The Best Firestarters of 2024

We’ve researched and tested over two dozen options to help you choose the best firestarters for your needs. Packing the right firestarter is one of the best ways to outsmart any of the difficulties the outside world tries to throw at you, whether you’re camping, hunting, backcountry skiing, or stranded on the side of the road.

Author and Senior Editor Chris Carter has thrown together his fair share of fires during camping trips and survival situations alike all over the world. He put over a dozen of the best firestarters on the market to the test last year and mined the collective knowledge of GearJunkie’s team of bushcraft enthusiasts to create the selection you see below. He spewed sparks over countless tinder bundles in all sorts of conditions and climates while testing these, and left no stone unturned in researching the best of the best. For our latest update, Andrew Potter tested two new potential additions to the list and deemed them worthy. Over a few cold nights outside of June Lake, CA, he tested these additions, pushing their limits with wind and water to ensure they’d function in harsh conditions.

Whether you want the overall performance of our top pick, the Wolf & Grizzly, or a simpler, budget option of the Light My Fire MayaStick-on-a-Rope, we have you covered.

As a note of caution: Know your local fire restrictions and think carefully about whether you actually need a fire. Never leave your fire unattended, and be prepared to completely saturate it until the ground beneath it is wet and cold. Unattended campfires are the cause of some of the largest, most costly natural disasters in the U.S., consuming millions of acres of forest and destroying entire communities. A fire can save your life in cold, wet conditions, but we must be responsible outdoors people.

Check out our handy comparison chart at the bottom of the list for a quick comparison, or follow our buyer’s guide and price and value section to find the best firestarter for your kit.

Editor’s Note: We updated this guide on October 20 2024, by adding a price and value section and the reliable and easy to use UCO Titan Stormproof Match Kit, and the SOL Mag Striker with Tinder Cord.

The Best Firestarters of 2024

Firestarter Comparison Chart

How We Tested the Best Firestarters

From experienced survivalists to weekend warriors stoked on bushcraft, the GearJunkie team is made up of outdoor enthusiasts who know the importance of getting a fire started in any condition. We’ve spent endless hours gathering tinder bundles, snapping sticks, and getting light-headed as we blow flames into life. Whether it’s a campfire to cook dinner over or an emergency heat source, fire-making skills are key for anyone going camping or backpacking in the backcountry.

Author and Senior Editor Chris Carter understands the importance of not only having the means to make a fire in any situation but also having the skills to whip one up in unfavorable conditions. When matches and lighters fail, firestarters rise to the challenge — but only if you know how to use them. Carter has started hundreds of fires with traditional firestarters in all sorts of environments, at casual campfires with friends, and in downright survival situations.

Carter grew up in the bush of Kenya, East Africa, where he learned a whole slew of primitive survival skills, including how to light a fire with a hand or bow drill, fire plow, and traditional flint and steel. In many scenarios, fires are not just for a cozy camp atmosphere but are essential tools for staying warm, cooking a kill, or keeping wild animals at a distance.

While matches are an easy solution, Carter wouldn’t be caught dead in the wilderness without a secondary, more reliable way of securing a flame. For this guide, he accrued a number of his favorite firestarters he’s used over the years and tested new selections from top brands on the market. He partnered with his other bushcraft friends and threw spark after spark over countless tinder bundles to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 starters you see today.

Andrew Potter implemented Chris’ rigorous testing techniques for the newest additions to our guide. While it was his first foray into testing firestarters, we were excited to see how a novice could induce flames with some techy firestarters like the SOL Mag Striker.

We know the competition for the firestarter podium is constantly evolving, which is why we’ve slotted this guide into a regular update schedule. We are perpetually talking with experts, bugging brands at gear shows, and scouring the internet to make sure we cover the most relevant and deserving selection possible. Be fully prepared for all your adventures by checking out our guides to other essentials, including the best compasses and best handwarmers.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Firestarter

While matches or lighters may be some of the faster ways of starting fires, they aren’t always the most reliable. It’s important to have, and know how to use, a solid firestarter for when the unexpected happens. You accidentally fall into a river and soak all your gear. You break all your matches or your lighter runs out of fluid.

Being able to start a fire in any situation is one of the best steps you can take to improve your chances of survival. We found the top tried-and-true firestarters and tested them for this guide, offering a selection for every type of adventure.

