There’s nothing like a sitting around a campfire with friends or family chatting, playing campfire games, singing campfire songs, telling stories, making s’mores and other treats, and just enjoying the evening together. That’s why one of the best things you can carry with you on a camping trip is a good campfire starter.
Whether you prefer to buy a specific campfire starter at a camping store, use flints, or choose a creative DIY option, this post has some terrific ideas for the best fire starters for camping!
What Is a Campfire Starter?
If you’ve ever used kindling (like small pieces of wood or sticks) to start a fire, you’ve already used a type of campfire starter. A campfire starter can be any of a number of combustible items used for starting a campfire more easily than trying to light a log on fire just by holding a match to it. These might include flammable scraps of wood, fibers from fabric, newspaper, or even wax. But there are also commercial products made to assist in starting a campfire.
With a commercial fire starter, you’d still need to use/collect some kindling because these campfire starters light and burn up quickly. So having some kindling that the starter can catch on fire is the best way of starting a full campfire.
Campfire starters should only be used in areas where there isn’t a fire ban in place. They should also only be used to ignite campfires in well-contained areas like fire pits or campfire rings at campgrounds. Always remember to check to make sure there isn’t a fire ban in place, no matter where you’re planning to start a campfire. Many wildfires have been started and run out of control because of careless campers.
There are several different types of fire starters for camping:
Campfire Starters Found In Nature
If you’re camping in an area where natural resources are abundant, you might have some great campfire starters right near your campsite. Natural items like bark (birch bark in particular) or even dry sticks and grass can help start a campfire. If you’re in an area with pine trees, you’ll find that pine cones, pine needles, and pine resin can also make great fire starters.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to check the rules/regulations where you plan to camp, as many areas (e.g., national or state parks/forests) prohibit the collection of any kindling or other campfire materials.
To use these types of natural items to start your campfire, simply set them under your firewood and use a long lighter or extra-long safety matches to start the fire. If your wood & kindling are nice and dry, this should be a good way to start your campfire.
- 1 PACK (50 EXTRA-LONG MATCHES) – This convenient pack includes 50 extra-long wooden matches, ideal for safely lighting fireplaces, fire pits,...
- 11" EXTRA-LONG SAFETY MATCHSTICKS – Designed with safety in mind, these 11-inch extra-long matchsticks provide extended reach to keep your hands...
Since you may not always be camping in an area with lots of natural campfire starters in the vicinity (the desert, for example), having other types of fire starters for camping on hand is always a good idea. Let’s take a look at some other types of campfire starters that you might want to carry.
Commercial “Quick-Start” Campfire Starters
These fire starters are made usually from natural materials so that you don’t need to go out hunting for them around your campsite. You can grab a box from Amazon and keep it handy in your rig for when you need it. They’re great to have on hand as a quick way to start your campfire.
Masterbuilt Wax Cube Campfire Starters
These campfire starters are made from pure, odorless paraffin wax. They can be used to start your campfire, charcoal grill, or even your home fireplace. They’re smokeless and tasteless, so they won’t add an undesirable flavor to any food you may cook using your grill, camping pot, or pie iron.
This is a box of 48 cubes, though some reviewers note that they use only half a cube (along with some kindling) to start their campfires, giving them a total of 96 firestarters. Importantly, these wax cube campfire starters will ignite even if they get wet. They burn for up to 5-10 minutes, which should be enough time to get your fire rolling!
- Ideal for Gravity Series grills and other charcoal products
- Easiest way to light your charcoal grill and reduce time to temperature
Dextreme Fire Starters
This is a different type of campfire starter, though you’d use it in a similar manner to help ignite your campfire. These fire starters from Dextreme are made with 100% natural materials (including wax and wood wool from pine). They work well to start campfires, grills, fireplaces, wood stoves, and portable campfires.
They contain no harmful substances and produce no odors or tastes, so they’re safe for indoor and outdoor fires and cooking. They ignite quickly (in 0.5 to 3 seconds once you light the corner of the firestarter) and have a long burning time of 10 minutes. This is a box of 60 campfire starters that should take you nicely through your camping season.
- 🔥 SAFEST WAY TO LIGHT FAST ANY FIRE – Dextreme fire starters makes starting a fire super easy, it lights any fire from 0.5 to 3 seconds, just...
- 🔥 NO ODOR, NO CHEMICALS, NON TOXIC, 100% NATURAL – Dextreme fire starter is a proprietary blend of all-natural wax and wood wool which are safe...
Eco-Stix Fatwood Campfire Starters
Eco-Stix fire starters are made from all-natural, resin-rich Ocoee pine. Carry this box with you when you camp, so you’ll have kindling on hand anytime you want to start a fire. These fire sticks are hand-chopped and made from the trunks of pine trees that have been downed or damaged. The internal resin allows these firesticks to ignite quickly under your firewood.
Simply set a few Eco-Stix at the bottom of your firepit, campfire ring, grill, or fireplace (be sure they are criss-crossed or overlapped to provide wide-enough flame to ignite your wood and to allow enough air for complete combustion). Set your wood on top of the Eco-Stix, light these handy little fire starters, and you’re off to a beautiful campfire. Eco-Stix are available in 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50-pound boxes.
- Branded - Eco-Stix is the best resin rich Ocoee Pine all natural Fatwood kindling used for fire starting. Our fumigated Fatwood contains no...
- All Natural - Our Fatwood is 100% all natural fire stick harvested from leftover trumps of pine trees. Internal resin allows it to light easily and is...
