coloradowildman
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2009
- Messages
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Since pretty much everything else is debated on these forums, I thought, "Why not fatwood?"
I've been curious how the vaunted Longleaf Pine fatwood would fare against lesser known and not generally commercially available fatwoods such as Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and Lodgepole Pine. I wanted to include Western Larch in the test but was unable to obtain any in time, so I went with what I had. These four fatwoods are the most well-known to bushcrafters and outdoorsman in the US, so I thought the test would be fairly representative.
My testing methodology was to get 3 examples of each, all weighing within a quarter ounce of each other. I used our woodstove to make sure there was no interference from rain or wind, etc. The goal was to light each piece and note:
1) Ease of lighting
2) Size of the flame
3) Burn time
I decided to use "average examples" for the test. In other words, what the average person would most likely buy or find on their own. I do have premium fatwood sticks of Douglas Fir and Longleaf Pine that are almost solid resin, but wanted to test stuff that was slightly more typical.
Here are the contestants......
Lodgepole Pine (found at higher altitudes)
Ponderosa Pine (these were old pine knots that extended out the branch and became solid resin wood)
Honduras Longleaf Pine (what most people buy online nowadays)
DOUGLAS FIR
Average Burn Time- 13:59 mins
AFTER 3 mins of burning
LODGEPOLE PINE
Average Burn Time- 14:29 mins
AFTER 3 mins of burning
PONDEROSA PINE
Average Burn Time- 18:41
AFTER 3 mins of burning
HONDURAS LONGLEAF PINE
Average Burn Time- (inconclusive due to having two of the test examples failing to stay lit throughout the test)
AFTER 3 mins of burning
This was a fun and informative test. Each type of fatwood has a unique smell, with Lodgepole smelling like a turpentine bottle, Ponderosa like butterscotch, Douglas Fir like citrus mixed with a hint of turpentine and Longleaf smelling like an exotic spice.
So which fatwood do I think is superior? Without a question, the Douglas Fir. It was the easiest to light, burns like a road flare, has plenty of resin for longer term storage, and puts out the most heat (I couldn't measure this per se but it was obviously hotter than the other fatwoods when a hand was placed near it).
The Lodgepole was a close second, burning with a fury, easy to light yet also long burning. Problem with the Lodgepole is that it's resin content is a bit too low if longer term storage in a pack is desired as it will dry out much faster than Douglas Fir. It makes a great high altitude fire starter as it is plentiful up in the high country.
The Ponderosa Pine is a little harder to light, but not too hard, and is easily the longest burning stuff. One of the three test examples burned for an incredible 25 minutes! The flame is not as intense as the Fir and Lodgepole but certainly adequate.
The Honduras Longleaf Pine was a major dissapointment. Only one piece stayed lit, even though all three test examples were sticky with resin. It seems that this stuff has a high resin content but not as much flammable terpene as the others, making it harder to light and stay lit.
Here are the two pieces that failed to stay lit (the one that looks unburned was re-processed so that I can test it again)
I had to dig out a piece of Longleaf that was almost pure resin to get a result similar to the Ponderosa Pine's, for instance. Here's a piece similar to what I burned in the fourth test.
Note that it is almost completely resin. Even with all this resin, I would compare if to the Ponderosa overall. It was still a little hard to light compared to the others in this test.
Here it is after 3 mins burn time
In closing, I would say that if you buy Longleaf, make sure to get pieces that are almost pure resin and it will serve you well. The advantage is that with all this resin it won't dry out and can be left in a pack for longer periods without worry.
On a side note, I had already done some tests of these fatwoods in windy conditions, and it was in those conditions that the Lodgepole and Douglas Fir clearly blew away the competition because of the higher flammability. The Longleaf was much more difficult to light in those conditions.
All this said, the Longleaf I have may not be as good as what one finds in Georgia, for instance, but I think it is fairly representative of what's being sold by Walmart and the various online retailers.
Your thoughts and comments are appreciated, thanks.
UPDATE 12/3/11- I finally figured out that the Honduras store bought stuff I have is NOT Longleaf Pine. It's some type of Pine native to Central America that's fast growing, produces lots of resin but is low on the flammable terpenes that US fatwoods have in quantity. Real Longleaf smells like a turpentine bottle, whereas this odd Honduras stuff smells like a spice cabinet. Just like everything else, it's another cheap import that doesn't have the quality of the US "made" stuff!