Type of Activity

Different activities require different firestarters. For example, carrying the heavy Bernzomatic Torch on a long-haul backpacking trip could make for a good laugh, but you’ll regret it pretty quickly.

If you’re going car camping, something bigger and heavier like that will be a much better fit. Backpacking demands lightweight gear that’s easy to bring along, so you’d be much better off with a simple ferro rod and flint firestarter.

Size & Weight

Every ounce counts when backpacking, and every inch of your backpack is valuable space. The little things like firestarters are where the ounces can quickly add up. An extra inch of material means less space for food and more weight to carry.

Finding the right balance between size and weight is key to getting the right tool. Too small, and it’s impossible to handle; too big, and you’re lugging extra weight you don’t need.

Ease of Use

At the end of a long day of hiking, the last thing you want is to fight with your firestarter to get warm. The easier the firestarter is to use, the better. One of the easiest to use on this list is the UCO Titan Stormproof Match Kit.

There are certain ways to make life easier in the backcountry, especially when you’re just starting to learn how to use a firestarter. If you’re new to the skill, pack extra firestarter sticks. They don’t weigh much or take up much space, and they’ll be more than worth it in the long haul. Or, choose one that’s geared at beginners, like the UST BlastMatch, a firestriker that essentially does the work for you.

Types of Firestarters

The three primary types of firestarters — flint and steel, ferrocerium rods, and magnesium bars — can be used in a variety of different scenarios, and each has its place in a firestarting kit. This guide covers other unique firestarters that use electrical sparks, a blowtorch, and even a hot beam of light, but these are the more common starters you’ll see in survival kits.

Flint and Steel

Flint & steel is one of the oldest tried-and-true methods of starting a fire. The flint can be a variety of different hard rocks, such as quartzite or chert. The steel striker component is constructed with a high carbon content and is usually heat-treated. When the steel strikes the rock, it breaks off tiny particles of the metal, which oxidize and ignite when exposed to oxygen.

One of the negatives of flint and steel is how dull the sparks are, and charred cloth or naturally charred materials are usually required to effectively hold the spark and turn it into a flame. The value of flint and steel lies in their ability to be easily reproduced with readily available materials.

Ferrocerium Rods (Ferro Rod)

The sparks created by a ferro rod are extremely hot compared to those of flint and steel, which makes it easier to light a dry tinder bundle. Some of the starters in this guide, such as the Wolf and Grizzly, and the Zippo Fire Starter Kit, use a ferro rod as part of their set.

To make this process easier, it’s a good idea to carry some highly flammable tinder in your survival kit, such as cotton balls coated with wax, Vaseline, or dryer lint, but there are plenty of natural resources that can be used in a pinch.

The Exotac Firerod is slim enough to slide into the ferro loops often featured on bushcraft knives, but the rod’s handle still leaves room for a waterproof tinder capsule to store flammable tinder in case of an emergency. If your ferro rod doesn’t come with its own striker, you need to ensure that you have a sturdy knife or spare striker on hand if you plan on bringing it along. Ferro loops on the sheathes of bushcraft knives are helpful additions to ensure the whole family stays together.

Ferro rods are constructed with different metals, which make it easier or more difficult to scrape depending on the composition. Softer rods don’t have as long of a lifespan but generally provide more sparks with each strike. Most ferro rods are made with about 50% cerium, with various ratios of lanthanum and iron making up the rest of the mixture.

A ferro rod doesn’t create a flame when struck, so it’s important that the tinder bundle you use is as dry and flammable as possible. Many ferrocerium rods will have a black protective coating on them when they come out of the box, which will need to be scraped off before use.

Magnesium Bars

Often referred to as “mag bars,” this is a bar or block that usually has a ferro rod attached to the top of it. Instead of having to gather a tinder bundle that will catch a spark, or bringing cotton balls, you can use magnesium shavings from the bar as much of your tinder bundle, which will ignite with a spark from the ferro rod.

Some mag bars come with their own striker, but you can use the back side of your bushcraft knife to shave off magnesium, and strike the ferro rod. Avoid using the sharp end of your knife for this, as it could dull or damage it significantly.

The SOL Mag Striker is the only traditional “mag bar” on our list, but it was an integral addition, as it’s one of the best ways to start a fire in damp conditions.

Firemaking Tips

Fire is such a basic, fundamental element to human existence, but can be surprisingly hard to make — particularly if the weather is against you. It’s important to practice using any firestarter that you plan on having in your emergency kit beforehand, as matches and lighters can fail on adventures.

