By Staff Contributor

Even as skyrises continue to climb higher and higher into the sky, the great outdoors still holds a certain charm and grandeur that cannot be replaced with even the fanciest hotels and largest man-made infrastructures. Because of this, camping and outdoor adventures are still a much-loved activity. If you are going for a camping trip, one of the most important things that you need to prepare for is a safe campfire starter. Here are the steps to do this.

Jelly ball campfire starters

Fill a cotton ball with petroleum jelly. Take a lump of cotton balls and a jar of petroleum jelly. The cotton balls will act as the base which will absorb the petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is an excellent fuel derivative that is safe and non toxic. It is used for softening dry skin and for disinfecting. As a campfire starter, however, it can also act as a fuel that will help start a bonfire. Because petroleum jelly is in wax form, it will also take a longer time for the fire to consume the jelly, so that the kindling will have caught fire by the time the petroleum jelly is fully burnt.

Knead the balls. Make balls that are at least an inch in diameter. To create the balls, add lumps of petroleum jelly into the center of the cotton balls. Then, knead and fold the cotton into itself, like dough. This will ensure that the cotton bulls are fully saturated with the jelly. Otherwise, the cotton itself will burn up quickly. You should knead the cotton balls for up to three or five minutes, in order to ensure that it is fully packed with petroleum jelly.

Store safely. You can create as many of these jelly ball campfire starters as you want, and store them in a clean and airtight container. These will not spoil, and will generally stay intact in most weathers. For particularly hot areas, however, you should try to keep the balls away from direct sunlight which can soften the petroleum jelly.

Egg box and lint campfire starters

Fill with lint. Another effective, safe, and inexpensive alternative for a campfire starter is the egg box and lint combination. Here, you will need an old egg container. Make sure that the container is made of carton which will burn easily. Take the egg box and fill this with lint from your washing machine. The lint should be dried first, to ensure that it will easily catch fire.

Add wax. Next, melt way into a small bowl. If you do not want to use your kitchen pots and pans, you can use an old tin can and boil the wax here. The wax does not have to be purchased from a shop. You can use items such as old candles, and bits of crayons to create the wax. Once the wax begins to boil, you can add it to the lint in the cardboard boxes.

Cut into pieces. Once the wax dries out, the next step is to cut out the sections in the egg box carton. Most egg boxes contain twelve little containers. Cut these out to create twelve campfire starters. Store these in a cool dry place, and simply light with a match if you need to start a fire.

Living outdoors during camping trips can still be very convenient. Making your own meals and even brewing a cup of coffee over a campfire is easy, if you know how to start a fire.