I always carry some sort of fire starter when backpacking. It’s more of a peace of mind knowing I have a way to start a fire, no matter the situation. I almost always have a lighter or ferral rod. With that said, what if kindling is wet or you don’t have time to gather enough kindling to get a fire going? Below, I have listed my favorite fire starters rating their functionality, burn time, and weight.
Wet Fire
This is without a doubt my favorite fire starter to carry. Wetfire is individually wrapped and weighs virtually nothing. Coming in at 0.1 ounce per cube. The Wetfire cubes can be lit with a lighter or broken down to be lit with a flint striker. Also, these are waterproof and will light in windy conditions. Each cube will burn for about 5 minutes giving plenty of time to even get wet sticks to light.
SOL All – Weather Fire Cubes
Coming in a strong second is the SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer) All-Weather Fire Cubes. Again, I love that the cubes are individually wrapped. These weigh a little heavier than the Wetfire coming in at 0.5 ounces a cube. Another option is carrying the entire package with a combined weight of 3 ounces with that packaging having a resealable top.
However, when lit, they can last 10-12 minutes long which is a really long time to get your fire going. You can also break the cube down into many pieces which will make one cube last longer but cut your burn time down to 1-2 minutes. The SOL All-Weather Fire Cubes comes with its own branded Fire Light that is super easy to use. Similar to a striker this a wheel, like what you would find on a lighter to create a spark. The cubes as a whole, or broken up, are easily lit by a lighter or a fire striker.
SOL FIRE Light
SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer) has an even lighter Fire-Starter option. The SOL Fire Lite is a waterproof cotton type tender. The entire package with the Fire Lite is a combined weight of only 0.7 ounces with a resealable top. If you already carry a lighter or a flint striker you can grab a refill package of just the tinder. With the Fire Lite being so light you will loose some burn time with each tender piece staying lit only 1-2 minutes.
UCO Sweetfire
UCO Sweetfire is actually a sweet design. (no pun intended). To put it simply, it’s a match on steroids. Sweetfire is a strikeable fire starter made from renewable biofuel. I wish these were individually wrapped, but the whole box with strikeable side of 20, weighs just 4.5 ounces. Which is convenient because you wont need to carry along a fire striker or lighter. Although, I would still recommend a backup, because you just never know. Once lit the Sweetfire will keep a flame for 7 minutes. That gives plenty of time to tend to your fire in any situation.
Coleman Fire Starter Sticks
The Coleman Fire Sticks are not my first choice and not because they don’t work. They actually work quite well and have never failed me. I would just prefer with the above options first. With a lighter they are easy to light and each stick will stay lit for about 5 minutes.
I have not been able to light these with a fire striker. They are not individually wrapped and are annoying to pull apart because they like to crumble. When that happens I just stack all the pieces together and light it that way. The entire box of Fire Sticks weighs about 7 ounces. Or, you can ditch the box and shed a couple more ounces.
While there are tons of fire starters out on the market. These are some of my favorite and go to due to their reliability.
