So simple it's stupid!

[GunnyMack]

In one of the other post's someone mentioned they ordered a fire starter.
Here is such a simple solution that a friend showed me. This make so much sense!

Buy a bag of cotton balls-cheap.
Buy a striker for oxy- acetylene torch.
Put cotton ball in cup of striker.
A few times working the striker and you have a fire!
If ya spend 10 bucks it's a lot!

Going hiking, hunting the back country, camping you put cotton balls in a zip lock bag, clip striker to your pack and go.

Works like a charm!

[Old No7]

Not a bad idea.

I know dryer lint burns just as well -- and is a whole lot cheaper too.

I've read that coating the base material with petroleum jelly will help preserve/extend the burn, and adds some waterproofing too! Both benefits could be very handy in a survival situation.

I'll guess others will chime in with more ideas too.

Old No7

[joepb]

If you rub Vaseline into the cotton ball it will burn hotter. I carry Vaseline cotton balls in a old film canister when elk hunting for starting fires. I have also used 0000 steel wool and the small 9 volt battery. You short out the battery with the steel wool. Be careful the steel wool gets hot very fast.............Joe

[cas]

For the same amount of money I can buy 6k matches and a box of ziplock bags at the dollar store.

[Blaine]

I've had flints turn to powder after a few years. Same with matches. Someplace around here I've got one of them fire rod things that I bought in high school. Still works perfectly.

[Griff]

Zippo.

[GunnyMack]

I saw a fire plunger and had to try one, it's finicky to say the least! Expensive too!
I forgot to mention in first post about dryer lint. I have used the battery/ steel wool before. Gotta watch your fingers!

[Hawkeye2]

If a little Vaseline is good a lot is better right? I put some in a double boiler and filled it with balls when it all melted. I basically got a ball of Vaseline held together with cotton and it's almost easier to light a rock than it is to start one of these burning.

[jeepnik]

Magnesium, flint & steel. Works every time, magnesium burns very hot and allows thing to get going quick. Handy little gadgets. I have a few upscale ones with antler handles. In all of my vehicle bags, vehicles and emergency bags. Even carry them in tool boxes.

They're kind of like knives. You don't need one until you need one. I keep knives in about as many places as the fire starters.

[Blaine]

Zippo.

That's some of them flints I was talking about that turned to powder.....

[sore shoulder]

If a little Vaseline is good a lot is better right? I put some in a double boiler and filled it with balls when it all melted. I basically got a ball of Vaseline held together with cotton and it's almost easier to light a rock than it is to start one of these burning.

The trick is to start pulling the edges apart and separating the fibers, it will light easily.

[gamekeeper]

A tip I picked up from a US gun mag 55 years or so a go was, put matches in a spent 16ga and 12ga shell, they fit just right to keep water out and matches dry. In those far off days I only used paper shells which worked well.

[piller]

A tip I picked up from a US gun mag 55 years or so a go was, put matches in a spent 16ga and 12ga shell, they fit just right to keep water out and matches dry. In those far off days I only used paper shells which worked well.

And you can dip the end in melted wax to seal it if extra waterproofing is needed.

[mikld]

I bought a few "crack torches" and keep them handy(that's what I call them. They are butane torches about 3" tall and 1/2" in diameter. They have a electronic striker and put out a flame, very hot, about 1/2" long. Originally I used them for soldering out in the field).

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Magnesium, flint & steel. Works every time, magnesium burns very hot and allows thing to get going quick. Handy little gadgets. I have a few upscale ones with antler handles. In all of my vehicle bags, vehicles and emergency bags. Even carry them in tool boxes.

They're kind of like knives. You don't need one until you need one. I keep knives in about as many places as the fire starters.

Yep, I keep one of these on my keychain.

Magnesium Fire Starter

At $2.38 it's hard to beat. But, I did replace the bead chain with leather.

[Blaine]

And, if you're in a pine or fir grove, those little blisters of sap on the young trees burn like coal oil.

[Malamute]

I carry one of the Trioxane fuel tablets and a waterproof match safe with good grade outdoors matches. The so-called strike anywhere matches are no longer in the quality match category, the ones Ive had over the past 10 years have been absolute junk. Left in the match safe, they crumbled, sputtered (if anything) when struck, and wouldn't even light on the box. The regular strike on box matches are better in every known way at this point, the strike anywhere don't even light on the box as well as the strike on box ones. In normal life I use matches nearly every day. To make a fire in the woodstove half the year, and any time I want to use my kitchen stove.

The good outdoors matches can be had waterproof, and storm proof, which are thick sulfur about halfway down the stick. Magnificent devices. I cut a piece of the striker board and keep it in the match safe with the matches, strike surface away from the matches. I keep many boxes of them in small waterproof containers in my vehicle also, along with more trioxane packages

Zippos seem popular with some on the outdoors forum. I seem to be a zippo jinx, they've failed me more times, even just testing them, than I can recall. I decided many year ago to never trust them again. They just don't work. Wont spark, wont light, wont stay lit regaqrdless of setting, act like theyre out of gas even though you can see if through the side, on and on.

