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by Bryan Irons
Going camping without a fire is akin to heading out to a movie without popcorn. Maybe it’s the smell, the crackle of the flames or a feeling of getting back to our roots. As a kid, I remember our yearly trek to a new destination didn’t start until we had chopped up some kindling, wadded up an old newspaper and started the first fire of our trip. Dad hated that job; after umpteen hours hunkered over a steering wheel and all of us kids singing Raffi tunes, I’m sure the last things he needed was a sharp axe in his hand chopping wood for us. The folks at The Kindling Maker must have grown up with a dad like mine and they set out to relieve the stress of possibly losing a finger, or worse, when setting up camp.
The Kindling Maker is a small lever actuated wood splitter designed to keep sharp objects away from fleshy bits when building a camp fire. Capable of breaking down 10cm pieces into thin strips able to start your camping adventure, we like the mechanical advantage given to do the task without chopping shrapnel flying around the campground.
Available in a few configurations for being attached to the back bumper or a table top unit can be had as well. We chose the bumper mount which is easily bolted to any structurally sound mounting location that is 4” by 4” square or smaller. This means leaving it behind or misplacing it at camp is a thing of the past as it can be left in place indefinitely. For us, the Kindling Maker was bolted to a receiver hitch so that we can use it at the front or rear of our tow rig.
What you use for kindling is entirely up to you, we prefer building scraps as they are easily found and most are already kiln dried making them perfect for starting a fire. The notches up the main shaft of the power coated body are there to allow any length block of wood to be broken down with ease. The blade is well sharpened for the task at hand and little effort was needed to split whatever piece we placed in the mouth of the Kindling Maker.
Having a safe way to split kindling for your camp fire or even for starting the wood stove at home for those chilly months ahead is always a good idea. Having one that can be easily stored and will stand the test of time is even better. Check out The Kindling Maker at their website today for a future with ten fingers and toes!