5 Ways to Build a Fire Without Matches

Although I've always thought it would be the coolest feat to start a fire without matches, I don't know that I've ever been successful.  But with this post I am recommitting to try again on our next camping trip until it works!  You never know when you will be caught without matches (or perhaps your matches have been soaked in the rain?) and need to start a fire.  It is an incredibly handy skill to have.

You should begin by collecting some good tinder.  Look for dried leaves or grass or moss that will catch fire quickly.  Make sure it is very dry.  Bundle together your tinder into a tinder nest and encircle it with dry leaves.  Char cloth (cloth turned into charcoal) is also exceptionally handy for catching sparks and smoldering slowly so you can start your fire. This is what will catch your spark to get the fire going.  Gather wood of various sizes that you can use to build your fire once you have a flame.  Start with long, toothpick-thin pieces to begin with followed by longer, pencil-thick pieces, and up to branches as thick as your arm.  If possible, try and build your fire up off of direct contact with the ground since it may be damp.  From here you can choose one of the following methods to start your fire:

1. Flint and Steel - One of the nice things about using the flint and steel method is that you can create a spark under a wide range of situations, including in the rain, the wind, the dark, etc.  If you don't have the traditional flint available, you can also substitute for quartzite (a light white, gray, or pink rock with a texture similar to sandstone yet harder than steel) or use a ferrocerium rod.  Strike the flint hard and fast with your steel (the back of a steel knife blade works great too) to create sparks.  Aim the sparks into your tinder nest and blow on it gently to ignite a flame.  If using char cloth, aim your sparks into the cloth place in the center of your tinder before blowing.
2. Batteries - If you have batteries available, they can be an easy source for sparks.  An extremely easy method involves taking a 9-volt battery and rubbing the two terminals over steel wool (the finer the better).  On a similar vein, by attaching a wire to each of the terminals in a car or boat battery, you can touch them together to create sparks and light tinder.  Just proceed cautiously.
3. Fire Piston - Fire pistons have been used for a very long time to start fires.  There are a number of models and styles to choose from.  The main idea is that a fire piston rapidly compresses and heats air to create a small "coal" that will then light your tinder.  Some people have great success with their fire pistons, and others have a hard time getting consistent results.  These are also a great solution in rainy/windy weather, but make sure you've got some really good, dry tinder.  
4. Lens - A lens is a pretty easy way to start fire.  It works by focusing the light of the sun into a small, concentrated spot in your tinder.  The only problem is that it only works when bright sun is available (not cloudy days or nighttime).  There are numerous lens possibilities.  You can use a magnifying glass, far-sighted eye glasses, a balloon, a broken light bulb, the bottom of a glass bottle.  Adding a drop of water to the glass will intensify the focus.  You can even shape ice into a lens shape and use that.  Just hold your lens at an angle and distance that will focus the sun's light into the smallest dot possible while still being circular.  It doesn't take much.  
5. Friction - And finally, there is friction.  This may be the most demanding method of starting a fire without matches.  It takes a lot of patience, elbow grease, and persistence but will make you feel like a real wilderness survival expert when you do.  You'll need to create a fireboard and drill, as well as a socket and bow if using the bow-drill method.  You could also make a fire plow.  The basic idea for both is to keep your stick moving very quickly with your hands or the bow until friction builds up, black powder is collected and heated to create an ember, and then that ember is added to your tinder to start a flame.  It sounds like a lot of work, but a task worthy of true admiration in the end.  I want to give it a try.