Whether using flint & steel, a ferro rod, or a mag bar, you will need a bone-dry bundle of tinder to catch your spark and transfer a flame to larger kindling. Fatwood shavings, birch bark, cattails, dry fluff from plants, or dried animal dung often work well as tinder bundles.

Many firestarters, such as Exotac’s Firerod and Prepared4X’s Survival Torch, come with dry, often water-resistant tinder that makes this important step much easier. You can also premake tinder bundles to store in your kit by soaking cotton balls in wax, or gathering dryer lint from home in a waterproof container.

Consolidate plenty of medium-sized dry kindling (preferably from conifers) and have it on hand to build up your fire once you establish a flame in your tinder bundle. Make something of a “bird’s nest” with your pile of tinder, using fluffed-up dry materials. Place fatwood shavings or a feather stick (a stick that has been shaved to produce clusters of thin curls protruding from the wood — see illustration above) on top of the bird’s nest.

Once you have a tinder bundle you like, hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle to your rod, with the end of your rod almost touching your tinder. Pull the rod — not the scraper — back sharply. This allows you to get sparks closer to the tinder. Thus, it makes it easier to control where the sparks are spraying.

When a spark takes in your tinder bundle, it should produce a strong but short-lived flame. Resist the temptation to immediately blow on a spark or small flame, as you could easily extinguish it before it has a chance to catch any bigger fuel.

Build a teepee of small match-sized twigs and pencil-sized kindling over the growing flame, which encourages the flame to go upward. Gradually add bigger and bigger sticks and logs until you’ve established a solid base of embers and heat.

Blowing slightly on your fire near the beginning can help, but only after the flame has caught and the tinder is smoldering. Be sure not to blow out a new small flame in an effort to give it more oxygen. If there is adequate airflow, the flame will do its job and move onto bigger dry fuel.

Reliability

The problem with matches and lighters is their reliability. Once they get wet, too cold, or too high in altitude, they don’t work well, unless they are made to weather abuse like the UCO Titan Stormproof Match Kit.

Getting a reliable firestarter in all conditions and environments helps ensure you won’t be left shivering on the ground with an empty stomach after a long day of trekking. We would feel comfortable relying on all of the firestarters on this list in the backcountry. Though some are better suited for a backup lightweight “survival kit” than others.

Price & Value

Just as with every piece of gear, price matters. Determining a budget before even browsing your options is important to help you get the best firestarter for your needs. Firestarters on this list range in price from $4 to almost $250. We cover a broad range of firestarter types in this guide. Our “Best Budget” option doesn’t offer the same level of versatility as some of the traditional ferro rods we cover.

Think about the type of trips you plan on using your starter on. Use this to help formulate a budget, and narrow in on the best firestarter for your needs. But don’t buy something just because of a high price tag. It doesn’t always mean it’s the better piece of gear. Price can be a reflection of quality, but it can also lead to unnecessary and over-the-top products.

Budget

A few firestarters on this list fall below the $15 mark. Our best budget option, the Light My Fire MayaStick-on-a-Rope ($4), and our best natural option, the UCO Stormproof Sweetfire Fire Starter Points ($6), are easy to use in most conditions and proved fairly reliable in our testing.

The UCO Stormproof Kits on our list (Stormproof Matches and Sweetfire Points) will only make as many fires as the matches and points included in the kits. Their ease of use, however, increases their value for certain uses. The SOL Mag Striker comes with a bottle opener, and at $13.50, it’s hard to beat the value of a fun kit that’s been tested to produce over 100 fires.

Mid-Tier

The majority of options on this list fall within the range of $20-33. For many of these, their value becomes more apparent when you consider how many uses you’ll get out of your kit. For magnesium bars and ferro rod-style firestarters, consider how many strikes you’ll get out of the material. The UST BlastMatch gives you 4,000 strikes. while our best overall pick, the Wolf & Grizzly ($27), gives you 20,000. And if that’s not your primary concern, consider whether the kit has multiple uses. The Morokaniv Companion Spark is literally a knife, so the added value there is apparent.

Premium

Apart from the Flash Torch ($249) and Bernzomatic Torch $99), none of the firestarters on this list will take a chunk out of your wallet. These firestarters are high-tech and use fuel, also, which makes it a bit trickier to gauge their long-term value.

Frequently Asked Questions