The Best Family Camping
campfire gear
winter 2023
Strictly speaking, you might not need a campfire while you’re camping this winter. You have your stove for cooking. You’ve got your puffers and parkas, tent, sleeping bags, and camp blankets for warmth. And you have headlamps and lanterns for light.
But do you have anything that can be used for cooking, warmth, animal repelling, and illumination all in one save for that campfire? No, you don’t. And is there anything else on earth quite like staring deeply into flickering amber flames as they dance and crackle, their undulating glow gently illuminating those around you and vaguely calling to mind the long and winding journey of humankind itself? No, there’s not.
A good campfire is the anchor point of a fine campsite. And to make the best campfire possible without all that much work, try some of these campfire starters and campfire tools that will help you get a strong blaze going fast. Just always practice campfire safety, keeping water, sand, a snow piles and a shovel, or a fire extinguisher on hand, and make sure you follow all camping fire rules and/or local ordinances closely — fire safety rules are not there to ruin the fun, but to keep you, others, and nature, y’know, safe during your fall camping trip.
The Best portable Fire pit for camping and the backyard
THE SOLO STOVE 2.0 FIREPIT IS A LOW SMOKE, HIGH HEAT PORTABLE FIRE PIT PERFECT FOR CAMPING OR FOR THE BACKYARD
If you love a good, crackling campfire but hate having woodsmoke billowing in your face, this highly efficient and highly portable fire pit from Solo Stove has got you covered. Its clever design maximizes airflow and heat while minimizing smoke thanks to the efficiency of the burn, and thanks to a removal ash pan, cleaning up after your fire is easy, too. It’s a great fire pit for woodland camping where you want to create the safest fire possible, and it’s great for use at home, too, as you can stash the Solo Stove 2.0 in the garage when the hangout session has wrapped.
The Best campfire starter tools
Got your logs stacked and your tinder bed laid? Excellent, then a few showers of sparks should do it – especially if said sparks fall onto a pile of magnesium shavings you prepared…
A SOL Mag Striker with Tinder Cord fire starter is rated to start over 100 fires
And because, in most cases, you’ll be using this handy fire starter only if your lighter or matches fail, or if you are in an actual survival situation, that’s likely more fires than you’ll ever call on it to start. And speaking of handy, this fire starter tool has a thick, sturdy grip that easily fits in your hand, even when you have gloves on, which means you can use this fire starter even after most of the magnesium has been shaved down; others that are essentially just a block of magnesium and a ferrocerium rod (that’s a flint rod – the sparking part, FYI) can be harder to use as they get whittled down.
The UST MagBar Fire Starter is affordable, simple, And reliable
This is a block of easily shaved magnesium into which is set a flint rod that easily makes sparks when you use the included metal striker (also the magnesium shaver) to create said sparks. That is all, but when you need a quick, hot flame, that is all you need. This basic but time-tested fire starting tool is a perfect affordable choice for the outdoorsman or outdoorswoman who is always prepared.
A Zippo Mag Strike Fire Starter produces huge showers of hot sparks
This is simply a large ferrocerium rod (again, that’s just flint, the sparky rock stuff) that tucks into a protective plastic sheath. Attached to the sheath is a steel striker that, when held at an angle and slid forcefully down that ferrocerium rod, creates a large and hot enough shower of sparks to ignite any proper bed of tinder, be it wood shavings, cotton fibers, magnesium bits, or what have you.
The Best lighters for camping and campfires
Sure, a classic Bic lighter may suffice for many camping applications, but if you want to take your campfire craft up a notch, give these lighters a look.
This SOL Plasma Lighter uses electricity as its fuel
That’s right, no butane or propane or kerosene, this is a plasma lighter. It creates such an intense little field of heat that it can light a candle in about a second, a piece of fatwood or a fire log (which can be a great low smoke choice for campfires by the way) in a few seconds more, and that doubles as a flashlight. And you “fuel” the lighter up by connecting it to a battery or outlet via USB cable.
A Bernzomatic Trigger Start Propane Torch will have your fire crackling and your charcoal glowing in no time
Screw this easy-to-use little piece of hardware onto the top of a propane cylinder, push the button, and you will have a jet of searing hot flame that will immediately light up a fire, get a grill going, and that can even be used for modest industrial applications, like soldering, loosening stuck pipes, or even an emergency weld fix.
