Making a campfire is one of the best parts about camping. But what if you’re stuck out in the wilderness and you forget your matches? What if your lighter doesn’t work? You can actually create a fire without any of these things in just a few minutes — and I’m not talking about a bow drill, although that method works well, too. Nope! For this camping hack, all you need is a little ash, some flat pieces of wood, and a cotton ball. Here’s how to do it.
First, you’ll want to prepare your campfire. Gather all of the wood, tinder, and kindling you need, because once we catch the cotton ball on fire, you won’t have time to build things up. It doesn’t matter how you stack your material. From a teepee shape to a log cabin shape, this fire-lighting method will work fine.
Once you’re ready, unravel your cotton ball into a flat piece. It’s best if you’re using 100% cotton, but shredded hemp or cattail fluff will also work in a pinch. The key is to get it as dry and fluffy as possible. Then, sprinkle some ash. When we roll this into a cigarette-like shape between two boards, the ash will create friction and will set the cotton on fire. Ash works the best for this step, but if you don’t have it, you can try super-fine sawdust.
Roll this bundle with your hand back and forth along your flat surface until there’s no risk of it unraveling, and then sandwich the cotton-ash bundle with another flat piece of wood, rubbing it back and forth until you start to see smoke. Once the cotton ball starts to ignite, blow on it gently until it starts to burn. You’ll have 10 to 30 seconds to place it inside your campfire.
