Starting a fire pit successfully is they key to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Who doesn't love to spend the chilly winter nights with their loved ones in camps with a mesmerizing view of the full moon and campfire? Indeed, most of us save money to arrange some adventurous and memorable nights with friends and family. 

Bonfire is a must at camping, but wait, do you exactly know the right method of starting a fire pit? 

People assume that starting a fire pit is a piece of cake; it is if you know the right way of starting a fire pit. Otherwise, some serious accidents may occur.

What is the Best Way to Build a Fire in a Fire Pit?

Starting a fire pit without planning what to put inside is risky. You should place recommended materials at the bottom of the fire pit to avoid any mishap.

Make a layer of sand at the bottom of the fire pit as sand avoids the excessive heating of the metal bowl and evenly distributes the heat throughout the fire pit. 

You need to tinder, which is anything that can catch fire instantly. People use newspapers, sticks, and fire starters to start the fire. You need to place the tinder at the center of the fire pit. Then create a tepee around the tinder using kindling. After that, add fire logs around the kindling. This is the best way of starting a fire pit. If you are using a fire starter, you don't need kindling.

Do You Need to Vent a Fire Pit?

Before starting a fire pit, precautions must be taken into consideration. One of the most crucial things to consider is the ventilation in the fire pit.

One might wonder why we need a ventilation system in the fire pit if we are using it outdoors. 

In the case of wood fire pits, vents are necessary; otherwise, there won't be enough oxygen to keep the fire burning. You might have seen small vents and holes around fire pits; these are to offer ventilation. 

Moreover, one of the reasons is to provide room for gases to release so that they do not accumulate at the bottom of the fire pit.

Especially if it is a propane fire pit and it has no area for ventilation, the propane gas may accumulate in the fire pit.

Sometimes, the heat collects at the bottom part, and a little might cause some serious accidents.

Before starting the fire pit, make sure that the vents/holes are not blocked by anything.

Best Fire Starters

There are several products that you should consider if you are a travel enthusiast and also love camping. Now you don't have to take gallons of kerosene oil to set up the fire. So, here are some of the best fire starters that ignite the fire quickly, and you can carry them along with you.

1) Better Wood Products- Fatwood FireStarter Box

Burning the firewood in rainy weather is too difficult. Those who go camping or outdoor gathering must have faced the difficulty of burning the wet wood.

But if you have Fatwood with you, then you don't have to worry at all. Due to the presence of terpenes in fatwood, which is highly flammable, they are widely used as tinder to start the fire. It catches fire quickly and even burns the wet wood.

The best thing about fatwood is that you do not have to cut the trees for them; they are collected from the stump left behind after the tree is fallen or cut down.

It is perfect for outdoor and indoors. If you have children around and you are worried about them, fatwood is the perfect choice for you.

It is safe and made of 100% natural log, collected from the logging waste that makes it non-toxic, so you can enjoy it without the fear of destroying your health.

The high resin content in the fatwood helps it to burn hot and for a long time.

The advantage of using fatwood for burning is that even if it is new or old, it still helps in burning. So, you don't necessarily have to look for the older fatwood. You only need a few fatwood sticks to start the fire.

Pros

• Lights easily
• Catches fire quickly
• Safe
• 100% natural

Cons

• Produce a little bit smoke at the start

2) Rutland Products Safe Lite Fire Starter Squares

For those people who make sudden plans for camping, fire starter squares seem to be a perfect addition to their camping gear. Weather is often unpredictable and if you are camping in such a place where starting a fire is difficult, fire starter squares are the best option then. 

They come in the form of bars and have perforations to split them into cubes like the chocolate bars. You only need to break a cube, and one quick match is enough to ignite the fire. Even it is so easy to use that you can also use it indoors to light your wood stove if you don't want to waste time starting the fire. 

They are non-toxic and made of natural wood and wax that helps to rapidly catch fire. They are easy to use and safe and do not produce flares, which means if you use them in grilling the food, they won't destroy the taste of the food.

These are perfect to use in stoves, grills, firepits, and outdoor fireplaces, and you don't have to waste time in kindling as it lights up quickly and for long enough so that the logs catch up the fire. And you can enjoy that time with your loved ones. 

Pros

• Safe
• Non-toxic
• No flares
• Easy to carry

Cons

• You need 3-4 to start a fire; they are small in size.

3) Sterna All- Weather Instant Flame Gel Fire Starter

Those who face trouble in keeping their fire pit lit, ignite the fire quickly with the Sterna All-Weather Instant Flame Gel Fire Starter. This gel works best in every weather condition, and even if you have only damp woods around, it still works great. No need to waste time in kindling; a little of this flame gel instantly set the fire. 

It is an expertly formulated gel to protect the environment because it is biodegradable, so it burns clean and leaves no odor at all. Furthermore, it is a great choice for outdoor cooking as it will not make your food taste and smell bad. It is used in charcoal grills, fire pits, and campfires.

This flame gel does not evaporate and is neither too thick nor too thin. It has the desired consistency that it does not flow; it stays where you stick it. 

Pros

• Biodegradable
• Burns fast
• Safe
• Odorless

Cons

• It requires some time to start the fire

4) duraflame Firestart Cubes firelighter

Duraflame fire starter cube is a great fire starter for camping, beach fires, charcoal grills, fire pits, and some more. If you are looking up to play with some hot flames at your campfire, then a Duraflame cube is ideal for you. 

You don't have to wait for hours to set the fire. Place this cube in the fire pit and ignite the cover of the cube with a lighter it will burn, and the logs will burst into flames. The firestarter cubes burn for 10 minutes and provide enough time for logs to catch fire.

The firestarter cube is a small block containing kerosene having special lignite reserves that help to burn quickly with more flame and for a long time. These cubes are used to set charcoal and wood on fire.

You can take them along with you while traveling. These are much safer than fire starter fluids. These firestarter cubes are odorless and do not make your evening unpleasant. 

Setting up the fire with some woods or newspapers causes air pollution, but these fire starter cubes are environment friendly and do not produce much smoke, and you can also use it indoors. 

Each cube is individually wrapped in a water-resistant covering. As these Firestarter cubes are covered in a wrapper, they even do not make your hands dirty. It does not create much mess, so you should not be worried about post-camping cleaning. 

Pros

• Instant lightning
• Odorless
• portable

Cons

• You might need to use more than one cube to start a fire

5) Better Wood Products- Fatwood FireStarter Box, 50 pounds

Burning a fire pit creates an aesthetic ambiance around, but on the other hand, we all know that the smoke it produces is injurious to our health. 

You must try fatwood from Better Wood Products, which is made of the stumps of the pine tree and is 100% biodegradable, safe, and non- toxic.

It is SCS Green Cross Certified that verifies it to be environment-friendly.

This fatwood burns super fast and long enough that it is best for large logs. They are perfect for outdoor and indoors. You can use them in fire pits, fireplaces, chimineas, campfires, wood stoves, and barbeques.

Put some sticks of fatwood beneath the logs, and just one match will set the fire.

Pros

• Environment-friendly
• Non-toxic
• Safe to use
• Affordable

Cons

• Odorous

Closing Thoughts

You need to know the right way of starting a fire pit. It will save you a lot of time. Therefore, we have discussed how you can start a fire without any hassle. If you follow the exact method and take necessary precautions before starting a fire pit, you can enjoy it without any fear.

We have also discussed some best fire starters with all the details you need before starting a fire pit.

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