A fire starter that works when wet

“This looks interesting - less than 2 ounces, $15, works when wet. No shaving off slivers of magnesium first.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/754d/”

“Hand Sanitizer is practically guaranteed to start a fire even on wet needles. Not the 'alcohol free' kind though obviously. When I was in the Ansel Adams Wilderness this August and it rained for three days, I was able to get a fire going every time with one little bottle of that gel.”

“Usually only the exterior layer of wood gets wet. Shave off slivers of wood underneath & it will start 99.9% of the time. I remember only once when it was -20 & everything was encrusted with ice that I used a fire starter. I rarely start a fire except for my wife at campgrounds, when it's bitter cold, long canoe trips or somebody brought a cookable food item.”

“sandyann - but you need a lighter or matches to light the hand sanitizer. The item I posted is a lighter. Besides, if you want something to sanitize your hands and act as a backup fire starter, just take rubbing alcohol. More bang per ounce carried. That's what I do.

Note, if you carry denatured alcohol for a stove, don't use denatured as a hand sanitizer, it gets absorbed through the skin and the methyl alcohol part damages your liver.”

“1 match, toilet paper, and cooking oil (I use EVOO) - the best fire starter for wet conditions”

“lol HOI...
does it need to be charmin or can I use angel TP??”

“I have used cotton-balls with Vaseline which works well. I have also used drier lint the same way, or with paraffin wax melted on it (though this can be harder to light but burns a long time). Lately I have used Spark-Lite starters and this works very well and is quite light. I don't think as light as the cotton-ball thing, but close. The Spark-Lite "lighter" is just flint and steel. You can buy them all over the place.

”

“well I use Scott TP but really any TP will work so long as the oil will wick up in it - make a "cup" in you hand with the TP, pour in a good slug of oil, gather the top of the cup together into a drop shape and set in the middle of fire piton some wood, toss some 1 inch or so wood on top and light the top of the drop shaped TP/Oil mass - burns for a long time and the only problem is when your oil is frozen (makes it tough to pour until you warm it up under your arm pit or other similar smelly areas)”

“I forgot to mention, in place of the cotton balls w/vaseline, lately I've just taken a piece of the wood-n-wax starter that I use to light my wood stove. Cheap, waterproof, and lightweight. A quarter of a stick will light anything.”

“I picked up some "storm matches" from REI a while back, although I haven't use them yet. They claim the matches will continue to burn, even if dunked under water. Kind of scary, actually....”

“BowlderMan: Those things really burn, but not for long. They are indeed scary looking, esp as the light up. I carry a few and a striker (in different parts of my pack) just in case. It's much less than an oz of prevention and I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have if (if you know what I mean).”

“I rarely use fire starters,but have a tiny kit with me, since forever. In my plastic bag is a few cotton balls and SOS or brillo steel wool pad and a tiny bit of a used candle with wick included. Waterproof matches stored separately. It is cheap, trustworthy and hardly weighs anything. Works well even in rain. With a little extra care and shielding it does very well in windy situations”

“I read somewhere that those trick birthday candles (the ones you can't blow out) are good firestarters. They are very light and the wind won't put them out. I wanted to play with this as a lighter version of what I use today.

Today I just take a bottle of used motor oil. You pour some of it on some branches and light it. There is a lot of black smoke and sure some of the oil leaks into the ground, but it never misses!
last edited: 10/04/05 1:41:33 PM”

“When you get serious, carry zippo lighter fluid. It comes in an easily packed container and it will start a fire in the worst conditions. People think I'm a pyro when I pull out the lighter fluid, but they are always impressed by the results.”

“birch bark”

“birch bark does work great, but there are not that many birch trees around where I am

where are the trees when i need them?


trek on
www.mytrekkingpoles.com”

“Birch bark saved me my last winter hike in the Adirondacks as I had to rely on fire for all my meals. I carried a HUGH patch of it with me the whole trip. That stuff works wonders.”

“The best fire starter I found is to use a paper egg carton fill the holes up with sawdust and lint. Pour hot wax from old crayons, old candels, or you can buy candel wax. Put a piece of heavy string in the middle for a wick. Cut the cup sections out and put in a baggie with a few waterproof matches. Works every time. You can light wet wood with these as they burn long enough to dry the wood out. You could even use that Swedish Fire Steel to light the wick.”

