Tinder and Fern

Titanium Cookware for the Backcountry: What It Does and Where It Falls Short

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Home/ Gear & Kit/ Titanium Cookware for the Backcountry Gear & Kit Titanium Cookware for the Backcountry: What It Does and Where It Falls Short Titanium has earned its place in ultralight backcountry kitchens, but the material comes with tradeoffs that most product descriptions leave out. Understanding what titanium does well and where it struggles … Read more

Reading a Water Source Before You Filter

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Home/ Water/ Water & Hydration Reading a Water Source Before You Filter Although a filter removes pathogens, you still need to be mindful about where water collection occurs. Learning to read a water source is the skill that makes everything else work better. By the Tinder & Fern editor  ·  Water  ·  Updated 2026 Most … Read more

Five Fungi Worth Learning First and How to Be Sure

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Home / Wild Plants / Fungi Identification Wild Plants Five Fungi Worth Learning First and How to Be Sure Mushroom identification rewards patience and precision. These five species are where careful learners begin. By the Tinder & Fern editor  ·  Wild Plants  ·  Updated 2026 Wild fungi occupy a different category of risk than wild … Read more

Spicebush: The Most Useful Shrub in Eastern Woodlands

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Home / Wild Plants / Spicebush Wild Plants Spicebush: The Most Useful Shrub in Eastern Woodlands Spicebush shows up across three seasons, rewards every sense, and once you learn it, you will see it everywhere. By the Tinder & Fern editor  ·  Wild Plants  ·  Updated 2026 Lindera benzoin grows in the understory of deciduous … Read more

Land Navigation Basics: How to Stay Found

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Home / Navigation / Land Navigation Basics Navigation Land Navigation Basics: How to Stay Found Most people who get lost do not realize it is happening until they are already deep into the problem. Navigation is a set of habits, and the best ones start before you leave the trailhead. By the Tinder & Fern … Read more

Building a Debris Shelter That Keeps You Warm

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Home / Shelter / Debris Shelter Shelter Building a Debris Shelter That Keeps You Warm Most debris shelter guides skip the physics. Insulation works because of trapped dead air, and the amount you need is more than you think. By the Tinder & Fern editor  ·  Shelter  ·  Updated 2026 I have built dozens of … Read more

Fire-Starting Guide: What Works and Why

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Home/ Fire & Warmth/ Fire-Starting Fire & Warmth Fire-Starting Guide: What Works and Why Fire is chemistry. Learning to start one reliably means understanding that chemistry well enough that the method, the weather, and the fuel stop being obstacles. This is how I taught it, and what matters most when you are cold, wet, and … Read more

Five Wild Edibles to Learn First

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Home/ Wild Plants/ Wild Edibles Wild Plants Five Wild Edibles to Learn First, and Why the Order Matters Most foraging lists hand you twenty plants in alphabetical order. That teaches you nothing about how to think. The sequence below comes from years of teaching plant identification to young people, and each species in it builds … Read more

Water Purification in the Backcountry

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Home/ Water/ Water Purification Water & Hydration Water Purification in the Backcountry: What the Science Says Every method works. Every method also has limits. Understanding the difference between a filter and a purifier, and knowing which pathogens you are up against, matters more than which brand you buy. By the Tinder & Fern editor  ·  … Read more