Best Fire Starter for the Modern Caveman

Since the dawn of time man has relied on fire for warmth and cooking. Nothing has changed in the millennia that have passed. We still used it in some shape or form to survive on a daily basis. Sure there are a multitude of modern appliances and stuff that we use that does not directly need fire to function, but you can be sure that fire was used in its lifetime somewhere along the way.

Right, history lesson over and lets get back into the wild, caveman style…

Today we want to review a list of the best fire starter devices that get the job done.  Nothing fancy or any marketing rubbish. Just honest reviews that will help you decide on your best fire starter choice.

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Best Fire Starters Top 5

First up is the this little beauty. Cheap and cheerful is always a great option and to be honest if you are looking for something basic to meet you needs or just throw in the bag then you can’t go wrong with the SE.

Because Magnesium burns at over 1000 degrees and lights when even the smallest spark hits you could consider this more reliable than a simple butane lighter.

All in all a great option at a very cheap price.(Customer Reviews)

Next up we are going to look at the Light My Fire Original Swedish FireSteel Army 12,000 Strike Fire Starter.

This is a high quality firesteel and works extremely well, even when wet. It does take a little practice and you need to understand the basics of fire building to be able to use it effectively.

You will need to use good tinder and perhaps practice your technique a few times before you head out and have to rely on it to get a good shower of hot sparks right where you need them.

Works like a dream once you understand the basics (Customer Reviews)

Our Favorite Fire Starter

You cant really review any camping or survival gear without considering the Gerber 31-000699 Bear Grylls Survival Series Fire Starter. This design features everything you need in a high quality fire starter without the massive price.

Very easy to use and comes with a waterproof compartment in the handle to store some dry tinder to get your fire started quickly. Very important in a survival situation.

Check out the video below to see just how easy it is to use.

Overall a great budget fire starter that should be in every pack (Customer Reviews)

Next up is the high quality awesome Aurora Fire Starter 440C. To be honest this is one of the best magnesium fire starters on the market today.

Made in the US by Solo Scientific you are getting a fire starter that will outlast most others on the market. Built from high quality materials the Aurora Fire Starter 440C sports a reversible hardened steel striking blade that gets the job done quickly and efficiently every time.

It is strong and sturdy (made from Aircraft grade Aluminium), can take a bit of a kicking and will be suitable in all survival or weekend warrior situations. It comes in at 3.6 inches in length and is 16. oz in weight. Handy design that can fit on a lanyard around your next or just clip it to your belt.

Comes in at around $20 but well worth the investment. (Customer Reviews)

The last fire starter in our arsenal is the Exotac nanoSTRIKER Ferrocerium Fire Starter. Now here is a tool that comes in a neat and tidy bundle.

Handy to hang off you key chain so you always have it with you and will even work in the wet. It is self contained as it just pushes back into itself. Made in the USA as well so the quality is top notch. Reckon you would get about 1000 fires out of this one without any hassle.

One thing to not is that the striker is very small – hence the nano name, so make sure you are comfortable with this. I have hands like shovels so found this a bit small in my hands when trying it out.

Overall a very handy fire starter and looks cool. (Customer Reviews)

Using a fire starter to start a fire

So now that you have decided on one of the awesome fire starter kits above you need to know how to get a fire going so you can heat yourself up, cook dinner or just look cool in front of the kids…

We will break this down into three easy to follow steps so as not to confuse you.

Step one is to find a suitable location where you want to light the fire. There is no point in trying to light a fire if you are facing a gale force wind or sheet rain… Try to find a sheltered area out of the elements – as long as it is a safe area to light a fire (use common sense for this bit).

Don’t try and light a fire in bushes or you may cook more than just your dinner. A pro tip here is to build your fire close enough to a suitable source of material because you don’t want to be wandering around all night looking for firewood to keep it going.

Step two is to clear out the area at ground level where you intend to light the magnificent caveman style fire. I prefer to scrape everything back to bare earth and give myself enough clearance around the base of the fire so it does not spread.

If you are working in a wet or frozen area then chop up some lengths of branches a couple of inches thick and lay them out under where your fire will go to keep it up and off the wet area – Fire burns much better when its not in a puddle.

You might also need to build yourself a wind breaker to shelter your fire from un-avoidable winds. This will also help to direct the heat of the fire back into your camp and keep you extra toasty.

Step three is to make sure you have sufficient materials to hand to (a) start the fire and (b) to keep it going for as long as you need it. You will need the following to get set up properly and I suggest you gather as much of this before you light anything:

1. Tinder. This can be anything from shaving off a dry branch, birch bark if you can find any, dried moss, chaga fungus or use some of the cotton wool that you got in the handle of one of your firestarters…

2. Fine kindling such as dried grass. This will be step two and you place the tinder directly in a loosely formed ball of this material to get things moving. Blow on it until the grass or whatever material you decide to use catches a decent flame.

3. Twigs and small branches are next up and can be place right on top of the burning pile of kindling to really get the fire going fully.

After that the choice is yours. I tend to have a good supply of thin logs cut from deadfall (dry) piled up a ready to go. These will burn for much longer and produce plenty of heat for warmth and cooking.

Make sure when you are ready to leave camp that you fire is fully extinguished and you clean up any mess before you go. If you think about it – you started a fire with just a spark so make sure there are no burning embers left in the fire than could potentially start a new fire without you.

And finally if you are going to have fire at your camp make sure to keep children at a safe distance and don’t take your eye off them for even a second…

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If you have a go to fire starter then let us know in the comments below and we would really appreciate it if you click the tweet or one of the social buttons to help spread the word about us.

Happy camping!