Image Via: Tony Webster
Image Via: Tony Webster

Expert survival secret: The 3 best ways to start a campfire

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Blades

Fire striker

My favourite fire-starting tool is a Swedish FireKnife (pictured), which has a three-inch fixed blade and a fire steel stored in the handle—you simply strike the back of the blade against the steel to produce a 3,000°C spark. (There are also plenty of other types of fire striker available.) Of course, you will need something flammable to land those hot sparks on. Clothes dryer lint, cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly and barbecue lighter cubes all work well. But what if you have nothing but the woods around you for tinder? Dry grass or moss will do in summer, but birchbark is my all-season favourite—wet or dry, it will ignite. With your knife, gingerly scrape the inside surface of the bark until you produce a few grams of fine powder, then strike a spark into it. Hot, lifesaving flames will burst forth as the whole piece of bark soon catches fire. Have a small teepee of dry kindling at the ready, and place the burning bark inside of it.

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