I bought some of this stuff because it was on sale at Amazon. I've used military Trioxane for a long time and I love it. The problem with Trioxane is, you can only get it from "war surplus" places and sometimes the life has been used up, you have to learn to look at the packages and know that it's still good. I've had this for a few months and finally used it tonight, it works great and I like it a lot. I don't sell this stuff, I'm not a company spokesman, just passing along the info.

I use the fire starters my daughter-in-law makes for me. She takes old candles melts them down then dips the little round pads women use in nursing bras, they are about the size of a 50 cent piece, lays them out on wax paper [not the nursing bra the waxed pads] to dry then into a baggie. Sometimes our packs smell a little "girly" but about midweek that is ok. They light easy, burn hot and last quiet awhile when lit. I dropped one in the lake, left it there a few minutes, picked it up shook off the water and it lite just fine. FRED

Vaseline worked thoroughly into a cotton ball. Made with stuff we have around the house anyway. Burns many minutes (it has been years since I tested, so I don't recall precise length). Water resistant.

Dave

quote FOG51: "I use the fire starters my daughter-in-law makes for me. She takes old candles melts them down then dips the little round pads women use in nursing bras, they are about the size of a 50 cent piece, lays them out on wax paper [not the nursing bra the waxed pads] to dry then into a baggie. Sometimes our packs smell a little "girly" but about midweek that is ok. They light easy, burn hot and last quiet awhile when lit. I dropped one in the lake, left it there a few minutes, picked it up shook off the water and it lite just fine. FRED"

I have done the same using makeup removal pads that are a circular cotton pad. I just tear it partially in half when I want to light with a Fire Steel.

quote NotSoFast: "Vaseline worked thoroughly into a cotton ball. Made with stuff we have around the house anyway. Burns many minutes (it has been years since I tested, so I don't recall precise length). Water resistant.


Dave"

Same here. Or birch bark taken from downed trees.

quote NotSoFast: "Vaseline worked thoroughly into a cotton ball. Made with stuff we have around the house anyway. Burns many minutes (it has been years since I tested, so I don't recall precise length). Water resistant."

+1. I make sure everyone in the group has these in their PFD/emergency kits. I use small prescription medicine bottles and pack them full. I bring a couple extra bottles of them to use in camp also.

I bring a couple of those fire sticks and some dry paper, tucked away in my dry pack. The vaseline and cotton ball idea sounds pretty genius though.

Looks like good stuff Maxx,

I use cotton balls and Vaseline also, put them in plastic film canisters....hard to find those these days :)

I like the 10 minute burn time on that stuff, that oughta do the trick in a rain!!!

SunCatcher

Hoop, from the wintertrekker site makes a good, waterproof firestarter out of triple braided jute, soaked in wax. Starts fairly easy and burns a long time.
firestarter

I have used Meeco SureStart firestarters for years and have found them to be very reliable. 1.5X1.5 inch X 3/8 inch thick. Sawdust impregnated with some kind of wax. Depending on what is being lit I will cut them in half or quarters or if the kindling is damp I use the whole square. Carry a few of them in a zip-lock bag. They come in a box of 144 squares - lasts years.

I buy them in the woodstove / fireplace section of Fleet Farm. Amazon has them but pricier there than Fleet Farm:

SureStart fire starters

Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline as fire starter. That gives me 3 uses for that now.

quote OldFingers57: "

quote FOG51: "I use the fire starters my daughter-in-law makes for me. She takes old candles melts them down then dips the little round pads women use in nursing bras, they are about the size of a 50 cent piece, lays them out on wax paper [not the nursing bra the waxed pads] to dry then into a baggie. Sometimes our packs smell a little "girly" but about midweek that is ok. They light easy, burn hot and last quiet awhile when lit. I dropped one in the lake, left it there a few minutes, picked it up shook off the water and it lite just fine. FRED"

I have done the same using makeup removal pads that are a circular cotton pad. I just tear it partially in half when I want to light with a Fire Steel. "

Dryer lint dipped into candle wax or dribbled onto it. Same idea. I keep it in a quart ziploc bag with a bic lighter.

I also take 3 or 4 strike anywhere matches and put them together then wrap thread or cotton cloth around them to hold them together. Then I dip them into melted candle wax, leaving the heads exposed. They'll burn for at least 3-5 minutes on their own.

Birch bark. Lots of dead and down almost everywhere .

I use Webber grill starter cubes. I use them on my grill at home so I have them on hand and they work great. It doesn't take much to light them and they burn like a torch for a good 5-10 min. 6-8 inch flame that is intended to light standard charcoal. Hard to go wrong with that.

The only problem I have seen is that last year's cubes do not work this year. Once you break the seal on that cube, it should be used in a couple months. Only time I ever saw this happen was when I had a baggie of cubes from the previous year, but the same package, which has foil over individual cubes in an ice cube tray style container, worked just fine.

Dryer lint and candle wax in either egg carton holders or toilet paper tubes.

quote maxxbhp: " I bought some of this stuffbecause it was on sale at Amazon. I've used military Trioxane for a long time and I love it. The problem with Trioxane is, you can only get it from "war surplus" places and sometimes the life has been used up, you have to learn to look at the packages and know that it's still good. I've had this for a few months and finally used it tonight, it works great and I like it a lot. I don't sell this stuff, I'm not a company spokesman, just passing along the info. "

Thanks, Bill, so doggone hard to find Trioxane bars anymore. Since I live in the sticks, I used to use them quite a bit. Now the few I have left are in my First Aid/Survival canister.

