I need camping gear

Wanna go camping, need some stuff!

Char Cloth, Flint and Homemade Fire Starters

A Simple Bushcraft Backup for Campers

small campfire contained within a ring of stonesThere’s something reassuring about knowing you can light a fire without depending entirely on a lighter or a box of matches.

Modern camping gear is excellent — until it runs out of fuel, gets damp, or refuses to cooperate. That’s where an older method still earns its place in a kit:

  • Flint and steel
  • Char cloth
  • A simple tinder

It’s compact, reliable, and quietly satisfying to use.

What Is Tinder?

Before going further, it helps to understand one key word. Tinder is the material that catches the very first spark or ember when starting a fire. It’s the most easily ignited layer in the whole process.

Think of fire in stages:

  • Spark
  • Tinder
  • Kindling
  • Fuel wood

The spark lands on the tinder. The tinder glows or flames. The kindling catches. Then the larger logs take over. Char cloth is a form of tinder. So is dry grass, birch bark, fine shavings — and yes, even dryer lint.

What Is a Tinderbox?

If you’ve always imagined a small metal box when you hear the word “tinder”, you’re thinking of a tinderbox. A tinderbox was the traditional kit used before matches were invented. It usually contained:

  • Flint
  • A steel striker
  • Tinder (often char cloth)

So: Tinder = the material, while Tinderbox = the container and tools. The words get mixed up quite often, but they’re not the same thing.

What Is Char Cloth?char cloth

Char cloth is ordinary cotton fabric that has been heated in a low-oxygen environment until it carbonises. Instead of turning to ash, it becomes a lightweight black material that catches sparks extremely easily — making it excellent tinder. A tiny spark from flint and steel will land on char cloth and begin glowing almost immediately. That glowing ember can then be transferred into a larger bundle of tinder to build a flame. It’s a method that predates disposable lighters by centuries — and it still works.

How to Make Char Cloth

You’ll need:

  • 100% cotton fabric (old t-shirts work well)
  • A small metal tin with a tight lid
  • A nail to make one small hole in the lid
  • A fire or barbecue

Method:

  • Cut cotton into small squares.
  • Place them loosely inside the tin.
  • Close the lid securely.
  • Put the tin into a hot fire.

Smoke will begin escaping from the hole. That’s normal — gases are being released as the fabric carbonises. When the smoke stops, carefully remove the tin and allow it to cool completely before opening. DO NOT OPEN IT WHEN HOT. If oxygen rushes in, the contents can ignite. When fully cooled, the fabric should be black, lightweight and slightly fragile. That’s your char cloth. Store it somewhere dry.

Adding a Modern Tinder: Dryer Lint Tubes

lint from tumble dryer added to toilet roll inner tubesChar cloth excels at catching a spark. Dryer lint excels at turning that glowing ember into flame. You can remove the dryer lint from your tumbler dryer, making your house safer and then pack it into empty toilet roll tubes – most houses go through plenty of these! Packed into empty cardboard toilet roll tubes, lint becomes a compact, lightweight firelighter that’s easy to carry.

A few practical notes:

  • Lint from mainly cotton loads works best.
  • Synthetic-heavy lint may melt rather than burn cleanly.
  • Keep finished tubes dry in a sealed bag.

When you place a glowing piece of char cloth into the lint and blow gently, the lint catches and produces a steady flame ready for kindling. Old method. Modern waste material. Quite a good partnership.

How the System Works Togetherdiagram of stages of building a fire

  • Strike flint and steel.
  • Catch the spark on char cloth (your tinder).
  • Place the glowing cloth into the lint-filled tube.
  • Blow gently until flame develops.
  • Transfer to prepared kindling.

Spark → Tinder → Kindling → Logs.

Layered. Simple. Reliable.

Safety Considerations

Fire deserves respect.

  • Only make char cloth outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  • The tin becomes extremely hot — use tools to handle it.
  • Allow it to cool fully before opening.
  • Keep tinder well away from stoves, heaters or open flames until needed.
  • Always follow campsite rules regarding open fires.

Dryer lint is highly flammable. That’s why it works — and why it must be stored responsibly. Never experiment with fire indoors.

Why Carry a Backup?

  • Because weather changes.
  • Because matches get damp.
  • Because lighters fail at inconvenient moments.

Char cloth weighs almost nothing. A flint lasts for years. Lint tubes cost nothing to make.

It’s not about rejecting modern gear. It’s about having a quiet fallback.

And there’s something deeply satisfying about striking steel, seeing that first spark catch, and knowing you can make flame from very little.

