How to Carry a Fire-Lighting Kit

A fire-lighting kit doesn’t need to be complicated and it doesn’t need to have too much equipment. In fact, one of the best kits is small enough to keep in a pocket or a corner of your rucksack and contains a few different ways of getting a fire started rather than relying on one single method.

The important thing is that everything in the kit is protected from moisture, easy to find and something you have actually practised using. There is little point carrying a firesteel everywhere if you’ve never learned how to use it, or carrying matches that have become damp at the bottom of your bag.

Start With More Than One Ignition Method

Don’t make your entire fire-lighting kit depend on a single method.

A lighter is quick and convenient, waterproof matches can provide a useful backup and a firesteel gives you another way to produce sparks. You don’t necessarily need all three, but carrying at least two different methods gives you some resilience if one fails.

Think about what would happen if your lighter became wet or ran out of fuel. Having another method available could make a significant difference.

Carry a Firesteel

A firesteel is a useful addition to an outdoor fire-lighting kit because it doesn’t rely on a fuel reservoir and can produce sparks after getting wet, provided the tinder is prepared properly.

Choose a size that you can use comfortably. A larger rod can be easier for beginners because it gives you more material to strike and generally produces a good shower of sparks.

Practise with it before taking it into the outdoors. Knowing how to create sparks is only the first part; you also need to know how to catch those sparks in tinder.

Carry a Lighter

A basic lighter is one of the quickest ways to produce a flame.

Keep it somewhere protected from water and check it occasionally to make sure it still works. If you’re relying on it as your main ignition source, don’t leave it loose in the bottom of a rucksack where it can become difficult to find.

A lighter is particularly useful when you need a quick flame, while the firesteel provides a good backup.

Add Waterproof Matches

Waterproof or stormproof matches can provide another useful option.

Keep them in a genuinely waterproof container rather than assuming that the manufacturer’s packaging will remain dry forever. Include a suitable striking surface and check the matches periodically.

They are particularly useful as an emergency backup because they can provide a flame immediately without requiring you to prepare a tinder bundle first.

Carry Good Tinder

Having several ways to make a spark or flame is only useful if you have something for that flame to catch.

Carry a small amount of reliable tinder in your kit, particularly if you’re going somewhere where natural tinder may be wet. Commercial firelighters can work well, but simple dry tinder such as prepared wood shavings can also be useful.

Keep the tinder sealed inside a waterproof container or bag. There’s little benefit in carrying dry tinder if it becomes soaked before you need it.

Keep the Kit Waterproof

Water is one of the biggest enemies of a fire-lighting kit.

A small waterproof pouch, container or dry bag can keep your ignition equipment and tinder together and protected. Even if your rucksack has a rain cover, don’t assume everything inside it will stay completely dry.

Keeping the whole kit together also means you aren’t searching through several pockets when you need to light a fire.

Don’t Make the Kit Too Large

It’s easy to keep adding equipment until your fire-lighting kit becomes a collection of every firelighting product you’ve ever seen.

You don’t need that.

A compact kit containing two or three reliable ignition methods and some good tinder is generally more useful than a heavy pouch full of equipment you don’t know how to use properly.

The aim is reliability, not quantity.

Add a Small Knife If Appropriate

A suitable knife can be useful for preparing tinder and kindling, making feather sticks and processing small pieces of wood.

It should only be included if you are legally able to carry and use it where you are going and know how to handle it safely. A knife is not essential for every fire-lighting kit, and many fires can be started without one.

If you do carry one, treat it as a separate tool with its own safety considerations rather than simply another piece of equipment in the pouch.

Think About the Conditions

The contents of your kit can change depending on where you’re going.

For a dry summer campsite, a lighter and a small amount of tinder may be plenty. For a winter woodland trip, you might want a firesteel, waterproof matches, several types of tinder and equipment for preparing damp wood.

The more challenging the conditions, the more important it becomes to have backup methods and reliable tinder.

Keep Your Fire-Lighting Kit Accessible

Don’t bury your fire-lighting kit underneath your sleeping bag, spare clothes and cooking equipment.

If you’re camping in wet weather, you may need it before you’ve unpacked the rest of your equipment. Keep it somewhere that you can reach quickly while still protecting it from rain.

A small pouch in an accessible rucksack pocket works well.

Check It Before Every Trip

Get into the habit of checking your kit before heading outdoors.

Make sure the lighter still works, the firesteel has plenty of material left, the matches are dry and the tinder hasn’t been used up. Replace anything that is damaged or missing.

This takes less than a minute but prevents the classic situation where you discover that your emergency fire-lighting kit contains an empty lighter and three damp matches.

Know How to Use Everything You Carry

Equipment doesn’t replace skill.

If you carry a firesteel, practise lighting tinder with it. If you carry matches, practise using them safely. Learn how to prepare natural tinder and how to build a fire gradually from a tiny flame to larger fuel.

Try practising with different materials and in different weather conditions where fires are permitted. The more familiar you are with your equipment, the less you’ll have to think about when conditions aren’t ideal.

Safety When Carrying a Fire-Lighting Kit

Only carry and use fire-lighting equipment where it is appropriate and fires are permitted. Follow campsite rules, landowner requirements and any local restrictions.

Keep ignition sources away from children who are not being supervised and away from fuel, aerosols and other flammable materials. Never leave a fire unattended and always extinguish it completely before leaving the area.

Remember that a fire-lighting kit is there to help you start a controlled fire — not to encourage you to light one where it isn’t allowed.

Keep It Simple and Reliable

A good fire-lighting kit doesn’t need to contain every gadget available. It needs to give you a reliable way of producing a flame or spark, something that will catch it and a way of keeping everything dry.

A lighter, firesteel, waterproof matches and a small amount of dependable tinder make a good starting point. From there, adapt the kit to the trips you actually take and the conditions you are likely to encounter.

The best fire-lighting kit is the one you know how to use and can still rely on when the weather turns against you.