Man-made vs. Natural Tinders

S

Scott Free

Joined
Sep 15, 1999
Messages
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For those of you who carry fat wood, birch bark or some other natural tinder, do you do so because it's "natural," because it's free and easy, OR because it's actually better than PJ-balls, fire past and other man made tinders. I can appreciate the "natural" part of natural tinders as well as I can appreciate the use of flint and steel. I'm asking from a survival standpoint, though. Are natural tinders actually better than man-made?
 
I carry man-made stuff because it works well and is water-resistant to waterproof. I have deep redundancy in my kits for firemaking and include NATO matches, Bics, two different sparkers (Spark-Lite and Scout firesteels) and some regular strike anywhere matches. I also carry cotton balls, Purell (for hands as well as cotton balls), Tinder-Quik, and Wet-Fire. On top of it all, I have a Candle Lantern. None of this stuff takes up enough room to even think about.

All that said, one ought to know how to find natural dry tinder from nature. But unless you're a traditionalist and trying to do everything in the old ways, I think the man-made stuff works better, especially in inclement weather.
 
Best stuff I've come across is the Spark-Lite stuff. Small, clean, and very effective. I think it beats PJ'd cotton balls. Not sure anything "natural" comes close. JMHO. -DT
 
I dont think natural are better per say, if you are not used to using them when you need to you now have a learning curve to overcome.

Natural work well why not use and practise with them.

Similar issue with map & compass vs GPS, easy becomes a crutch over time.

Skam
 
I would guess the best spark tinder is char cloth, man made but still pretty traditional.
The natural stuff is good but needs a bit of preparation, birch bark must be ripped up, fat wood cut into slivers, it's all about the surface area and oxygen distribution.
Birch bark is virtually waterproof, btw.
 
I use little firesticks and cat-tails that I find along waterfronts near freshwater. I save a bunch of cat-tails when I go fishing near my campus and put them in a plastic pouch. They make a great natural tinder and they get a good ember going quickly with minimal effort. I like natural things, but it doesn't mean that I don't carry a bic and water/windproof matches ;).
 
I carry a piece of fatwood attached to each firesteel I have (have one of these kits in my pocket almost all the time). I carry it because I find it easier to work with than magnesium, lighter, and I have tons of it for less than the price of one mag block.

In addition I carry in my kits short 1" sections of cotton ribbing (used to make fancy rounded trim in upholstery) that I've soaked in PJ and a tad bit of lighter fluid. I then take and sandwich this piece in ductape. Works great. It's totally waterproof and very protected and lightweight. Just rip open the ductape, I usually use my knife, pick out some of the fibers and light away. Takes a spark from a ferro rod real well. One added bonus is the duct tape burns real well and real slow too. One of these days I'll take the time to do a seris of photos and post them.

I do believe it's very important to understand natural tinders as well though. Just in case and you certainly don't want to be without a way to start a fire when lost.

Charlie
 
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