TreeLineBackpacker

Produced from recycled sawdust and wax, the ExtremeStart Firestarter from Pine Mountain provides an easy, clean burning solution to starting campfires in poor conditions. It’s eco-friendly too, putting off less carbon monoxide and suit than other fire starters on the market.

Using the fire starter is pretty straight forward. It’s packed inside of a handy, nicely flammable wrapper which is used as the initial fuel source. The best way to use these is by starting out with a small campfire tepee, essentially a gathering of sticks leaning onto each other with a gap underneath them. starting with tinder and small twigs, work up to sticks and then a few larger branches on top of the stack. Place the starter underneath the tepee, providing plenty of room to breath, and light the wrapper with a lighter or a match. The wrapper will ignite the tiny log inside, and from there the log will handle the rest. It puts off a substantial amount of heat and a 6 inch flame for about 20 minutes, providing ample time for it to dry out leaves, sticks and branches after a rainstorm. Once ignited, the tiny logs burn impressively well, resisting rain and wind, so they’re not likely to go out once fired up. Keep some loose dirt or sand around, just in case you need to put it out.

The result is a pain free, simple way to start a fire in, practically, any condition. In my tests, I’ve found that it burns very cleanly, putting off very little smoke, leaving only a tiny bit of residue afterwards thanks to it’s clean burning nature. They’re pretty light, weighing only a couple ounces, and they pack away easily in a pack or pocket.

It’s worth noting that they do have a bit of an odor, although it’s not unpleasant. It’s a bit oily in nature too, so I keep mine in a snack sized zip lock, just to keep the scent out of my pack.

Overall, I really like these tiny fire starters, and if you have trouble making a campfire when it’s cold or damp, or simply want the convenience of a fool proof assistant, this is the way to go. They burn longer than vaseline coated cotton balls, are more environmentally friendly than other alternatives, and they’re simple to use. You can get a pack of 12 for less than 5 bucks, so they make nice stocking stuffers too.

For more information Pine Mountain and their products, check out http://pinemountainfire.com/

For information on our rating system and our testing procedures, check out our About us/ Contact us page.

I want to extend a huge thanks Pine Mountain for providing this fire starter for review. We couldn’t do it without their help. Our full disclosure can be found here.

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