easy to carry fire starters and tender

here are some things i have found that make starting a fire a breeze. dryer sheets yes i know. i was at a laundry and was playing with a fire starter as soon as a spark hit the dryer sheet it was going up in flame. so as a further experiment i took a dryer sheet wraped it around some dry grass and placed some small twigs on top of that .then i struck the firestarter against dryer sheet and then it went right up kit was beautiful.
does any body else have any more ideas what everyday things to put into a bugout bag thats light for starting fires.

No ideas but like yours.
Thanks

Cotton socks, wear them. You can pick the lent off of them to help making a tinderball.

I saw a trick on survivorman where he wrapped the cotton in a small tissue and put a spark to it. It worked very well for him, but he's survivorman...

Here are a few:

1. 9 Volt Battery and Double 00 Steel Wool

2. Calcium carbide and Water. I used to use this in my Colorado or Winter Kit. You will need something that you can get a spark with. Carry this in a 35mm plastic film container. Take a rock of this out: poor a little water on top and it gives off a flammable gas that you can use to get a fire started. These were used in 1880's for miner's lamps.

3. Wetfire Lights wet or dry. These are sold commercially.

4. Get a Magnesium Firestarting Tool. Get a few of these.

5. Lifeboat Matches.

reply to post by proteus33


Small zip lock baggie of dryer lint for catching a spark. Weighs virtually nothing in a BOB.Also any store from michaels to wal mart carries a craft item called rapha. Im not sure of the spelling. Anyway it looks like dried vine. Chop it up in a small baggie too as it weighs virtually nothing. Its a light brown color and some people tie it around packages or dried flower arrangements. Fill a small eye drop plastic bottle with anything flammable such as nail polish remover. Also weighs nothing. Mini bic lighters weigh nothing. Good luck to you survirors. Us old folks are to tired to fight anymore. Im a left over hippy from the 60's. Magantice

[edit on 4-10-2009 by Magantice]

reply to post by proteus33


As an added plus! The smell of the dryer sheets could attract bears allowing you easy bear jerky later on!

=p

I go with a magnesium starter and a knife but your idea is much more fun!

We have found that the stems of sunflower plants are very flamable, as are the willow tree branches that fall or we cut. Dried and cut up they make great fire starter. If you have a light that is.....

Dried grasses, the dried inside bark from trees (dead trees), old, rotted wood that is falling apart (dry, of course). Seems to me that most places by now are already pretty well polluted by bottles and paper and stuff, so you could probably find paper almost anywhere. But one Sunday paper would keep you going for a long time...

Probably the best thing to do is learn how to survive without anything special. Lots of people used to do it. If TSHTF, then you may not have time to grab your kit - you may not be anywhere near it. You'll have to improvise in that case.

I'd suggest going out into the sticks and trying to do all this stuff now, before your life depends on it. See what works and what doesn't. Some ideas sound great, until you actually try it. What works at home, in a dry environment, might be useless outside in the rain, or even if it gets a little damp.

Personally, if it gets down to that, I don't think I'd care to live off the land. Too old and set in my ways to be carrying on like that. Not to mention I'm in a city and probably wouldn't last long enough to get out of here...

Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline.... nothing better.

Carry in a sealable plastic baggie.

If you see a Silver Birch (tree), peel off some of the white skin stuff or bark I'm not sure of the exact word, it doesn't seem like bark - any way that is really easy to light, a spark from an empty lighter will do it, magnifying glass on a sunny day, it's got a low flash point - I used to show people it would light from a slight touch from a lit cigarette.

It's not exactly something you would take with you cos there are better things, but it's handy when your out and you see a tree.

Zippo.

Back up plan: matches.

dead twig + knife = tinder. Build your fire properly, and one match will get it going.

Seriously, guys - it's not that hard. It's fire. The 9 volt battery and steel wool thing is a cool party trick, and the cotton balls with vaseline are good for getting the BBQ going, but those things take up space.

1 part sugar, 9 parts Potassium Permanganate and a drop or two of glycerin.

Don't forget learning the bow drill method.

I have been using a fire steel and dryer lint stored in film cans or cotton balls soaked in vaseline for quite some time. The cotton balls are great because they just smolder for minutes allowing your kindling to ignite. Cheap and easy. I suppose I could soak my dryer lint balls in vaseline as well. Never tried it.

for the flamage impaired

Your typical disposable lighter is great for lighting birthday candles or starting up a charcoal grill. Other than that they are pretty lame and go out with just the slightest breeze. We think that lighter could be put to much better use and we'll tell you how.

Micro Jet lighter
Bring extra lighters !!! you suck LOL !!!!

Happy Birthday SHTF style.
Make A self lighting candle
Make a few, you don't need much wax. Bring a piece of paraffin with you too

Being a 'how to' on all aspects of producing a fire in the eighteenth century manner by using flint and steel, by a gentleman who has done it successfully.

Flint and Steel

Any sort of magnifying lens may be used to start a fire on a sunny day.

making fire with Magnifying lenses

Bow Method

Urban Survival Method (europe)

??????

Rub paraffin wax on your clothes and carry Mentos

[edit on 5-10-2009 by The Utopian Penguin]

Birch bark..wet or dry this will ignite with ease.

As long as you are in a part of the country that has birch tree's, all you need to carry is a wax covered easy strike match.

A magnifying glass.

And a couple pacs of Bics' lighters.

You collect the flammable kindle wherever you go. Moss, Foxtails, leaves, twigs...you'll find something.

Anything soaked in chapstick is the only firestarter your ever need. Vaseline also works.

Everyone should already have chapstick in their bugout bag. If you dont, get some.

A small bag of Frito's corn chips. .

They are light, portable, can be used as a high-energy food source and light up like gasoline (due to the high oil content). . !