What is the best way to get that fire going?

Camping is one of the best holidays for many. Whether your first time in a tent was as a child on a family holiday, or as an adult (big kid) wanting to try something new, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

You pack up the car with mounds of equipment (some of which you don't even know what it does) and off you go. Tent goes up, sleeping bags unroll and you are camping. Then comes making the fire. For most first-timers, this can be a daunting task but it doesn't need to be.

In this post, we will aim to make starting the fire as easy as it should be by looking at the best and most reliable ways to get your campfire started.

1 - Dry Leaves

Dry leaves may seem like an obvious place to start this list but that's because its where fire-starting should always begin. Just a simple collection of dry leaves and twigs in the centre of your fire will give you something to light easily and should be a good way to get your fire going.

2 - Orange Peel

This may seem like a strange one but stick with me. Once you have finished eating your orange I am sure you normally throw away the peel. You would be normal if you did. But this peel can become very helpful. If you leave it in the sun to dry then use it in the centre of your fire just like the leaves then it will easily light and should burn for long enough to bring your fire to life.

3 - Paper

If you aren't a fan of oranges, then you may just want to hold on to that scrap paper. It's no new fact that paper burns well, possibly too well. If you just tried to light a fire with a sheet of A4 you probably wouldn't get too far. But with a little bit of know-how you can make yourself a handy little paper fire starter. Take your sheet of paper and fold it lengthways in a corrugated fashion (similar to if you were making a hand-held fan), next fold in the same style the other way. You should end up with a small thick square of corrugated paper. This small square makes a very good fire starter as it will take longer to burn and give you a higher chance of your wood catching.

4 - Lint

For those that don't know lint is the fluff that you find on your clothes of in the bottom of your pockets or in the washing machine. When dry and bundled into small balls, lint makes a great and easy to get hold of fire starter.

5 - Propane fire starters

If all else fails you can buy fire starters from your local camping shop. These are small blocks that you place within your firewood and light, they burn for a long time and are a sure way to get your fire going (even if they are cheating a little bit).

Summary

So that's my top 5 fire starters that you can try yourself next time you are camping. Always remember to have a bucket of water nearby any fire though just in case. Hopefully one of these methods works for you and let me know in the comments if you have any more top fire starting hacks.

Have fun camping and stay safe.