“My dad made some starters by cutting up some ceiling tiles that are that compressed material. He made 2�X1�X1� blocks and then dipped them in paraffin. He gave me a bunch to use and I always carried one or two. One spring I camped at a favorite spot of mine and found one of the blocks from the fall before. The thing had been sitting out side all winter. I snapped it and it lit right up.

Now I just use drier lint and hand sanitizer which I carry any how. I�ve yet to fail to start a fire.”

“Well, birch, are you going to bark?”

“Looks like commercial and homemade stuff-n-wax does the trick for many.”

“I am liking the hand sanitizer bit. I gotta play with that. I have used vasoline and cotton balls which works well, but not that hand sanitizer. I bet that really lights up good!”

“i use spontaneous combustion”

“You get more bang for the buck with rubbing alcohol. Hand sanitizer just has diluted rubbing alcohol.”

“It seems to work well enough. I also always have two tea light candles with me for regular burning but would use them for fire starting too. I haven�t had to yet. The thing that will make a fire starter even better is good fire building skills. Just knowing that every big fire starts as a tiny one is my trick. The smaller your starting twigs and kindling are the easier the fire. I spend more prep time gathering wood and getting the best twigs than I do lighting it.”

“techntrek, did you ever order one?

www.basegear.com has the army one and the scout. The scout is on sale for 9.95”

“Drew Barrymore?”

“Huh, no this slipped my mind. I've been using parafin/sawdust blocks on all my AT trips. My lighter isn't waterproof, though...”

“Frito's work when wet.”

“ah... Fahrenheit 451, a personal favorite.

(Salamanders kick all forms of ass, lol)”

“Sorry to screw with your thread E, but that Drew Barrymore setup was impossible to pass up --- VBG”

“Frito's work when wet.”
lilmountaingirl
12:45:02 PM
3/15/07

someone has been watching Survivorman ;)”

“I think Survivorman is swiping ideas from US! I heard about the Fritos on Trail Talk 4 or 5 years ago --- !


(they're good with onion dip, too)”

“someone has been watching Survivorman ;)”
Ewker
1:54:06 PM
3/15/07

LOL...I did see it on Survivorman ~ and have used it multiple times on the trail. ;)

(I prefer them with salsa/cheese dip...and no skimping, they've gotta be the big Dipper ones, not the little munch-a-bunch ones)
;)”

“Napalm”

“Gotta love those multi-use items !

I can't remember the last time I tried to light a wet Frito... but I have some downstairs Right Now....”

“I'll have to try that. I guess the oils rise to the top and the water keeps the "wick" (corn chip) from burning?”

“hey if ya'll want to play with fire - would someone know if the toilet paper and olive oil fire starter works if one starts with wet TP?”

““hey if ya'll want to play with fire - would someone know if the toilet paper and olive oil fire starter works if one starts with wet TP?”
Hog On Ice
2:24:43 PM
3/15/07

Hmmm...we used that a lot but I don't remember if we ever had to use wet TP. I know we used it in the rain...but I don't remember the TP itself being wet - damp, maybe, but not wet.

I'm no help. Carry on...”

“I use the heavy waxed paper from milk/juice cartons.
I cut the four sides apart at home and rip a couple of side panels into finger-width strips in the field.
They curl as you rip them and make a nice pile with plenty of air space in and among the pieces.”

“One Handed operation....and you don't have to dull your knife striking the bar either....

http://tinyurl.com/38h42m

Backpackgeartest review
last edited: 3/15/07 3:15:11 PM”

“parafin and dryer lint. Bellybutton lint is also good, but takes so long to collect.”

“dryer lint is a problem these days = too many non-cotton or part cotton clothes - best dryer lint is from 100% cotton clothing”

“Someone gave us some candle wax/ dryer lint fire starters a few years ago. Those things were loaded with other people's body hair and were completely gross.”

“was the hair parted in the middle (just asking)”

“Being bald, mine's pretty safe:)”

“shave down below too huh Nimblefoot?”

“melt petroleum jelly in a double boiler, (vasoline), soak it all up with cotton balls. will burn for 15 minutes; very high hot flame.”

“That seems like a lot of bother......waxed paper for me.
And its recycling for all you groovy tree-huggers.”