Fire starters

[Lorax]

Cotton balls and vaseline is my favorite. For base camping, egg carton with sawdust and wax works well.
Little chunks of Chaga fungus work pretty good at keeping an ember to work with too.

[Theosus]

I just cut squares from those firelog starters. They burn even and long.

[jason]

Originally Posted by CozInCowtown

Napalm.
Works wet or dry.

From the days of a misspent youth, take some gas put it in a metal cup, add styrofoam, let the styrofoam melt, and keep adding until you get a goey substance. I can stick to walls, and catches on fire easily. But you did not hear that from me, nor should you try it at home.

I just did not want to spam our latest video.

Custom Fire starters - YouTube

[jason]

For the fire pit at home, I have some cheap cup cake and small cake tins I got at yard sales. I mix in wood shavings, sawdust, shredded paper and dryer lint and cover in wax. They work great for me.

[oldsarge]

Originally Posted by jason

For the fire pit at home, I have some cheap cup cake and small cake tins I got at yard sales. I mix in wood shavings, sawdust, shredded paper and dryer lint and cover in wax. They work great for me.

Yes they do work well, I've tried a few of yours and I'm gathering up materials to start making more!

[RandySki]

Originally Posted by jason

From the days of a misspent youth, take some gas put it in a metal cup, add styrofoam, let the styrofoam melt, and keep adding until you get a goey substance. I can stick to walls, and catches on fire easily. But you did not hear that from me, nor should you try it at home.

I'm just enough of a pyro that I may have to give this a try but I'll have to make sure my 16 year old son isn't around. Can't set a bad example, right?

[ChadTower]

Originally Posted by Lamebeaver

I use the cotton balls and Vaseline, sans cup.

It works, and I can bring enough for a week in a small snack bag. Hard to improve.

I do exactly the same thing. A snack sized Ziploc bag mostly full of vaseline soaked cotton balls. You don't need to use more than one ball at a time if you build a half decent fire bundle. One ball will burn for minutes.

I also throw some wood chips in the bag just in case. I've had some moist nights where the dry chips, having absorbed some oil from the balls, were the difference between a cold wet night and a warm wet night.

[hikeorbike]

I have never thought to throw something like Fritos in the fire! Good tip! Making a good, strong, steady fire is harder than it looks.

[RandySki]

Originally Posted by hikeorbike

I have never thought to throw something like Fritos in the fire! Good tip! Making a good, strong, steady fire is harder than it looks.

I came across the Fritos method while searching for fire starters online. A friend and I tested the Fritos at work in an outdoor ashtray on a windy day. Despite the wind, it held up nicely.

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...

A little hint regarding lint (poetic, eh?).

I think you'll improve your chances of better ignition if you use lint from non-manmade fibers...like cotton (from jeans, for example).