I've been curious how the vaunted Longleaf Pine fatwood would fare against lesser known and not generally commercially available fatwoods such as Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and Lodgepole Pine. I wanted to include Western Larch in the test but was unable to obtain any in time, so I went with what I had. These four fatwoods are the most well-known to bushcrafters and outdoorsman in the US, so I thought the test would be fairly representative.
My testing methodology was to get 3 examples of each, all weighing within a quarter ounce of each other. I used our woodstove to make sure there was no interference from rain or wind, etc. The goal was to light each piece and note:
1) Ease of lighting
2) Size of the flame
3) Burn time
I decided to use "average examples" for the test. In other words, what the average person would most likely buy or find on their own. I do have premium fatwood sticks of Douglas Fir and Longleaf Pine that are almost solid resin, but wanted to test stuff that was slightly more typical.
Here are the contestants......
Douglas Fir
Lodgepole Pine (found at higher altitudes)
Ponderosa Pine (these were old pine knots that extended out the branch and became solid resin wood)
Honduras Longleaf Pine (what most people buy online nowadays)
THE TEST
DOUGLAS FIR
Average Burn Time- 13:59 mins
AFTER 3 mins of burning
LODGEPOLE PINE
Average Burn Time- 14:29 mins
AFTER 3 mins of burning
PONDEROSA PINE
Average Burn Time- 18:41
AFTER 3 mins of burning
HONDURAS LONGLEAF PINE
Average Burn Time- (inconclusive due to having two of the test examples failing to stay lit throughout the test)
AFTER 3 mins of burning
CONCLUSION
This was a fun and informative test. Each type of fatwood has a unique smell, with Lodgepole smelling like a turpentine bottle, Ponderosa like butterscotch, Douglas Fir like citrus mixed with a hint of turpentine and Longleaf smelling like an exotic spice.
So which fatwood do I think is superior? Without a question, the Douglas Fir. It was the easiest to light, burns like a road flare, has plenty of resin for longer term storage, and puts out the most heat (I couldn't measure this per se but it was obviously hotter than the other fatwoods when a hand was placed near it).
The Lodgepole was a close second, burning with a fury, easy to light yet also long burning. Problem with the Lodgepole is that it's resin content is a bit too low if longer term storage in a pack is desired as it will dry out much faster than Douglas Fir. It makes a great high altitude fire starter as it is plentiful up in the high country.
The Ponderosa Pine is a little harder to light, but not too hard, and is easily the longest burning stuff. One of the three test examples burned for an incredible 25 minutes! The flame is not as intense as the Fir and Lodgepole but certainly adequate.
The Honduras Longleaf Pine was a major dissapointment. Only one piece stayed lit, even though all three test examples were sticky with resin. It seems that this stuff has a high resin content but not as much flammable terpene as the others, making it harder to light and stay lit.
Here are the two pieces that failed to stay lit (the one that looks unburned was re-processed so that I can test it again)
I had to dig out a piece of Longleaf that was almost pure resin to get a result similar to the Ponderosa Pine's, for instance. Here's a piece similar to what I burned in the fourth test.
Note that it is almost completely resin. Even with all this resin, I would compare if to the Ponderosa overall. It was still a little hard to light compared to the others in this test.
Here it is after 3 mins burn time
In closing, I would say that if you buy Longleaf, make sure to get pieces that are almost pure resin and it will serve you well. The advantage is that with all this resin it won't dry out and can be left in a pack for longer periods without worry.
On a side note, I had already done some tests of these fatwoods in windy conditions, and it was in those conditions that the Lodgepole and Douglas Fir clearly blew away the competition because of the higher flammability. The Longleaf was much more difficult to light in those conditions.
All this said, the Longleaf I have may not be as good as what one finds in Georgia, for instance, but I think it is fairly representative of what's being sold by Walmart and the various online retailers.
Your thoughts and comments are appreciated, thanks.
UPDATE 12/3/11- I finally figured out that the Honduras store bought stuff I have is NOT Longleaf Pine. It's some type of Pine native to Central America that's fast growing, produces lots of resin but is low on the flammable terpenes that US fatwoods have in quantity. Real Longleaf smells like a turpentine bottle, whereas this odd Honduras stuff smells like a spice cabinet. Just like everything else, it's another cheap import that doesn't have the quality of the US "made" stuff!
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