Purchasing Food Without a Card

Would you Starve

If there were a widespread power cut tomorrow, would you be able to buy food or fuel? If you are one of those relying entirely on your debit (or credit) card for purchases, remember, they won’t work in a power cut, nor will ATMs. There doesn’t have to be a war to create a situation where food and household necessities are in short supply and life is disrupted, even if just for a short time. It just needs a power cut, a flash flood, a fire, or fuel or food shortages for life to become difficult, especially if you have a young family or older people to care for.

Panic Buying

Many people will have experienced problems in the lockdown situations starting in March 2020 and the shortages of toilet paper and bread created by panic buying for instance. In some parts of the USA, the first snows of winter create a panic buying situation of snow shovels and bread every year. Others will have experienced floods or fire and realised they had no cushion to allow them to survive even a few days.

No one is saying this is the end game or that total chaos will erupt if power goes out for an extended period but it is VERY LIKELY that some disruption will happen. It may not be widespread but if it happens in your area, you are the one facing a cold autumn and winter or kitchen with no food or no means of cooking it.

Prepare Ahead

Being prepared does not mean stacking your garage to the ceiling with baked beans and toilet rolls or blowing your bank account on hotel rooms abroad but it does mean having some food that doesn’t need cooking, having some way of keeping warm and thinking about how you could deal with some of the things that might happen.

Even if you only have 3 weeks of extra supplies, you are giving yourself a cushion against shortages. Three or six months of supplies would be even better.

You know your circumstances best, so articles on this site provide ideas and hints on what to do and suggests some things you can do to prepare ahead, within your budget to stay warm, sheltered and fed, with some light and means of contacting others.

Sections include or will include shelter, food, cooking, household essentials, water, electricity, children, babies, elderly, disabled, warmth, medications, first aid kit and imported items.

Emergency 3 Day Food Supply

The UK government created a new campaign in May 2024 advising people in the UK to be prepared for emergencies including setting up a 3 day supply of non-perishable food that does not need cooking and a minimum of 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, preferably 10 litres per person per day to include cooking and hygiene.

So if you want to have this 3 day food supply, what should you include? Unless you have a cooking supply that can’t be turned off (such as bottled gas, your own electricity generator with fuel, or a camping stove with fuel) then your food needs to be something you can eat without cooking. It also needs to be something that can be stored easily without refrigeration or freezing.

Food Selection Criteria
Non-Perishable – Choose items with a long shelf life

Your food needs to be nutritionally balanced and easy to prepare. Ensure you choose a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fats with foods that require little to no cooking. Also include comfort food, with some items that are familiar and comforting.

Basic List for a 3-Day Supply

Proteins

These could include canned meat or fish (such as chicken, tuna, salmon, ham), beans and legumes (canned or dried), peanut butter or other nut butters, protein bars or shakes.

Carbohydrates

Canned soups and stews, instant oatmeal or cereal, crackers or rice cakes, pasta and instant rice (these will need boiling water), canned vegetables and fruits (ensure no added sugars for fruits).

Fats

Nuts and seeds, trail mix, olive oil or coconut oil (small bottles or tubs – coconut oil is mostly solid at normal temperatures in the UK)

Other Essentials

Powdered milk or shelf-stable milk, dried fruits, granola or energy bars, Bread or tortillas, sugar, salt, and pepper, tea, coffee, or hot cocoa mix.

Water Supply

1 gallon of water per person per day: This covers both drinking and basic hygiene. You will need 3 litres for drinking, the rest for cooking and hygiene.

Additional Items

Manual can opener: Essential for opening canned goods.
Disposable utensils and plates: Useful if you can’t wash dishes.
Portable stove or grill: If you have access to fuel and can cook safely outdoors.

Plastic bags for disposal of plastic or paper plates. These are also very useful if you have no access to a flushing toilet.

Sample Menu

Day 1:

Breakfast: Instant oatmeal with dried fruit
Lunch: Canned chicken salad with crackers
Dinner: Canned soup with bread
Snacks: Nuts and dried fruit

Day 2:

Breakfast: Cereal with powdered milk
Lunch: Peanut butter on tortillas
Dinner: Instant rice with canned beans and vegetables
Snacks: Granola bars

Day 3:

Breakfast: Protein bar and a piece of fruit
Lunch: Tuna salad with crackers
Dinner: Pasta with canned tomato sauce and vegetables
Snacks: Trail mix

Storage Tips

Store your food in a cool, dry place.
Check expiration dates regularly and rotate your stock to use items before they expire.
Keep all supplies in an easily accessible location.

Final Tips

  • Customize your kit based on dietary needs and preferences.
  • Include comfort foods to help maintain morale.
  • Review and update your supply every six months to ensure everything is fresh and up to date.
  • By following this guide, you can create a well-rounded and reliable 3-day emergency food supply to keep you and your family safe and nourished during unexpected power cuts or other emergencies.

 

I need camping gear © 2018 Frontier Theme