The Importance of Fire Starting Ropes

The Importance of Fire Starting Ropes

As you've often heard before, fire is the equivalent of life in the wilderness. Thankfully, improvements to technology have made the process of starting a fire much easier, allowing even inexperienced outdoor enthusiasts to be capable of experiencing the joy of watching a fire come to life. While most of us don't need to bang rocks together to create a spark, or rub sticks until the friction generates enough heat anymore, that is the process that was needed to start fires for millennium. 

Some things haven't changed however, and that's the process of starting a fire. Any good fire needs three things to get started, and continue going - Tinder, Kindling, and Fuel.

 

While actual fuel, as well as your fire structure to allow oxygen to flow in, are going to vary and be based on what's available in your environment, the process of gathering Tinder and Kindling can often be annoying. Most of us will look for smaller twigs, bark, and other easily flammable sources, sometimes even bringing things like dryer lint with us to serve the purpose. Gathering tinder is extremely tedious, and most people forget the important rule that if you think you have enough tinder, you'll also need some extra to plan for failure. Most of your time will be spent harvesting meaningful fuel, which should be 3 times more than you think - so when it comes to actually prepping for a fire, you want to save as much time as possible without compromising the ability to keep that fire going as long as needed. 

This is where items such as Fire Starting ropes come in handy, and why I ALWAYS keep these in my outdoor kit. Firestarter ropes come in multiple sizes, but most will have the same functionality. These items are treated to ensure maximum burn time and ease of ignition. No matter what you may need fire for, or what you have available to start a fire with, this is one product you want to keep handy.

Our rope is comprised of 4 braided strands, allowing you to separate them and break them apart as you wish. Sealed in plastic to resist moisture, the rope can easily be cut to the needed size, and ignited directly. Whether you're using a lighter, ferro rod, flint and steel, or even with friction, the Fire Starter ropes are a perfect replacement for your tinder, lighting quickly and burning for long periods.

Lighting with a lighter is very straightforward - and if you are using a lighter this is extremely beneficial as you can stretch an individual rope to light upwards of 30 fires with just one rope. Cutting off just a small 1" portion of a single braid, or less, you'll see over a 2 minute burn time with just that small bundle. 

Moving to a ferro rod, breaking apart a braid into smaller strands allows you to create a pile. This is more beneficial when you need the material to catch a spark. Breaking the braid up into strands increases the surface area of your tinder, and exposes the interiors of the braids which will allow a spark to catch much easier. While the piles will burn quicker than the condensed braids, this allows you to catch a spark quickly, making you feel like a professional bushcrafter each time. 

Finally, if fire isn't the primary need, but light, using a full braid will give you over 30 minutes of burn time. Utilize this as a candle or emergency light source in an emergency, or to signal others for help. Want to make sure you're always ready? Our new Deluxe Fire Kit gives you the ability to start over 300+ fires with just the components inside. 

As always, plan accordingly and never push yourself past your means. Be sure to bring extra food and water - making sure you always have at least 2 different ways to start a fire! 

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