Tinder

On The Trail

The Trail

Often times, we do not think of our campfire until we get to camp or, even worse, until it is getting dark. Do yourself a favor, start looking for Tinder and Kindling materials much earlier; as in while you are hiking along the trail.

Eucalyptus Trees

Bark From The Eucalyptus

Take for example: tree bark. Pictured above is bark from the eucalyptus tree. This bark happens to be common where I was walking around today, but may not even grow where you are. No problem! Many, and most, barks will work. Sure, some work better than others, but you will have to use what you have should you be in a situation where you really need to.

The list of tree barks that work well as Tinder, Kindling, or both is a long one. Best thing is to be familiar with what is available in your area. If you are in an area that is new to you, do some research in advance to see what grows or, simply be observant and collect a sampling of a few different types as you hike along towards your destination. In the end, both of these methods will add to your knowledge base and leave you better prepared next time, even if next time is, again, in an entirely new and unknown area for you.

Straight off of the tree, most barks do not perform well as tinder. Typically, you will utilize tree bark in its unprocessed form as kindling. If you are unsure of the differences between tinder and kindling or are unsure how each is best utilized, see the Fire Page located within this blog/website for an in-depth explanation. Processing tree bark down from a kindling state to a tinder state is quite simple and can be done in a countless number of ways; each dependent upon your particular situation. Again, for more information on the subject of processing kindling into tinder, see the Fire Page on this site.

Tinder Sources Are Often  All Along The Trail

Tinder sources can often be spotted along the trail, as long as you are keeping your eye out for them. Some items you grab will work better than others. Some items you grab will not work at all. Regardless, grab what you think will work and try it. After-all, we often times learn better from our mistakes than we do our successes. Do not be afraid to gather an item and have it not work. Simply make a mental note and apply it to your next adventure.

Pine Cones Can Make Good Kindling

When you are attempting to step from tinder to fuel-wood, you will need to have kindling. Often times, there are items right under our noses, or slightly above our noses, that will work great as kindling. Take the above pine come for example. Now, you may get lucky and find a pine cone, on a green pine tree, and have it be nice and dry, but there is a more "for-sure" way to ensure the cone is dry enough to take a flame from tinder.

Dead Pine Tree

Dead Pine Standing

Do yourself a favor and keep an eye out for treetops that have snapped, yet are hanging, or for trees that are dead, yet still standing. In this case, as seen above, there is a dead pine tree standing almost upright. (Wood found laying around on the ground is often wet or rotted.)

Now, the pine cones on this tree are likely to be a lot drier than the ones found on a green tree. Not only that, but the entire tree can be used! Process some of this down into your tinder and some other into small kindling. Dead tree tops and standing dead trees often have all you need, to include some fuel-wood, when making a campfire.  

Note: Soft woods will often work great for getting a fire started, but are often not good for coal beds. For more information, see the Fire Page; then got out and experiment...!

Pine Tinder and Kindling Source

You can create tinder out of the pine cones and smaller branches in many ways. Everything from creating small shavings with a knife to grinding down the wood using rocks can process the kindling into tinder. Using the smaller and thinner pieces will help you transition from the tinder, into the kindling and further into larger kindling and eventually the fuel-wood itself. Again, for more information on this process see the Fire Page located on this site.