Whether you’re camping at the lake ten feet from the car or you’re up high in the mountains surrounded by tall trees, knowing how to start a fire is essential. Knowing a few good fire starting hacks can make this process a breeze and are a great way to impress your fellow campers.

Everyone has their hacks that they live by and practice every time they head out into the woods. If you haven’t got any fires starting hacks of your own, here are a few of our favourites that are sure to impress your camping crew.

You know that fuzzy pile of lint you extract from your dryer after every use to prevent a spontaneous combustion? Yah, that fuzzy stuff that wrecks havoc when it sticks to your freshly washed black clothes. Rather than throwing it away in the garbage, save it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. This is an incredible fire starter and when paired with a cardboard paper towel roll, can save the day at your camp.

Simply stuff some dryer lint inside the cardboard toilet paper roll and place it in your fire. This is a great alternative for kindling and keeps the lint and toilet paper roll out of your household waste.

If you’re short on toilet paper rolls but you’re an egg lover and have plenty of egg cartons, use these instead. As long as the egg carton is dry, it will work just as well as the cardboard toilet paper roll.

Matches don’t work as well once they get wet so do yourself a favour before it happens, and keep a few packages stored in an airtight container or a mason jar. If the striking strip has seen many trips of use, stick a piece of sandpaper into your container or stick it to the side of your match box. This works well and will make striking any match a breeze.

If you’ve forgotten the matches and the lighter, there are other fire starting tools to do the job. Light My Fire is a brand that does exactly as it’s name says; it lights your fire. They carry multiple products including a Tinder-on-a-Rope which can be used to cut off small pieces of kindling. There are also many kits which include a FireSteel which allows you to create sparks to start your fire. The FireSteel creates a spark similar to the way two rocks hit together create a spark.