There’s really no substitute for a classic Zippo lighter
Their flames may not burn quite as hot as a torch or plasma arc lighter, but that plucky, dancing flame will burn for as long as you need, even in gusty winds, and your Zippo will last you a lifetime, as you can replace just about every component if and when needed. Plus there is the nostalgic charm factor here.
AN OUTDOOR ELEMENT FIREBINER IS A COMPACT AND HANDY MULTITOOL THAT CAN CLIP, CUT, AND MAKE SPARKS TO START A FIRE
This compact carabiner belongs on the belt loop or backpack of everyone who wants to be properly prepared out there, and not just because carabiners are handy for clipping on keys, a folding knife or other small tools, and for securing supplies to packs or gear lines. And not only because this carabiner has a little blade built into it that’s perfect for cutting cords or fishing line and such. What really sets things apart here is the fact that the Firebiner from Outdoor Element has a flint and wheel set into it that can create a shower of sparks, helping you get a fire going out there in the field.
The Best fire starters for camping
Note: not the best fire starting tools for camping – we did that already. These are the things you will actually set aflame as you get your campfire going.
One UCO Sweetfire Behemoth Fire Starter should be all you need to get that fire going… and then some
Assuming you have selected even half-way decent kindling and your logs are not wet, when you strike one of these fire starters and then tuck it down into the prepared fire pit, it will do the rest of the work for you. This is essentially a huge, hot match attached to a hot, steadily burning biofuel. And by essentially, we mean that’s what it is.
It’s hard to beat classic Fatwood like this stuff from Billy Buckskin for starting a fire
Fatwood, for the record, is not actually made with “fat” as many people think – there are no animal products involved here, just pieces of pinewood rich in naturally flammable sap. Add a few pieces of this stuff among your kindling and light them up with a fire starter, lighter, or match, and you should get plenty of heat to get the logs going. And you can always add more.
These little fire starter bundles from Zorestar blaze up fast and hot
They are made from 100% natural materials and can safely be used in a campfire, to start your indoor fire in a fireplace, in a wood-burning stove, even to light the wood pellets or charcoal you’ll use for cooking. A quick touch with a flame is all it takes to make one catch, and in a matter of a minute or less, the whole little bundle will be burning hot, which it will continue to do for between five and 10 minutes, conditions depending.
The Best matches for campfires
Matches never run out of fuel (or battery) so it’s a good idea to always keep some handy. That way you are never out of options for making a fire
A Zippo Typhoon Match Kit is always ready, no matter the weather, wind, or temperature
These thick, hot-burning matches will blaze intensely for about 30 seconds each. And you can count on that long, intense burn even if you accidentally dropped the Typhoon Match Kit in a lake or left it sitting out in the rain all night. The packaging is completely waterproof.
You get 25 stormproof matches in this UCO Stormproof Match Kit
And that’s more than enough matches to get many a fire burning. The container is waterproof, as are the matches, more or less: they will stay lit even in pouring rain, letting you get your lantern or stove or – if you’re really good at laying a fire – campfire lit even in the worst conditions.
Sometimes, you just need to stock up. With 900 Diamond Wooden Matches, you’ll be all set
Nothing special here, just three 300-count boxes of classic, reliable strike on the box matches. Use them for your campfire, grill, candles, sparklers, fireplace, or anything else, and likely for years to come, because… 900 matches.
and last but not least: Camping fire safety
A big bucket of water or sand can work fine. But so can these slightly more advanced options
This compact First Alert HOME1 Fire Extinguisher belongs in the kitchen when you’re home and in the tent or trunk when you’re camping
It’s easy to use, reliable, and can bring peace of mind every time you camp. Also, it will bring a potential disaster to a quick conclusion the time you need it.
A good fire blanket can smother even the hottest flames. A four pack of fire blankets? Even better
Whether the campfire rages out of control, the stove tips over and the propane is leaking and aflame, or there is some other fire related emergency at your campsite these blankets allow you to cover the flames and suffocate them fast.
THE RUMPL NANOLOFT FLAME PUFFY BLANKET KEEPS YOU WARM AND COZY AND PROTECTED AGAINST BURNS, TOO
To be crystal clear, this is NOT a fire blanket like the kind you’d use to smother a fire quickly. Yes, it could probably smother a smaller campfire just fine, but that’s not what it was developed to do. This blanket was designed to keep you warm and snug while also keeping you safe from any errant sparks or embers escaping from your campfire or fire pit (or home fireplace, too). The blanket features a proprietary, fire-resistant material on its exterior that resists singeing and burning, so you and your apparel will be safe even beside a lively fire.