Making a Tinder Bundle

Igniting a fire requires more than a spark. Where that spark needs to go is equally important. You need a good home for the flicker of fire that’s produced. Tinder bundles are that home.

Made of very dry, fibrous materials, a tinder bundle maximizes surface area and air flow to encourage combustion. Dried grass, shredded bark, and unraveled jute twine are perfect examples of tinder bundle-making materials. 

Those same materials are typically used in a bird’s nest, which means you could use an actual bird’s nest as a tinder bundle. But for the bird’s sake, learn how to make your own. A bird’s nest tinder bundle is not only effective because of the materials it uses, but because of its shape. Larger materials on the outside, finer materials on the inside, and a hollowed out center to protect your spark or ember from wind and rain.

Once you’ve landed a spark in the bundle, loosely fold it closed without smothering; then gently blow through the tinder. Once the bundle starts to ignite, move it to a pre-prepared pile of kindling.

Here's the proper steps care of The Art of Manliness:

• Gather dry tinder materials. Look for fibrous grasses, bark, or other lightweight and easily flammable material.
• Rough up the material by rolling it back and forth in your hands.
• Manipulate the largest pieces to form a ball (like you would a snowball) a little larger than your fist.
• Create a depression in the centre of your ball to create a bird’s nest shape.
• Fill the centre of your bird’s nest with your lightest materials.
• Fluff your tinder bundle to make sure it isn’t too compact. Air should be able to circulate throughout it once lit.

Stay warm, stay safe.