It looks like a box of Chinese takeout, but don’t grab the chopsticks just yet. It’s actually a box of tinder. Just pop the Tinderbox by Dragon Fire into your campfire or fireplace and light the string.
Knowing how to start a fire at your campsite is a vital tool for any outdoors enthusiast to possess. Sometimes finding tinder isn’t so easy. For those who need a helping hand there’s a company that will send you fire starting tinder through the mail.
Dragon Fire makes an entire host of firestarting products with packages of everything from twigs and dry grasses to char cloth. Although it might sound a little ridiculous to need tinder sent to you in the mail, their products can be used by anyone no matter their skill level and not just in the backcountry. They make great fireplace or backyard fire pit starters also.
None are more simple than the Tinderbox. All you have to do is open the box and light the string. Each Tinderbox contains roughly 3.5 to 4 ounces of dry tinder and consists of a layered design that provides around 15 minutes of flame.
Some of the materials used in the Tinderbox include cedar wood, iron wood, pinecones, poplar bark, beeswax, soywax, birch bark, jute string, cattails, applewood and fatwood—all natural materials found in nature. This also means you can cook with it without worrying about any harmful chemicals or weird smells.
An added bonus to all of Dragonfire’s products is that they possess no petroleum-based additives. Everything is made from natural products, including the box itself and its label, making it safe for the environment. Aside from the Tinderbox, Dragon Fire also offers other all-natural outdoor products, including tea, first aid balm, tinder pouches that fit easily into a backpack and tinder fungus.
5 Tinder Options
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Pencil filings
Using thinly sliced pencil scrapings are a great tinder option and it’s easy to carry in your pack. Just bring along a pencil and manual sharpener. You can start a fire and always have a sharp pencil.
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Tree bark
When the ground is wet and you can’t seem to find any dry tinder, check the underside of a piece of bark. You can usually scrape enough fibers off with a knife in order to make a bundle that can catch a spark.
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Cotton balls and vasoline
While cotton balls by themselves can be used as tinder, mashing them in some vasoline or petroleum jelly makes them burn longer. Simply spoon the cotton ball through a bowl of vasoline and then store the cotton balls in a plastic bag or small container for use in the woods.
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Drier lint
Every time you clean out that lint catch on your drier, you have access to a great source of tinder. This lint is actually made of fine strands of your clothing slowly disintegrating over time. But to catch a spark, drier lint works great. If you’re really in a pinch, try digging a little lint out of your belly button. I bet you got some.
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Frito Lays
Virtually any corn chip laden with fat can be used as tinder as it burns long and slow. But one chip in particular as the “granddaddy” of fat content works best and that’s Frito-Lays.
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