one?’ Uniformity really helps.
In one of my pockets I always have a Firesteel, Bic type of lighter and a Zippo.
The Zippo is nice in that it can light up, burn for a while without melting and can stand there without you holding it and it will stay lit. This frees up both hands for task.
A plastic Bic type of lighter needs your thumb to always be on the valve to keep it going and it will melt and come apart after a min or so of being on.
Even with this flaw Bic’s have their use and this is why I have one in my pocket.
Excellent advice regarding the Zippo lighter. Should have added it to the article’s list (just did).
Zippo Eagle Lighters – made in the USA
I also like to throw in a small ziplock bag of the finest steel wool I can find from Ace Hardware. The ultra fine steel wool is used to remove splinters from fine woodworking projects yet if spread out, it also catches a spark and burns very hot. Is the steel wool fine enough? Test it on a 9 volt battery and watch the sparks ensue. If you have a pile of dry tinder nearby you are in good shape.
Having an adequate supply of tinder and kindling is a big if depending on where you may find yourself.
Under normal circumstances, the steel wool can be used to scrape clean your dishes while you light the fire with your Bic. My sparking tool rides with a good sized ball of fine steel wool within a ziplock bag in my pack and in my truck.
Another good thing to pass on to newbies and children is to create fuzz sticks from pieces of wood that may be wet or damp on the outside. Probably one of the best uses for a good sharp knife in your kit.
0000 Steel Wool.
Yep, keep that stuff away from your cordless tool chargers, friend lost his shop to the flash fire
Good evening! I got a chance to post this evening and I wanted to share. I have never had to start a fire when it counted. I spend a lot of time in the woods and I’m careful. I think things through because I’m no spring chicken. With all of that said I always have a Bic lighter and waterproof tube of matches. I’ve always been able to start a fire when I needed one. I do keep a small candle in my hunting pack, but it is more for warmth. I have brushed in a spot to hunt and become cold. An unscented candle will keep my hands warm and I’ve never had a whitetail bust me while using a candle. Hope y’all have a good evening. The flu is going through this area real bad. Avoid crowds and wash your hands.
Coghlans heat tablets are same idea as military trioxane heat tabs. Cheaper too, and a box will fit in a plastic soap dish.
Zippo fuel will evaporate out of the lighter over time so carry Zippo empty and fuel in a Zippo fuel container (about same size as ChapStick) till you need to fill it to start emergency fire. Or look for canister in camping aisle of Cabelas or Bass Pro.
For cold hands in an emergency, carry a spare chemical handwarmer for use only to warm your hands enough to regain finger dexterity adequate for fire starting tasks.
Paratrooper 327th,
That’s a very good idea regarding cold hands dexterity. For those who have experienced it, you literally can hardly do anything with your hands until they warm up.
I would suggest a hand warmer that ‘instantly’ heats. Among other types (which start slow but stay warm longer), I also have this set which immediately heats up (very very warm – almost hot) but will last about 30 minutes:
HotSnap Hand Warmers (re-usable)