Creating a Simple Fire Kit

The Fire Kit

One of the fundamentals of bushcraft is fire making. We need fire to cook food and sterilize water, It's one of the most important things that we have to think about when out in the wild. The best way to create fire in the wild is to prepare beforehand. This means that before we even venture out into the wild to practice our bushcraft skills, we need to prepare a fire kit. The most simple kit you could take into the wild for fire starting is a simple flint and steel, with some charcloth. This however, is a more advance method of fire making and requires practice to start a fire from a small ember.

The Pouch

When making a new fire kit, the first thing that I do is decide what I am going to use to hold the contents of the fire kit. There are several options that one could use for this. from a modern pouch made of a modern cordura material or a more traditional approach such as cotton canvas or leather. 

There are both pros and cons to either one of these pouches, which I will note now.

Cordura Pouch

Cordura MOLLE Pouch

Cordura is a modern textile that is durable, abrasion, tear and scuff resistant. It is usually made with nylon, but sometimes is blended with other materials such as cotton. This is the first major benefit of using such a pouch, the material is durable and resistant to abrasion, tears and scuffs means that it will stand up to prolonged use that is required of bushcraft gear. It is also simple to look after when we compare it to the two other pouches, both canvas and leather needs maintaining to stay in good condition, which we will discuss when we look at these pouches. Cordura needs no maintenance, the only thing you might have to do every once in a while, is wash the pouch if it gets too dirty. 

Cordura pouches come in different shapes and sizes, meaning that there is plenty to choose from in terms of what you might want in your fire kit. There are simple bucket style pouches or ones  available with multiple pockets inside for separating items

Cotton Canvas Pouch

Waxed Cotton Canvas Pouch

Cotton canvas is a more traditional material that has been used for decades on outdoor products. The main characteristic is it's durability, the material has a tight weave which creates this attribute.  Cotton canvas can also be waxed. this then creates a waterproof fabric, however it will loose some of the breathability. Cotton canvas is rather simple to look after. A hand wash every once in a while should be enough to care for it. If your canvas is waxed, you will need to re-apply the wax once in a while as well. This is a rather simple process. 

As with the Cordura pouch, there are plenty of choices out there for a nice waxed cotton canvas pouch, there are plenty of people online that make handmade ones that are really good for the price. 

Leather Pouch

Leather Pouch

Leather has been in use for centuries, this is due to the fact that it is a highly durable and long lasting material. It's rather simple to maintain, just some leather conditioning is all that is needed once in a while to keep the leather hydrated and supple.  For this I use Wren dubbing, this helps condition the leather and helps improve the waterproofing.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to leather pouches, like the cotton canvas pouch, there are plenty of people online that sell fantastic handmade pouches.

What to Include in Your Fire Kit

 Ferrocerium Rod

The ferrocerium rod is one of the most popular items to have in a fire kit. It's a more modern tool to carry in your fire kit. It's simple to use and works if it gets wet. You simply strike along rod with the spine of your knife or with a dedicated striker,  This will launch hot sparks of the rod onto your tinder material. I would also recommend carrying a smaller ferrocerium rod on your person, as well as the one in your fire kit.

Fatwood

The UK is often a damp place, for this reason I think it's important to include some fatwood in your fire kit, as starting a fire when the ground is damp, dry wood is hard to come by. Fat wood burns really hot and easily due to the resin content. Perfect for starting a fire with just a few shavings in your bird nest. 

Omega Super Lighter

When you research into a suitable lighter for bushcraft, most people will recommend the BIC lighter. The BIC lighter is a cheap and readily available across the world. Its easy to use and most of all, it's reliable.

The only negative of the BIC lighter is that it is disposable. I'd much rather have a lighter than I can refill and reuse, for this reason, I'm currently using a vintage Omega super lighter in my fire kit instead of a BIC, but there are plenty of other choices available. Not only should you carry a lighter in your fire kit, you should also carry one on your person and a spare in your pack. The reasons for carrying a lighter are obvious, it's quick and easy for when speed matters and you need a fire fast. 

Char cloth in a Tobacco Tin

Char cloth is a great material for getting an ember, which can then be used to ignite a bird nest. Charcloth is best kept in a tobacco tin, which can also be used for making the char cloth. The tin will keep the charcloth dry and intact. Char cloth is easy to light with a variety of methods however, it is often lit with flint and steel or a ferrocerium rod. This is another perfect fire starting material that can be placed inside a bird nest to start a fire.

Flint and Steel

Another item I like to carry in my fire kit is a flint and steel. This is a traditional method of fire lighting and it is a good skill to practice. The flint and steel is perfect for lighting the char cloth that we looked at earlier in this blog post. It is a simple way of creating a fire however, out of the other methods we have added to our fire kit so far, this one requires the most practice to successfully start a fire.  There is a huge selection of handcrafted high carbon strikers on the market. The one I use is from Olivemead Forge, who are based in Dauntsey, England. 

Overview of the Kit

With all the items listed above, we have now created a simple fire kit that we can take into the wild and start practicing fire making. We have a total of three tools that we can use to start a fire, the lighter, ferrocerium rod and a flint and steel. We also have two fire starting materials, fatwood and char cloth. We can source dry fire wood in the wild and light a fire with either of the tools we have looked at, no matter the weather conditions.  This is a perfect starting point for a fire kit in which, you can add other tools and materials to create a more personalised fire kit.