Starting a fire without a lighter or matches is a challenging skill, but a genuinely rewarding one to have in your back pocket. There are several ways to do it, each with its own tradeoffs. Here are four of the most common methods.
Fire plow. You use a piece of softwood, like cedar or basswood, to cut a groove into a denser piece of wood. Hold the softwood in one hand and the harder wood in the other, then rub the softwood back and forth along the groove to build up friction and heat. Once the groove gets hot enough, it’ll smoke and eventually catch. Add a light sprinkle of tinder to grow it into a real flame.
Bow drill. Here you use a bow to spin a drill made from a stick and a length of string. Set the drill onto a piece of wood and work the bow back and forth to spin it, generating friction and heat. When the wood is hot enough it’ll smoke and catch. Add tinder to build the flame. The bow does a lot of the work, which is why this method is more forgiving than the next one.
Hand drill. Same idea as the bow drill, minus the bow. Instead, you spin the drill between your palms to create friction and heat. Once the wood smokes and catches, add tinder to grow the flame. It takes more effort and technique, but it needs less equipment.
Flint and steel. You strike a piece of flint or another hard, sharp rock against a piece of steel, like a knife blade, to throw sparks. Direct those sparks onto dry tinder, such as grass or leaves, to start the fire. Once you’ve got a flame, use a piece of hemp wick to carry it around and light the rest of your campfire.
Hemp wick, by the way, is a great tool for moving a flame. Beyond a campfire, you can use it to light torches, grills, stoves, lamps, heaters, tobacco, and CBD. We’ve got a separate guide on how to use hemp wick if you want to learn more.
Starting a fire by hand takes practice and patience, but it’s a valuable skill for survival, camping, or hiking. With the right technique and materials, anyone can learn to do it and enjoy the warmth and light that follows. One last thing, and it matters: fully extinguish your fire after use, and never leave it unattended.