My old way of starting a fire was a total joke...

For years, I'd just pile up some damp twigs from around the campsite and try to light them with a single match, which never worked. The change happened after a freezing night in the Adirondacks where I spent an hour failing to get a flame going. Now I always bring a small bundle of fatwood sticks I bought for like $5 and a Bic lighter... it takes 30 seconds. Anyone else have a fire-starting upgrade that saved them from a cold dinner?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_nelson1mo ago

My buddy swears by those fire starter cubes you can get at any camping store for like six bucks, and I finally tried them last weekend up in the White Mountains. I mean, I see where you're coming from with the fatwood and Bic combo, that's definitely a solid upgrade from the damp twig days. But for me, those little cubes changed everything because they burn for a solid 10 minutes even in a light wind, so I don't have to fumble around feeding sticks into a tiny flame. I've had too many nights where a sudden gust killed my match before I could even get the fatwood lit, you know? The cubes give me time to actually build the fire right, and I've never had to re-start once since I switched. Not saying it's better for everyone, but it's been my lifesaver for sure.

the_uma3mo ago

Was it really that cold or did you just not want to eat your own cooking?

jana_hernandez3mo ago

Oh man, @the_uma, you got me. I totally used to think people were just being dramatic about the cold until last week. My own soup tasted fine, but my hands were shaking so bad I spilled half of it. Then the spoon actually stuck to my lip for a second. That's when I knew, okay, it's not the cooking, it's a genuine emergency.