Fire! What category is more fun than fire? Every year we see new products that claim to make your campfire safer, faster, hotter, smaller, bigger, you name it. This year we’re showing you our favorite tools to start a fire, stoke a fire, and put a fire out. When you have a few hungry kids waiting to eat food from the campfire it’s nice to have a little help.
FiAir
Campfires are one of our favorite things to enjoy when camping. When a company decides to make something that gets our campfire roaring faster and easier, we’re interested. FiAir’s handheld, battery-powered blower is a great little tool for your campfire, charcoal grill or home fireplace. It runs on 3 AAA batteries and will cut the fire building time in half.
Visit the FiAir Website
MSRP: $29.99
Coghlan’s Fire Paste
Spread it on some smaller sticks and you’ll have a nice tiny coal bed to start working from in no time. Coghlans Fire Paste isn’t affected by heat or cold, doesn’t flare up, and burns cleanly. It also works well on wet wood.
Visit the Coghlan’s Fire Paste Website
MSRP: Varies
InstaFire
InstaFire caught our eye because it can burn pretty much anywhere, anytime. Picture a handful of super flammable kitty litter and you’d be pretty close to InstaFire. You can put a handful on snow and it will burn. It will even light on water. We can’t think of any situation where you’d actually do that, but it does prove how hardy the stuff is. A small baggie with some InstaFire is a nice thing to have in your day pack – especially in the winter.
Visit the InstaFire Website
MSRP: $15.95/10 pack
Zippo Emergency Fire Starter
We keep this Emergency Fire Starter in our pack. We know it works and we can forget about it. It’s a small, lightweight (1 oz), fire starter. If you’re currently using a lighter as your back up, be careful. Butane or fuel, will eventually dry out and could leave you hanging. The Zippo Emergency Fire Starter doesn’t need fuel. If you need it to light a fire five years from now when you find yourself in a dicey situation, it will. $9.95 is worth the piece of mind in our book.
Visit the Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Website
MSRP: $9.95
SE Stainless Steel Folding Trowel
Sometimes you have to dig out space for a fire pit. Sometimes you need to dig up some dirt to put it out. This little folding trowel by SE is a great fit for those jobs. It’s built well, packs up nicely, won’t rust, and the best part? It’s like five bucks. Can’t argue with that.
Get an SE Stainless Steel Trowel on Amazon
MSRP: $6.44 on Amazon
