Char cloth is generally used for primitive fire making but it is also a great way to carry tinder for easy fire making. Having access to char cloth will help you to light your campfires without a great deal of effort or frustration and can be made with just a few items and a little bit of effort.
Smoldering char cloth ready for a tinder bundle
Char cloth is created by combusting a swatch of cotton fabric and charring it without burning it. Whether you are bushcrafting, camping, hiking, or are at home, having a tin of char cloth handy will enable you to save time and get your fires started easily so that you can move on to other activities.
Step 1: Gather Supplies The basic items that you will need to make your char cloth include:
Cloth (100% cotton)
Metal tin with lid
Fire
Knife
Gloves
Basic supplies needed for making char cloth: Knife, Metal Tin, 100% Cotton Fabric
Step 2: Build a Fire
Sparking an ember on birch bark with fat wood shavings
Starting a fire with birch bark with fat wood shavings
Step 3: Prepare the Fabric
Cut fabric into squares that will fit inside the metal tin
Put the fabric inside of the tin
Cutting fabric to make char cloth
Cut fabric into squares that will fit inside tin
Fabric ready to be converted into char cloth
Step 4: Prepare the Tin
Close/place the lid on the tin
Poke a small hole in the top of the tin
Place the tin on your fire source
Place fabric squares inside metal tin
Close lid on tin and poke a hole in the top with a knife
Place char cloth tins on fire source
Step 5: Make Char Cloth!
Smoke will bellow out of the hole in the tin, indicating the fabric is in the charring process.
Leave the tin on your fire source until there is no longer any smoke coming out of the hole in the tin.
Once smoke inside the tin has ceased, carefully remove the tin from your heat source and let cool before handling.
Smoke bellowing out of the hole in the char cloth tin, indicates the fabric is in the charring process
Char cloth tins
Step 6: Start a fire with your char cloth! Start off using one piece of char cloth and spark a frayed edge of the cloth with a ferro rod or flint & steel. It may take a second for the cloth to ignite but once an ember is ignited, it will slowly spread through the char cloth and smolder so that you can easily transfer it to your tinder bundle and then to your kindling.
Spark the char cloth with a ferro rod or flint & steel
Char cloth ignition
Smoldering char cloth ready for a tinder bundle
Char cloth is not only great to have for bushcrafting, it is also really handy for hiking, backpacking, camping, and any other activity that may require you to start a fire.
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“See” you out there! ~ Zane
Check out @GrouseDuck Bushcraft's latest blog "How to Make Char Cloth" for easy fire starting Char cloth is generally used for primitive fire making but it is also a great way to carry tinder for easy fire making.