A lighter is the easy way to start a fire, until it’s empty, wet or lost. A ferro rod is the backup that doesn’t run out of gas and doesn’t mind the rain. The Gerber Fire Starter is a ferro rod with everything else it needs tied to the same cord: a striker, somewhere dry to keep tinder and an emergency whistle. I paid about $30 for it.
What You’re Getting
The Fire Starter is two black handles with orange ends on one black nylon cord. The longer handle holds the ferrocerium rod, the shorter one the steel striker. On the cord between them are a cord lock and an orange and black whistle.
What we like
- Hot, bright, long-burning sparks
- Large handle: firm grip in the cold
- Rod, striker and whistle on one cord
- Tinder compartment, tinder included
- 100 decibel emergency whistle
- Light: 79 g on our scale
What we don’t
- Takes more effort than a lighter
- Small tinder compartment
- End cap pushes in, doesn’t lock
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Gerber |
| Model | 31-003151 |
| Weight | 79 g |
| Rod | Ferrocerium |
| Striker | 3Cr13 steelInstructions etched on |
| Tinder storage | In the rod handleIPX4 water resistant |
| Whistle | 100 decibels |
| Lanyard | Nylon cord with cord lock |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
Rod and striker
The ferro rod sticks out of the longer handle, and the striker is a flat piece of 3Cr13 steel in the shorter one. The rod handle is large and easy to hold, and both handles are heavily textured. That matters with a ferro rod: you push the striker down the rod hard, and this one gives you a firm grip even when the cold has taken the feeling out of your fingers.
The instructions are laser-etched on the striker itself, so they can’t get lost. The idea is simple: hold the rod close to your tinder and push the striker down along it at an angle, which throws a shower of sparks into the tinder.
I’ve made a fire with it, and it works well. The rod and the sharp metal striker produce hot, bright, long-burning sparks that easily ignite dry tinder.
A ferro rod still asks more of you than a lighter does. You need dry, fine tinder and a bit of practice to land the sparks where you want them, so it’s worth trying at home before you rely on it at camp. For the rest of the job, see our guide on how to start a camping fire safely.
Tinder storage
The orange cap on the end of the rod handle pulls out, and behind it is a small compartment built into the handle that keeps a little tinder safe and dry, such as cotton balls or dryer lint. The cap seats securely with an O-ring, and the compartment is rated IPX4, so rain and splashes stay out. The cap doesn’t twist or lock into place, though: it only pushes in, so a heavy tug on the cord could pop it loose. It’s worth pressing it home before the set goes in a pack. A cotton ball of tinder is included and sits inside, which is enough to get one or two fires going.
It’s a small space, so don’t count on it for more than that. On a longer trip, carry extra tinder somewhere dry.
Whistle and lanyard
The whistle on the lanyard is rated at 100 decibels. It’s the signal half of what Gerber calls a fire and signal tool: if you’re lost or hurt, a whistle carries much further than a voice and takes far less effort. The cord lock lets you tighten the loop, so the set can hang from a pack or sit around your wrist while you strike.
Size and weight
The whole set weighs 79 g on our scale and fits in a pocket or the lid of a pack. Because everything is on one cord, there’s no loose striker to lose in the bottom of a bag. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
If you’d rather have a kit in a tin with a tinder wick and a bellow, we’ve also reviewed the RKR Outdoor ferro rod fire starter kit.
Conclusion: Gerber Fire StarterConclusion
The Gerber Fire Starter is a ferro rod and a steel striker that throw hot, bright sparks and easily ignite dry tinder, with grippy handles, a water-resistant tinder compartment and a 100 decibel whistle, all on one lanyard. It weighs 79 g on our scale and has a limited lifetime warranty. It takes more effort than a lighter, the tinder compartment is small, and its end cap pushes in on an O-ring without locking, so a heavy tug could pop it loose. As a backup for hikers and campers, or for the emergency kit in the car, it’s a well-thought-out little set.
A ferro rod and steel striker on one lanyard, with a water-resistant tinder compartment and a 100 decibel whistle.
It weighed 79 g on our scale and cost about $30; it takes more effort than a lighter, and the tinder compartment is small.
- Hikers
- Campers
- Emergency kits
Yes, as a backup. I paid about $30, which is more than a plain ferro rod, but the striker, the tinder storage and the whistle are all on the one cord, and it has a limited lifetime warranty.
