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# Firestarter is an ambiguous term
- URL: https://kycuong.com/firestarter-ambiguous-term/
- Published: 2023-05-27T17:59:55.000Z
- Updated: 2023-05-27T17:59:55.000Z
- Description: What is a "firestarter" and what are the terms we should use instead?
- Author: Ky-Cuong Huynh

# Summary

- Firestarter is an overloaded term that's often used to refer to any/all of: ignition method, tinder, or kindling.
- Use these specific terms instead of "firestarter" to prevent confusion and reinforce a clear mental model for fire-craft.

# The Problem

When I search "firestarter" on Amazon, I find this:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/94/ed/94ed0f0d-b3b0-43d6-a446-97c21216eb1a/content/images/2023/05/F45C5DF9-559E-4215-A055-FB20BEBDE0C0.png)

These are 3 pretty different things \[example-classification\]:

- The [leftmost item](https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Starter-Fireplace-Campfires-Firestarter/dp/B0B2X28BKT?ref=kycuong.com) is a small bundle of pine shavings soaked in paraffin wax.
- The [middle item](https://www.amazon.com/Duraflame-Firestart-Indoor-Outdoor-Firelighters/dp/B07J9Q9PN1?ref=kycuong.com) is a medium-sized brick of "sawdust, agricultural fibers, waxes and oils" ([source](https://www.duraflame.com/products/fire-starters/firestart-firelighters-indoor-outdoor?ref=kycuong.com)) wrapped in a flammable wrapper.
- The [rightmost item](https://www.amazon.com/PREPARED4X-Fire-Starter-Survival-Tool/dp/B09W2GXZMP?th=1&ref=kycuong.com) is a [ferrocerium rod](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocerium?ref=kycuong.com) (also known as a [fire steel](https://firesteel.com/?ref=kycuong.com)) that generates sparks. This is commonly mistaken for a [flint-and-steel](https://www.selfrelianceoutfitters.com/collections/flint-and-steel?ref=kycuong.com), which is a different thing altogether.

This categorical conflation isn't specific to Amazon listings. Here's OutdoorLife, a magazine focused on the hunting/shooting/survival crowd, with the "[Best Fire Starters of 2023](https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-fire-starter/?ref=kycuong.com)". It too has a mix of items:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/94/ed/94ed0f0d-b3b0-43d6-a446-97c21216eb1a/content/images/2023/05/23B9B499-E684-4144-B33B-90F7BD0AFD13.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/94/ed/94ed0f0d-b3b0-43d6-a446-97c21216eb1a/content/images/2023/05/15372C33-E98A-4DA7-862A-CCBEE78C3E80.png)

So if you're going on a camping trip with someone \[camping-typology\], and they ask you to bring a firestarter, what should you bring?

"Firestarter" is too ambiguous a term. More importantly, it impedes a proper understanding of how to build a fire.

# The Solution

Instead of "firestarter", use these more specific terms that fit well into a [mental model for fire-making](https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/how-to-start-fire/?ref=kycuong.com):

- Ignition method: the initial source of heat that sets off the self-sustaining chemical chain reaction that is fire
- Tinder: the first bit of material that you ignite
- Kindling: the next set of material that combusts, its thermal energy unlocked by the tinder
- Fuel: the material that sustains a fire, ignited by the kindling

As we've seen, "firestarter" is often used for any of the first three terms. Instead, identify what you need and name it accordingly: ignition method, tinder, kindling, or fuel.

These steps—in that order—compose the "Fire Train" ([Surviving the Wild](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58470377-surviving-the-wild?ref=kycuong.com), p. 103). This is a mental model for understanding how we build up a fire. We want to bootstrap an ignition chain, where we use a small amount of energy to unlock stored energy, which in turn unlocks even more stored energy. That metaphorical train builds up momentum as more and more material catches alight.

Here's a video that illustrates this progression well, as well the related core concepts of the Fire Triangle (heat, fuel, air) and a unique Fire Lay (how you layout the materials to burn):

Some items can be combinations of these steps:

- A long-burning, [stormproof match](https://www.rei.com/product/898079/uco-titan-stormproof-match-kit?ref=kycuong.com) can be both an ignition method and tinder.
- Something like the [Duraflame firelog](https://www.lowes.com/pd/Duraflame-duraflame-174-4-5lb-Indoor-Outdoor-Firelog-9pk/5000907755?ref=kycuong.com) can be both kindling and fuel.

# Footnotes

\[camping-typology\]: The different types of camping is its own blog post. For the purposes of this post, assume car-camping, defined as driving to a campground, setting up a tent separate from the vehicle, and sleeping in that overnight. Anyone doing anything beyond that is best served by taking at least one [wilderness survival skills class](https://www.rei.com/events/a/outdoor-skills-survival?ref=kycuong.com).

\[example-classification\]: Now that we know our terminology, we can identify the pine/paraffin bundles as tinder and the ferro rod as an ignition method/source. The Duraflame wrapper is tinder and its contents are kindling.