The Easiest and Laziest Way to Start a Fire

If you haven’t grown up camping, you might be surprised to know that starting a fire isn’t as easy as it sounds in the cartoons. (My daughter recently tried to rub two sticks together, sincerely believing it would start a fire. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work that way.) But if you’re hoping to start a fire on your campsite quickly, you’ll also need more than just a lighter and a bundle of firewood.

What is needed for a fire

Let’s take a moment to see how a fire is actually lit so we know what we’re trying to achieve. Keep in mind that a log does not actually burn very easily. This cannot be achieved with one flame; the wood must also be very hot before it catches fire.

The smaller and thinner the piece of fuel, the easier it will ignite. A sheet of paper, for example, will burn instantly, but it will also burn itself out in a few seconds. The secret to making a fire is to use flammable and fast-burning fuels such as paper and twigs to heat larger fires. Then the larger logs will finally be able to catch.

Once you finally get the log entry, you are not done yet. This first flame on one or two large logs is what you use to ignite the next pair of logs. As soon as you heat up a few logs enough that you can continue to burn, the high flame will go out, but slowly smoldering logs and coals will remain. This is when the campfire is finally perfect for cooking and roasting marshmallows. But you will never achieve this if you do not start the fire from the very beginning.

How to light a fire without a lighter

I’ll cover the different types of fire starters in a minute, but first, let’s look at the more traditional way: start a fire without the help of a store-bought starter. You will start by collecting several different types of fuel:

• Tinder : Fast-burning small objects such as crumpled newspaper, wood shavings, or a pile of dry leaves.
• Kindling : branches and small sticks that can catch fire after they have been heated by the previous layer.
• Slightly larger sticks or split wood that can catch fire nearby.
• And finally, your campfire logs.

I asked my husband, who honed his campfire skills as a child, about the simplest version of this method. He recommends using an accordion-folded sheet of paper as a simple tinder. (Accordion folds help direct airflow towards the fire.) I remember my father starting a fire with loosely crumpled newspaper, which works the same way.

How an arsonist helps start a fire

Dry tinder and kindling work best in good weather, when it’s not too rainy or windy. And they require some practice. On the other hand, the arsonist is more forgiving.

The lighter usually has something like tinder that ignites easily and some wax that burns for a long time and is a little more resistant to blowing. It is similar to a candle, but where the candle concentrates the flame in one wick, the fire starter has fluff or shavings that spread the flame over a larger area.

You can make your own fire starter by putting a few pinches of dry lint in each cup of a paper egg carton, then pouring some melted candle wax into each cup. Cut the cups into pieces, and each of them will become a source of fire. You set fire to the paper, and then the paper, lint, and wax burn together. They replace the tinder and part of the kindling in our previous example. Or do the same with a paper towel or toilet paper roll .

You still need to place a fire starter between your logs and it helps if you can use larger kindlings or smaller logs to start the fire. I like to use thick wood as a bridge between the fire starter and my regular logs; it is a type of wood that contains a lot of resin, so it burns longer.

Best fire starters

• Fire bricks are made from sawdust and wax. They are cheap, easy, and can be broken apart so you can start a fire in multiple places if you want.
• The Duraflame cubes come in a plastic wrap and you actually light the wrap to get them to work.
• Natural or wood fire starters have wood shavings or strips on the outside and wax in the center.
• Theoretically , Fatwood can start a fire on its own, but I still recommend using paper or other tinder to start a fire.
• The Pull Start Fire is a lighter that doesn’t require a match or lighter; you pull the rope and it ignites.

All of the fire starters listed here will create a high, hot flame that will burn for at least 10 minutes; some will last longer. (Pull Start Fire says it lasts 30 minutes; I tried one and found it worked well, but I didn’t think to time it.) While the lighter is burning, make sure you’re putting the flame to good use. . I like to put two logs parallel to each other on either side of the fire starter and one log on top – ideally a little to the side of the fire starter where it can absorb the heat without suffocating the baby flame.

Putting It All Together, or The Lazy Way to Start a Fire

The method described below is not a way to build the best and biggest fire, but it is a way to start a perfectly usable small fire for roasting marshmallows or for sitting while sipping beer. Once it’s on fire, you can toss in more logs to start a bigger fire. But we are learning here in a lazy way and it will work.

What do you need to start a fire

• Firelighter : one of the above products or a homemade lint dryer; they are all good honestly.
• Long-handled lighter (unless you’re using a corded lighter, but I’ll probably still use a lighter as a backup).
• Three or more fire logs . Buy them locally to avoid transferring pests from one area to another.
• Optional: Assorted small sticks or other flammable items (used paper plates from dinner are ideal).
• Optional but highly recommended: Poker . If you don’t have a metal poker, find a sturdy stick and keep it away from the fire. This is your stick. This is how you will move the logs after the fire is lit.

How to make your own fire

Now find the ring of fire in your camp. Assemble the fire as follows:

1. Lay two logs parallel about 4 inches apart.
2. Place the lighter between them, but not in the center, but a little closer to one of the ends.
3. Light the lighter.
4. Once the fire starter is bright, place sticks or rolled paper plates on top or on the side. Use a poker to separate two parallel logs if you need more space.
5. Add a third log on top or next to the fire starter and kindling. You want that log to start heating up too.
6. As soon as the lighter burns out, the logs should already burn well. Optionally, add a fourth log (I prefer a square log cabin style structure).
7. Rearrange as needed, always making sure the new logs are warm from the currently burning logs and that there is enough room for airflow and not for everything to be boring.

If you’re a beginner, take extra fire starting supplies with you – it’s better to relight the fire than sit in the dark because you couldn’t continue with your first attempt. There is no reward for the cleanest, most proper fire: just light store-bought sourdough starters, feed as many paper plates and Doritos as you need to the fire, and eventually the logs will be hot enough for you to toast marshmallows. .