Fireflame Quick Instant Fire Starters
These little packets are 100% waterproof and contain a proprietary blend of paraffin wax. The pouch that holds the wax is designed to serve as a “wick” of sorts, and it burns away completely. Place a couple of packets strategically against your firewood and light the edge of the pouch with a lighter or match stick. In just 0.5 to 3 seconds the little pouches should be lit and should quickly ignite your firewood.
The 100% waterproof nature of these campfire starters means that they’ll light in or around water and reviewers state they even ignite wet firewood that was left out in the rain overnight. This canister contains 60 pouches. They have a continuous burn time of up to 10 minutes and the manufacturer notes that they may have a slight “wax-like” odor similar to a burning candle.
- SAFEST WAY TO LIGHT FAST ANY FIRE – FireFlame firestarter makes starting a fire super easy, it lights any fire from 0.5 to 3 seconds, just light the...
- 100% WATERPROOF - Our wax formula ensures 100% waterproof performance, allowing it to light in all weather conditions, including severe weather such...
Mechanical Campfire Starters
Mechanical firestarters are essentially improved flints that can be used with locally found & natural kindling material to start your campfire. This type of fire starter is designed to help you ignite a fire without matches or a lighter. Backpackers and through-hikers frequently use them.
Ferro Rod Fire Starter
This is a waterproof magnesium ferro rod tool that can be used with the included wax-infused natural hemp rope (or with any other type of natural tinder/kindling, including that found in nature). It’s a flint with a steel striker attached that, when struck, throws 5,500°F sparks to start fires in any weather condition.
This steel striker and ferro rod is made of a blend of high-quality ferrocerium and magnesium that should last for more than 15,000 strikes. It features a handcrafted cherry wood handle with a grip.
- FERRO ROD FIRE STARTER by BUSHCRAFT SURVIVAL | Our ferro rod fire starter throws 5,500°F sparks to instantly start in all weather conditions.
- EXTRA LARGE TINDER FIRE STARTER ROPE INCLUDED | Includes a proprietary wax-infused natural hemp tinder is a waterproof fire starter. Easy to use, it...
Complete Mini Fire Starting Kit
This mini campfire starter kit is waterproof, windproof, and compact. It includes 16 fire plugs and a mini ferro rod contained in a hinged travel tin, so it’s easy to carry in a pocket. This kit is good for starting at least 30 fires and is formulated and manufactured in Colorado.
The fire plugs are waterproof, not greasy, and they light on the first strike. Once lit, they’ll stay lit for 5 minutes or longer while igniting your campfire.
- [16 Fire Plugs] Good for more than 30 fires.
- [Hinged Travel Tin] Neatly secures up to 16 Fire Plugs and your Mini Ferro Rod.
DIY Campfire Starters
You can also choose to make a few quick-igniting, burnable campfire starters yourself and carry them with you when you camp. One popular example involves saving the inner tubes of paper towels or toilet paper rolls and also saving your dryer lint.
To create the DIY campfire starter, simply stuff the tube with the dryer lint and set it in your fire pit under your logs. The dryer lint makes an excellent tinder, while the paper tube keeps it contained and burning long enough to ignite your wood. Be sure to store your DIY campfire starters somewhere dry (like in a reusable storage container or Ziploc bag) so they don’t get wet/damp before use.
To make your DIY campfire starters even more powerful, you can use a grater or vegetable peeler to shave some candle wax or plain paraffin into the lint and stuff the combination into the tubes. These work well to start fires while also recycling your paper tubes, dryer lint, and old candles!
Dryer lint with a bit of shaved wax tucked into a paper tube makes a great DIY campfire starter.
There are so many ways to ignite a nice campfire for gathering and cooking. Taking a campfire starter along when you camp ensures that you’ll have everything you need to get that campfire going!
For more great camping ideas, see our post on how to get the smoke smell out of your clothes, and check out this great video on how you can start a fire with steel wool:
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Randy L’Heureux
Sunday 7th of September 2025
We collect both our dryer lint and the empty toilet rolls. We then get a bag of cotton balls from the dollar store. We coat the cotton in vaseline and stuff them in the toilet roll. We then put a bit of dryer lint in the end. The rolls keep everything contained. Build your kindling around this and you are ready. The dryer lint catches quickly and burns through to the cotton balls. The vaseline ensures quick capture and burns quite a bit longer. We make up a big zip lock bag of these things so we are always ready (well when there isn’t a fire ban) to get our campfire started.
Phil B.
Tuesday 10th of September 2024
This is how I make my DIY fire starters. Cheap, easy, store well and work great. 1. Buy your eggs in a cardboard egg carton. Use the eggs, cut off the lid and save the egg divider (bottom) portion of the carton. 2. As you do laundry and dry your clothes collect up the lint and put it in the egg divider carton spots. 3. After you have a bunch of cartons filled with lint buy some paraffin wax (I get mine at the grocery in the canning section). 4. Put the wax in a double boiler and melt it down. 5. Using a spoon or measuring spoon, ladle the wax on top of the lint. Add enough to make the lint stick to egg carton. 6. After everything has cooled use a pair of sharp scissors to cut the individual egg dividers apart. 7. Store the cutup fire starters in a plastic bag or Tupperware type container. 8. When you want to start your fire, just grab a couple of fire starters. I find that 1 or 2 will usually get the fire going. Just use a long necked lighter to start the edge of the cardboard on fire and the lint/wax mixture will take off and do the rest.
Stan
Monday 9th of September 2024
Another DIY method for emergency carry is to use hand sanitizer as a fuel. Check the label, but they are typically 70-80% alcohol and burn pretty well - as long as you have a dry match or lighter to ignite it. In the campground, charcoal lighter fluid works well too.