The Importance of Tinder and/or Kindling

Finding tinder or kindling is the most important thing you can do in a survival situation. The tactic here is to get your tinder first before doing anything else.

As listed in the video below, here are common tinder sources in North America.

• Cedar Tree – Outer and inner bark
• Poplar and Willow trees – Inner bark
• Birch – Outer bark
• Pine Needles – Dried and undried for some species
• Dry Grasses
• Usnea/Tree Moss/Old Mans Beard

Some people consider small sticks or twigs the only kindling, but the principles outlined below will help you better understand.

What to Look For in Tinder

You need tinder materials that are thin, fluffy or fuzzy, lightweight, and dry. It would be best to think about the processing you will need on the material gathered and portability. As pointed out in the video, you are much better off gathering your grass by cutting it at the base, so you do not get the moist root system and contaminate your tinder.

The idea with any tinder is to get something dry and lightweight, but I mentioned fluffy. The fluffy or fuzzy point is to break the material down to have a larger surface area. This larger surface area allows the “spark” to catch and get oxygen surrounding it while still contacting more of the material so we can have a transfer of fire.

If you are not in North America, you can use the following guidelines to determine whether you have an excellent tinder source.

1. Is It Dry?

You may think it is easy to know if the material you hold is dry. However, it is not always as easy to answer as you might assume. But good indicators of dry items are light in weight, don’t smoke when burned, and/or feeling dry. Some of these things might seem obvious, but when it is cold or wet or both, and you are looking for any way to warm yourself, it is easy not to think things through, and I have seen where people will grab the “wet” thing over dry just for not thinking about.

You might be saying, “Hey, you said it doesn’t smoke. How am I supposed to know without fire!!!!” Ok, you got me here, but paying attention is the point. Next time you are out camping or exploring and start a fire. Throw a few things on the fire you might typically think about and see what happens. If you put something on and see tons of white smoke billowing out, that is a good indication that what you just put on the fire is full of moisture and should be avoided as tinder.

2. Can You Break It Down Easily?

Take whatever you consider using as your tinder and try to break it down—using your knife, a rock, or even your fingers. Can you break it into smaller, easier-to-manage pieces with more surface area? Does it just crumble and disappear? One reason paper can be hard to light at times is the surface area. Think about it paper is flat, but if you cut it into little strips, you have just increased the surface area, and shredded paper is much easier to light than a sheet of paper.

3. Give it a try

Some survival situations require the utmost attention to time and detail. But the best strategy is often to take your time and think problems through. So if you go out foraging for tinder, get another instead of grabbing and trying one thing. Grab 2 or 3 potential candidates, and then give each one a try one at a time when you are back at your survival spot.

Fire is Life

Tinder is so essential in this situation because it leads to a fire. Fire means warmth, cooked food, safe water, and survival. In another post, I will write about how you can carry fire camp to camp or store it in different situations when you don’t always want a fire going 24/7. Links will be provided when finished.

How can I cook with fire?

How can I build a big fire?

How can I save a fire?

How can I make water safe with fire?