The link doesn't work for me, though?

quote SunCatcher: "Looks like good stuff Maxx,


I use cotton balls and Vaseline also, put them in plastic film canisters....hard to find those these days :)


I like the 10 minute burn time on that stuff, that oughta do the trick in a rain!!!


SunCatcher"

I was going to suggest this storage method as well - you can jam dozens of them in there. Alternately, someone also mentioned an old Rx pill bottle - same capacity with a more secure lid.

I had a buddy bring some goo many years ago in what looked like a toothpaste tube - that stuff worked great, but it was heavier than cotton balls + Vaseline.

quote ozarkpaddler: "

quote maxxbhp: " I bought some of this stuffbecause it was on sale at Amazon. I've used military Trioxane for a long time and I love it. The problem with Trioxane is, you can only get it from "war surplus" places and sometimes the life has been used up, you have to learn to look at the packages and know that it's still good. I've had this for a few months and finally used it tonight, it works great and I like it a lot. I don't sell this stuff, I'm not a company spokesman, just passing along the info. "

Thanks, Bill, so doggone hard to find Trioxane bars anymore. Since I live in the sticks, I used to use them quite a bit. Now the few I have left are in my First Aid/Survival canister.

The link doesn't work for me, though?"

I don't even know where that link came from, maybe one of the mods added it. I got those at Amazon, allegedly you can light them IN the water, although I'm not sure why you'd do that....:-)

I use the yellow tube stuff because it's easy to handle and one tube lasts several trips.
in the past I've used candle stubs which work really well because the wick will light with just a paper match and they burn on their own for a long time.the army blue tabs really lit with just a spark but the gel that replaced them was hard to light.the notes on the gel packs were instructive "if you can see the enemy he can see you"
maybe some camping outfit could make some,"if you can see the bear the bear has already seen you".

Did someone mention firestarter ???

butthead

+1 on Vaseline soaked cotton balls. I can stuff quite a few into a small black film container. I also use some dryer lint, works pretty well too if you fluff it up before lighting.

I usually carry a lighter, and keep waterproof storm matches (vac sealed) in my pocket and in each bag. I also carry a Magnesium Fire Starter and some fatwood from my fireplace.

We take the easy way and just buy the little BBQ briquette fire starters. Clean, small. lightweight, easy and effective. For dramatic effect I might have to try BH's idea.

I always take a baggie with cotton soaked in vaseline as part of my ditch kit, but to be honest, birch bark from dead birch trees is always abundant. I cut my kindling to dry wood, or use twigs if it's not raining and with birch bark I have a roaring fire in minutes.

I wish I was sitting in front of one right now!

Dave

quote butthead: " Did someone mention firestarter ???
butthead"

Good stuff! Bagpipes, AC/DC, Kilts, and Fire, what's not to like on that video, 'eh?

I dunno.......I was always repelled by the thought of vaseline.......messy. And I avoid anything that has a smell to it as that is asking for uninvited company.

I use wet fire tinder which comes individually wrapped in a nice light airtight cube and fires up no matter what. Very convenient and light as air, tough to beat.

wet fire

"I avoid anything that has a smell to it as that is asking for uninvited company."

"Vaseline Petroleum Jelly" is a highly purified tasteless, odorless, product of petroleum and mineral oils.
The original version, still sold sold in jars and cans has been used as a assembly lubricant for food/confection machinery for 100 years. Because it has no odor or taste that it can impart to your favorite chocolate confection.

butthead

birthday cake or tealight candles.

you know you have some somewhere, so they are basically free.

fooling around making fire starters!!
I made these years ago trying to get a "no fail" starter for my ditch kit.

quote wetcanoedog: "
fooling around making fire starters!!
I made these years ago trying to get a "no fail" starter for my ditch kit."

Looks like the art projects that my kids brought home in 2nd grade. The one on the left is the Eiffel Tower, the one on the right is the Statue of Liberty.

quote FOG51: "I use the fire starters my daughter-in-law makes for me. She takes old candles melts them down then dips the little round pads women use in nursing bras, they are about the size of a 50 cent piece, lays them out on wax paper [not the nursing bra the waxed pads] to dry then into a baggie. Sometimes our packs smell a little "girly" but about midweek that is ok. They light easy, burn hot and last quiet awhile when lit. I dropped one in the lake, left it there a few minutes, picked it up shook off the water and it lite just fine. FRED"

I use makeup remover pads for this same thing. Probably very similar. At the beginning of each trip I dedicate 1/2 of each of these per fire I think I'll start. I won't end up using that much, as 1/4 is usually more than enough, but using 1/2 per gives me some insurance.

We fill egg cartons with wax from old candles and sawdust. Each egg compartment breaks off easily for each fire. I've never timed how long they last, but they do the job nicely. Dryer lint would work in place of sawdust. These are very cheap and effective.

I use the smallest Dixie cup made, fill it with either wood chips or sawdust, and then pour melted was until cup is full. It lights easily, burn for 10 minutes, flame is 8-10 inches high. I use these at home for my charcoal chimney (I smoke a lot of meat) and they work great. I have taken them on my last two BWCA trips and they are very handy. I base camp so a little extra weight doesn't matter.

I've also done the dryer lint and old candle wax in a TP tube. All the things listed here do well and it's good fun making them yourself.