What is the best (easiest to ignite) natural tinder to use that you have found to work quickly?

Dried leafs worked well (I had a fire going with 3 strikes, but other material doesn’t seem so fire friendly. Sawdust from my garage didn’t work as woodchips from a chainsaw (been laying in the backyard for a month so they were dry) did not want to light. I tried making a fizz stick with a knife and it lit with a lighter but not with a spark. Also very dry pine needles (all brown and dried out) did not want to do anything but smoke.


Drier lint is the best thing I have found, it works the first time every time, even if one spark hits it, it jumps into a flame. But I want to get good at it with found materials.

I just started a fire on our recent camping trip using dried grass. Actually started two fires this way to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke. The first started easier then the second. Don't really know why - used the same stuff and about the same size.

This is why I have 100 cottonballs soaked in vaseline in a plastic bag in my BOB. Starting a fire with a spark isn't as easy as it seems, especially if it's been raining.

"The paradox of firemaking is the greater the need, the more difficult it usually is." - Ray Mears

I get a fire out of dried grass and dead weeds in my back yard using the mishmash on the back side of a magnesium stick pretty much every time.

A great question but think it should be noted that it sometimes takes time to generate a flame using fire steel or mishmash or other spark starter. I can go 5-10 minutes with dry natural tinder. Something that is not often discussed or shown on 'survival' shows...though I think Les once did a fade away to denote time on an occasion when the tinder was wet.

+1 on the cat tails. It doesn't so much burn as go "FWUMP"! Milk weed pods, same thing.

Fuzzy stuff inside of a birds nest...

Birds?

You're taking a chance that they'll fly away and start a remote brush fire after you've lit them...

There's a world of difference between the old-style flints and the new firesteels.

I was given one of those new firesteels that creates an incredibly hot spark. Any finely shaved, reasonably dry wood catches right away.

The old flints create a much cooler spark. If I'm using one of those (or even a Bic lighter that's out of fluid) cattail heads are at the top of my list. Pocket lint from jeans works too: I've even shaved the inside of a pantleg with my knife to make it.

One thing that's good about practicing with an old-style flint: you learn to be meticulous about materials and preparation. If anything is awry, no fire.

I am wondering if anyone has tried the Maya Dust. Of course, it is not a naturally occurring material either.

That reminds me of this old fart's experience at home... Blazing mouse sets fire to house

I carry a cheap small pencil sharpener in my kit. Reason it takes a roughly pencil sized stick and reduces it to a pile of paper thin shavings. Far faster and much thinner than any fuzz stick. It also gets you to the dry inner core of wet wood. These thin shavings readily ignite with a sparker rod.

I like the idea of the pencil sharpener, I will try it out in the backyard.
In my fire kit I have a small container of compressed drier lint.

Note to self...Buy pencil sharpener for kit.
Awesome idea! Thanks

No, not the birds, just their nest. Birds won't hold still long enough to strike a shower of sparks on them...

"...they'll fly away..."

If that is a worry, nail their little feet down...

LOL!!

A handfull of cedar or juniper bark worked between your hands until it is nice and fuzzy works well around here.

For starting birch bark, find a dead tree lying horizontally. Hold your knife at a right angle to the surface and scrape up a pile of fine shavings. Have a bunch of 1/2" wide strips ready.

Dry grass works well but it has to be 100% dry in order to catch spark and start burning. It´s good idea to mill it using your fingers in order to prepare as small pieces as possible - almost a powder.

Like others mentioned another great tinder is the birch tree bark. But it has to be extremly thin peel - the type of the bark that peels itself off of the surface of the birch. It catches the spark very well and it´s quite water resistant.



I use Maya sticks as my favourite tinder. According to the description it cotains 80 % of resin. I have to confirm that it´s literally impregnated with it. It should be therefore waterproof. I have been testing it quite a lot and it´s great tinder. It burns for a long time. I have yet to test its waterproof attributes. I have made several variations of a tinder from the Maya sticks - from the sawdust to the bigger pieces (in the second bag from the left it´s mixed with birch tree bark):

cotton balls, also dryer lint works Great.

Drier lint works great, one spark and you get instant flames. But I want to be able to start a fire with the fire steel from forest debris without having to strike it 25-times.


The pencil sharpener idea sounds good, I will have to experiment with it so see how well it works.



A little story about my son that happened a few months ago.

He’s 18-years old and was over for the weekend. He saw a baggie full of drier lint sitting on a shelve amonge the camping stuff in the basement. He says “Dad, why are you are saving this, you are weird.”

I took the fire steel and some of the lint outside and showed him how well it works to start a fire. He says “that’s so cool!!!” He had to have a fire steel so we went and bought him a fire steel. And now I would guess he has a baggie of it stashed away in his camping stuff. I just told him not to play with it in the basement, don’t want him burning down the X’s house.

The best tinder in my area is dried out and small dead pine branches and needles from a live or dead tree. (Even a tree that s living, there are always a few dead branches usually on the lowest branches). These branches and needles burn extremely easy and hot.

Once a few of these branches and needles are burning, throw in some dried up pine cones of which there 1000's on the ground. Next add some larger tinder and pieces of wood of your choice and you have a fast hot fire in less then 3-4 minutes.

I have built many, many of these types of fire in the wettest, coldest and snowiest conditions you can imagine with no difficulties.

In my experience, standard jute twine frays up easily and catches a spark very quickly and bursts into flame. It's cheap, too. Use it to light a candle and you can set fire to almost anything but a water fountain.

Sherpadog, you're absolutely right about "red" pine. You can see it for miles. I've just never tried it with a flint. Will try it, carefully (it's awfully dry this year, definitely don't want a wildfire).

sotto, I never thought of jute twine. Must try that. Will it work as crude candle wicks (with paraffin, fat, etc.?).

I think the pencil sharpener is a great idea to add to your kit, I'll be putting one in mine today.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned char-cloth, it's as traditional as the flint and steel itself and works excellent with a handful of cedar bark shavings and dry grass.

LOL!!

Or prop them up on a stick, using that little hole they have right under their tail.

If the stick is too big, duct-tape the bird so it doesn't split.

A kabob! I discourage the use of tape because it tastes awful and it may cause constipation (in addition to the bird's).

I've also noted that the larger the firesteel, the better the sparks. I went camping a couple of weeks ago, and tried a couple against each other. The difference was - striking (sorry). The thick and long ones are great for sparks!