Fire Starting with a Ferro Rod and Stormproof Matches

Not legal advice. Fire restrictions change with conditions. Check current county, state, and federal land restrictions before any open fire.

What it's for

Fire boils water, warms cold hands, and lifts spirits. A good Cookie carries more than one way to light it: a lighter for everyday, stormproof matches for wind and wet, and a ferro rod that throws sparks long after the lighter's empty.

Before you need it (practice)

• Check restrictions first. In wildfire country, open fires are often banned in dry, windy weather. Smokey Bear's advice: call or check online for fire restrictions for your location, local parks, or the public lands agency, and don't build a campfire if the rules prohibit it or it's dry or windy. When in doubt, use the stove, not a campfire.
• Prep a new ferro rod. Many come with a protective coating. Scrape it a few times with the striker until shiny metal shows (Scout bushcraft guidance).
• Practice in the driveway on a metal tray or in a fire pit, with water nearby. Ten good fires at home beat one desperate try in the rain.
• Make or buy tinder. Fluffy, dry stuff catches sparks best (NatureOutside).

Step by step

Set up the fire

1. Use an existing fire ring where allowed. Clear the area of anything that can burn.
2. Have water and a shovel ready before you strike anything (Smokey Bear).
3. Gather three piles first (Smokey Bear): tinder (small twigs, dry leaves, grass, needles), kindling (sticks smaller than 1 inch around), and logs. Don't strike until all three are in reach.
4. Follow Smokey Bear's build steps: tinder in the center of the ring, kindling around it, then logs.

With a ferro rod

1. Put the rod's tip right on or against the tinder. You can pin light tinder down with it.
2. Hold the striker (or the spine of your knife, never the edge) against the rod at a steep angle near the top.
3. Scrape firmly down the rod toward the tinder in one controlled stroke. Or hold the striker still and pull the rod back toward you, which keeps from knocking the tinder apart (NatureOutside, Scout bushcraft guidance).
4. Aim for the driest, finest part of the tinder. Accuracy beats a big shower.
5. When it catches, shield it from wind and slide it under the kindling. Blow gently at the base.

With stormproof matches

1. Strike on the box's striker strip, away from you.
2. Touch it to the tinder. Follow your matches' instructions for burn time and striker use.

Putting it out (every time)

Smokey Bear's method:

1. Drown it with plenty of water until the hissing stops.
2. Stir the ashes and embers with a shovel; scrape sticks and logs.
3. Drown again, adding dirt or sand if water is short.
4. Feel. Hold the back of your hand near the ashes. If it's still hot, repeat. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.

Common mistakes

• Striking before your fuel is gathered. The tinder burns out while you hunt sticks.
• Skipping kindling. Smokey Bear's order is tinder, then kindling, then logs.
• Using the knife's edge on a ferro rod. Use the spine or the striker.
• Burying a fire with dirt instead of drowning it. Embers can stay hot underneath.
• Ignoring wind. Sparks and embers travel. Skip the fire on red-flag days.

Care & storage

• Keep matches and tinder in a waterproof case; lighters in a case or bag so the button can't leak fuel (a tip from The Prepared).
• Ferro rods last a long time; keep the striker tied to the rod.

Related gear

• Butane lighters · Ferro rod fire starter · Stormproof matches + case · Fire tinder tabs
• Folding pocket knife · Collapsible water container (for putting it out)
• See also: Using a Fire Extinguisher
• Category: Fire · Role: Cookie

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