Was on a river trip. It was a disaster. Everbody was completely drenched, many had been in the other raft that flipped, which we fished several out of the 45 degree water. When we were able to get off the water, I had people gather wood, sticks, and I put a wadded up handful of small branches on top. I opened the entire trioxane package, laid it on top, lit it, and we had a roaring fire in very short order. Hands were too numb to do much else. No finesse whatsoever. Brute fire making. Trioxane. Pocket rocket material.

[jeepnik]

I've got these things called "Big Match". Think of it as a match on mega steroids. One end is a strike anywhere compound, the rest is what looks like sawdust in some sort of resin. Strike it and put it into a pile of sticks and you have a fire in record time.

Just for the heck of it my nephew and I set up some tinder under a teepee of sticks, under some larger sticks, under hunks of log. Struck it, stuck it in and in no time we had quite a fire blazing.

[Sixgun]

Butane lighters...buy a 6 pack for $5.

I heard that down in Texas where everything is bigger, hunters carry WW2 surplus flame throwers.---6

[fordwannabe]

If you have a first aid kit(I am a nurse always have a first aid kit) the little alcohol swabs are like a fuel stove in a pack light easily and last several minutes. Normal everyday hand sanitizer is awesome for starting a fire also. The medical profession has spoken.

[mohavesam]

All good solutions - before those butane lighters came around.

A few years ago we had a couple of young bucks in bear camp. They both knew how to use a compass, but neither brought one along. The first day when we split up for the dark Adirondack trails, we handed each one a small fresh butane lighter with the caveat: "nobody's gonna come looking for you after dark". They both understood that.
.

[Malamute]

Are butane lighters different than Zippos?

[walks with gun]

When camping, just make sure to park the RV close to a outlet. What are matches anyway.

[mikld]

Thanks fordwannabe! Your info about alcohol wipes kind took me by surprise, I never thought of that! Being diabetic those wipes are laying around everywhere, in my truck, in my car, in my shop, etc. (I get them free whenever I get test strips bu usually don' use 'em). I think I'll add them to my "if I get lost kit"...

[fordwannabe]

I like to have things with multiple uses in my "kit" the alcohol pads can be used for starting fire, cleaning scope lens, prepping something to be glued, and sterilize a kknife blade for quick first aid uses. I carry super glue also will fix, guns,rubber boots, whatever, and is the best suture for woods wounds. I cut the bullywooggers out of myself a couple years ago
used hydrogen peroxide(also has several uses) to clean it and glued myself back together with superglue. Two days later went to see doctor, he said it was as good as he could do, just watch for infections. It healed so nice you could not have stitched it and look so good. When buying superglue buy the five little tubes in the plastic case, cause after you open a tube it done. This way you have 5 tubes, and you only use a tiny bit each time.

[Dave]

I have learned that while the Doans brand magnesium fire starters are very good, the cheap ones don't really contain much magnesium and are hard to use or don't work at all.

[handirifle]

Personally am NOT a fan of butane lighters, especially for emergency. I tried using them on a deer hunt once to light my little cook stove. It was during an ice storm, and there wasn't enough pressure for the stupid thing to work.

I have a magnesium starter, but not fond of those either.

What we need is something easy to light, burns hottern than stuff and can be EASILY lit when wet, dry, hot or cold. Like malamute said, usually when you REALLY need one your hands are numb.

My brother always carries a sterno can when he goes into the woods. He, and our dad and a couple others were getting rain drenched in their tents, while on a Canadian bear hunt. Nothing the others tried would light the wet wood.

He bet them $50 he could light a fire. The challenge was on. He crawled out of his tent, gathered some wet branches, making a tentof sticks, and stuck a lit sterno can under it.

Five minutes later the rest came out of their tents to a roaring fire, that was drying the wet wood fast enough to keep going.

Gotta look into the Trioxane though.

[Bullard4075]

Lots of great ideas! I also think a couple of you would gripe if you were hung with a new rope!

[3leggedturtle]

Lots of great ideas! I also think a couple of you would gripe if you were hung with a new rope!

Well heck ya, new ropes are scratchy til they get used a few times!
I always carry a ferro rod with cotton balls soaked in Vaseline or hand sanitizer along with birch bark. Always have 3-4 bics with just for backup. Also if you keep a Bic lighter in your pocket it'll stay warm enough to light a fire or a gas stove even at -30F.

[Bill in Oregon]

I carried a Zippo religiously when a cigarette smoker back in the 1970s. And I had the lighter fluid rash on my upper thigh where that sucker rode in my front Levi's pocket to prove it.

[jeepnik]

Lots of great ideas! I also think a couple of you would gripe if you were hung with a new rope!

Sure would. New ropes got too much stretch, you end up getting strangled instead of a nice clean break.