Fire Starting Without Matches- 5 Simple and Easy Ways

When we are cooking without power – especially if we’re cooking over a firepit – we need to be able to start a fire.  But what if we don’t have matches?  Yes, we’ve all seen the bow-drill method.  Yes, we’ve probably watched Survivor and seen people start a fire with flint and steel; however, those methods tend to be more complex and less reliable than other straightforward methods.  So today, I’m going to walk you through Fire Starting Without Matches – Five Simple or Easy Ways.

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Let’s start with some . . .

Fire Starting Basics

Types of Wood to Gather

Before you’re ready to start a fire, you need to gather the materials to create a fire.  You’ll need several different types of combustible materials, including:

• Tinder – This is small loose material that will catch fire easily.  Since we use a lot of hay and straw around the farm, we tend to use this as our tinder.
• Kindling – Kindling is small ends off branches and is less than a pencil’s diameter.  They are smaller than twigs and will catch fire more easily than twigs will
• Twigs – These are slightly larger pieces of wood – usually the diameter of one of your fingers.
• Logs – Once you have a fire nicely established, these are what you are going to use to keep it going.

So make sure you have some of each type of wood before you begin your fire.

Fire Starting Methods

I’ve known about several of these methods for a while, but as I was researching this article, I learned something new.  The first two methods I describe to start a fire are great for cooking fires.  These types of fires make it easy to cook over them.  The third and fourth methods that I describe are great for long-lasting campfires – the kinds you like to sit around, tell stories, and sing songs.  So as you choose your method for building your fire, keep the purpose of your fire in mind.

TeePee Method

This is a common method of starting a fire.  You begin with tinder in the middle.  Once that’s caught, you gently lean, kindling across the tinder pile.  These begin the creation of a ‘teepee.’  Once these begin to catch, again in a manner akin to a teepee, you begin to pile twigs around the kindling, leaning them against each other.  Once the twigs catch, you’re ready for smaller logs.

Lean-To Method

Drive a 1-2 inch diameter piece of wood into the ground at an angle.  From the bottom to the top, lay twigs against a piece of wood and start with tinder and kindling in the shelter created by the pieces of wood.

Log Cabin Method

When you think of this method, you should think of Lincoln Logs.  You put two logs on the ground opposite each other.  Then you lay two logs perpendicular across these – like you’re building a log cabin with Lincoln Logs.  You keep building this up as the fire gets larger and larger.

Cross Method

With this method, you need to dig a small hole in the ground, then set your tinder and kindling in the hole.  Once your fire is going, you will lay two sticks in the ground in the form of a cross over the hole.  You keep creating another cross as the sticks catch fire.

Fire Starting Techniques

1.)  Arc Lighter

I’ve been starting fires for twenty-plus years.  Now, granted, an arc lighter didn’t exist – at least as far as I can find – twenty years ago.  But this is a recent discovery.  An Arc lighter is like a cigarette or zippo lighter but will light even in the wind and rain.  It is also rechargeable!  This lighter creates an arc of electricity across two electrodes.   This is as simple as pushing a button.

2.)  Steel Wool and a 9-Volt Battery

This is probably the easiest method that I’m going to describe.  If you can find a nine-volt battery and steel wool, you can place the steel wood across the 9 volts electrodes.  This will create a flame and act as your tinder in one.

3.)  Magnifying glass – I learned something new!

I’ve known about this method of starting a fire since I was a child, but I learned something new.  Your magnifying glass will work better if you dip it in water first!  The water helps focus the beam of light even better.   How cool is that!

4.) Zippered baggie and water

If you brought a snack anywhere with you and have water, you have the makings of a fire starter.  Open the zippered baggie and fill it about 1/4 full of water.  Twist the top of the baggie so that you cause the part with water to bulge, but don’t twist it too tight, or it will burst.  This acts in a very similar way to a magnifying glass.

5.)  Concave (magnifying make-up) Mirror

Did you know that the magnifying make-up mirror you can buy from Amazon or CVS is also a firestarter?  You hold the mirror, so it faces the sun and place a piece of tinder or small kindling in the center of the mirror and slowly pull it away until you find the focal point where the mirror focuses the light.  This will concentrate the light in the same way that a magnifying glass or zippered baggie does.

What About You?

What SIMPLE and EASY methods have you actually used to start a fire?  Please share with us in the comments so we can all be better prepared.  And Remember as your trying to start that fire . . .

You’ve Got This, Mama!