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Bug Out Bag Firestarter

7K views 41 replies 28 participants last post by  Stone Cold 
#1 ·
If you don't know by now, cotton balls soaked in vaseline are the best fire starter. Lightweight, dirt cheap, easy to make, and work every time.

Change my mind.
 
#2 ·
Just keep them in an old 35mm film canister for best long-term storage. Also pack a magnesium block with spark insert
 
#8 ·
disposable lighters do not work very well in really cold weather - wood matches work in cold but are useless in high winds - magnesium fire starter + Vaseline soaked cotton ball or paraffin soaked saw dust will work under all conditions - all current military survival kits that i know of have the magnesium starters - been years since i have seen one with a waterproof match case -
 
#9 ·
Another decent fire starter, though not as portable as cotton balls & vaseline, is to fill a toilet paper tube with dryer lint, then wrap in newspaper and twist the ends shut. White Birch bark will burn wet or dry.
 
#10 ·
Luckily, I don't have to bug out.

I'm settled for the duration of my life in a good, solid American town.

If the jackals take down this old lion they'll do some bleeding and the street will be littered with jackal guts.

:D
 
#11 ·
I'm not bugging out anywhere so why do I have most of them except for the birch bark? Until this year we camped a lot in the RV so there were always camp fires to light. Who goes camping without S'mores? I also have a big ol' wood fired smoker that has to be lit. Over the years I have collected and used about every fire starting device known to man and still have many, if not most, of them. One that hasn't been mentioned and is in plentiful supply right now is hand sanitizer.

I live out in the country and if all else fails, I have hundreds of gallons of diesel. 😄
 
#23 ·
As my post said, I'm not bugging out. Having said that, I still do have a BOB, you never know what's going to happen, and there are butane lighters in it. I live down south and butane lighters work very well. If I lived in the frozen north, perhaps not so much.
 
#22 ·
Great tips here. I keep a flint and steel in my jacket pocket and also waterproof matches.
 
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#30 ·
Being from Alaska, we have always had lots of fish boxes around.they are made of cardboard, with a heavy wax coating. When one gets crushed, I cut it into 1/4” strips a few inches long, and keep it in a ziplock in my pack. They always start, burn hot, and can’t soak up moisture due to the wax.
 
#31 ·
If you don't know by now, cotton balls soaked in vaseline are the best fire starter. Lightweight, dirt cheap, easy to make, and work every time.
Once you soak the cotton balls, wrap them in square scraps of wax paper and twist the ends together. Helps cut down on the mess and you can light the twisted wax paper, less chance of burnt fingers and usually catches right away. Even if it gets wet.
 
#34 ·
Electric plasma lighters are very affordable nowadays, and work remarkably well. I got a few for $10 each waterproof w/ built in led flashlight. Pair them with solar power banks and you have unlimited instant fire.

For example to anyone who hasn't tried them yet, you know how a butane torch often takes seconds to light a birthday candle? I've found the electric lighters light the wick instantly in most cases.

Now there's no flame, so don't buy one for a cigar, but anything small enough to fit between the arcs catches fire instantly.

I've got ferro rods and old fashioned kitchen matches as well. Redundancy. I love the cotton ball idea.
 
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