Fire building

Tinder, kindling, fuel — a fire that starts once, stays lit.

The order matters

Fire is a chain reaction. Tinder catches the spark, kindling catches the tinder, fuel catches the kindling. Skip a link and it all falls apart.

The four steps

tinder    dry bark, catkins, feather sticks — a fistful
kindling  pencil to thumb-thick, a full armload
fuel      wrist-thick and up, dry as you can find
air       every fire needs a gap to breathe

The rule

Prep everything before the first spark. A fire you build twice is a fire that teaches you patience.