READERS COMMENTS

A good place for emergency tinder, like Coghlans or Wetfire, is a 35mm film can. These are plastic and totally waterproof. The caps fit very tightly to keep out moisture. They are also sturdy, and will protect Wetfire tinder from being crushed. Each film can will hold six Coghlans cotton type tinder balls. Put an Army or Scout Swedish Firesteel and the film cans in one of those small digital camera cases and you're all set.
Posted: Mar 03, 2011 Ron King

I always carry "magic" birthday candels, the kind you can't blow out they will definitely get the small kindling going when all else fails.
Posted: Feb 18, 2011 ron

Waterproof Firestarter Recipe:
Take a penny wrapper, insert a penny in the bottom, stuff with 4 triple-size (or 10 regular) cotton balls, insert another penny and fold the end closed, then dip 4 or 5 times in melted wax.
To use: cut the starter in half, pull out a bit of cotton, and light it. Half of one will burn for 7 minutes.
Posted: Mar 06, 2010 Mark in TN

Waterproof Firestarter Recipe:
Take a penny wrapper, insert a penny in the bottom, stuff with 4 triple-size (or 10 regular) cotton balls, insert another penny and fold the end closed, then dip 4 or 5 times in melted wax.
To use: cut the starter in half, pull out a bit of cotton, and light it. Half of one will burn for 7 minutes.
Posted: Mar 06, 2010 Mark in TN

It might not appeal to purists, but a small amount of used (or new) diesel oil will ignite just about anything and is easy to carry in a small plastic bottle...
Posted: Feb 04, 2010 Doc

Cotton balls, petroleum jelly, metal match. Will light in a down poor and have good burn time. Keep mine in a water proof match case.

Posted: Jan 25, 2010 JW

Cotton balls, petroleum jelly, metal match. Will light in a down poor and have good burn time. Keep mine in a water proof match case.

Posted: Jan 25, 2010 JW

The best fire starters I've found over 40 years of Camping in a wide variety of situations is a extra large cotton ball dipped half way into melted wax (I used wax tarts when they have lost their smell). The cotton on top is then coated with a flammable substance such as hand sanitizer, petroleum jelly, fire paste, cooking oil or anything similar (my favorite is 1/2 cooking oil + 1/2 lard which is great to apply to your cookwear as well). These start easily with flint and steel or any other flame source and burn for about 5 minutes, easily long enough to get most any fire started. They fit well into a round altoids tin sealed with electricians tape.
Posted: Jan 23, 2010 Randy Ensminger MD

I have always carried Coghlans Emergency Tinder’s and a Light My Fire Firesteel. Both together weigh almost nothing, they work in damp conditions and each Tinder burn for almost five min. I carry four or five tinders in a waterproof match tube also sold by Coghlan.
Posted: Jan 23, 2010 Codie Hellman

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