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SheepDog said:
They are both "cheats" but all's fair when it comes to staying alive.
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I will respectfully disagree (tongue firmly planted in cheek). I don't see them as cheats. I see them as progress. Making fire the really old fashioned way rubbing two sticks together is an admirable skill, and one which I don't have. That said unless you are in the most dire straits, and have nothing else, why would you not use the modern tools available to you?

In my large, more complete fire kits which are carried in BOB's I have three different kinds of lighters (BIC, Zippo, Butane); three different types of matches, candles, both regular and the birthday gimmick, several types of tinder, and aluminum foil if the fire may be on a wet surface. I have ferro rods, and magnesium blocks but I really hope I never have to get that far down the list, before I get something going.

I also keep Ranger Lighters in some smaller kits, and in the car. I have a link I can share, but I use a mini BiC lighter, Electrical tape, paracord, Chapstick, and Q-tips. Tape the paracord on the side of the lighter. Keep about 6" of paracord between the lighter and the chapstick. Tape the other end on the paracord to the chapstick. Take two Q-tips and cut them in half. Push the cut end of the Q-tip into the chapstick @ 12:00 - 3:00 - 6:00 - 9:00. Rub the Q-tips in the chapstick and they will burn like candles.
 
IMO there is no cheating when it comes to starting fires. As a backpacker that goes out no matter the weather, I'll use anything at my disposal.
I like to work on my fire starting skills when I can. You can never be too good at it. Practicing in foul weather goes a long way when you really need a fire. Using a fire steel, bow drill, Fresnel Lens are things that need repeated practice. Even making a bow drill, if you don't carry one, is not a normal everfy day skill for most people. Even to the point of sourcing the best wood for each piece.
The straw with PJ and cotton balls are nice touch. You can put a dozen of them in a small ziplock and have multiple fires on a trip and take up little space and almost no weight.
I carry at least 3 methods of fire starting when I hike. Always a lighter and a tin with fatwood shavings, Ferro rod, and a waterproof container with good matches. The loaded straws will be added as soon as I can make some up
 
Morgan101 said:
I will respectfully disagree (tongue firmly planted in cheek). I don't see them as cheats. I see them as progress. Making fire the really old fashioned way rubbing two sticks together is an admirable skill, and one which I don't have. That said unless you are in the most dire straits, and have nothing else, why would you not use the modern tools available to you?

In my large, more complete fire kits which are carried in BOB's I have three different kinds of lighters (BIC, Zippo, Butane); three different types of matches, candles, both regular and the birthday gimmick, several types of tinder, and aluminum foil if the fire may be on a wet surface. I have ferro rods, and magnesium blocks but I really hope I never have to get that far down the list, before I get something going.

I also keep Ranger Lighters in some smaller kits, and in the car. I have a link I can share, but I use a mini BiC lighter, Electrical tape, paracord, Chapstick, and Q-tips. Tape the paracord on the side of the lighter. Keep about 6" of paracord between the lighter and the chapstick. Tape the other end on the paracord to the chapstick. Take two Q-tips and cut them in half. Push the cut end of the Q-tip into the chapstick @ 12:00 - 3:00 - 6:00 - 9:00. Rub the Q-tips in the chapstick and they will burn like candles.
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I do not have three lighters, going to get the Ranger Lighter.
1670039316683.png
 
joel said:
I do not have three lighters, going to get the Ranger Lighter.
View attachment 99338
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The cheap BIC lighters have an extremely long storage life and should not be regarded as "cheating".
I posted in another thread about one that I discovered that had been accidentally stored for over 10 years. It lit with the first flick and worked flawlessly.
You can get 5 of them for 8-bux, each one is good for hundreds of lights.
As much as I love watching some guy sliding flint on a steel bar, that will never be me.
 
Supervisor42 said:
The cheap BIC lighters have an extremely long storage life and should not be regarded as "cheating".
I posted in another thread about one that I discovered that had been accidentally stored for over 10 years. It lit with the first flick and worked flawlessly.
You can get 5 of them for 8-bux, each one is good for hundreds of lights.
As much as I love watching some guy sliding flint on a steel bar, that will never be me.
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I have the BIC, about ten of them, but need a back up lighter, I have waterproof match kit & waterproof matches, candles, lip balm, old credit card, magnet & folding knife in every fire starter kit.
 
Bacpacker said:
The loaded straws will be added as soon as I can make some up
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When you pull the cotton balls out of the straws they are very compressed. So you have to tease them to a more fluffy profile. They don't ignite well when they are compresses chunks ... you want hairs and strands sticking out to catch the sparks. Simple enough - just use your fingers, your knife, a stick or whatever to rip and pull them into a bigger shape. You have to do this with non-compressed vasoline cottonballs too, but the need is more obvious after packing them into a tight container. I hold my kits together with Ranger Bands (cut up bicycle inner tubes). Those won't catch a spark, but if you touch a flame to them they burn real well. Lots of stinky black smoke, but they do burn nicely for a long time. Good to put a flaming one under your tinder to get it started.

If you like to carry your vasoline with you to start fires and not re-treat the cotton balls at home, you can use one of the first aid ointments - like Neosporin. That works just like vasoline, and you have the dual use potential for first aid needs. You do need an ointment type, not a creme. I don't think the creams burn (never tried that myself, but read that they don't).
 
Morgan101 said:
I wasn't really sure where to put this. It could be a craft or maybe a household tip, but I found a new method for making fire starters. The author called it a "firewad". I used small napkins and half sheets of paper towels. You roll them as tightly as you can, then twist them even tighter. The author recommended tying the ends with string, but I didn't. They seem to work fine just being rolled and twisted. You should end up with a roll that is about 3" long. Kind of looks like an ugly roll-your-own cigarertte from the cowboy days.

On one side I used a lit candle to drip wax on the roll. I let it cool for a few minutes, then dripped lighter fluid on the other side. I haven't tested them yet to see how long they will burn, but they definitely burn. I stored them in a prescription bottle. When I get some data on how long they burn I will post the results.
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that is awesome post morgan. makes ssense. also reminds me of a part of the little house on the prarie books---it the worst winter ever she and her dad took stalks of hay ( i think thats what they used) but worked to twist it up real tight small bundles to make firestarter and also to make it burn longer. i think that time frame was called 'the year without a summer'.

early fall i go to back of property to gather bags of pine cones, makes great fire starter for me.. i know people who diup pine cones in some kind of wax and let dry then sort of break up for bits and parts to toss in for fire starting. but im lazy and just use plain pine cones.
great thread i love learning from you guys

my son bought me this lighter thingy. have played with it to get familiar but not really used it yet. kinda neat--no fuel, sort of a laser kind of light-flame. recharges with usb. got it from amazon


Extremus Blaze 360 Waterproof Lighter,Outdoor Windproof Lighter Dual Arc Lighter USB Rechargeable Flameless Lighter,Plasma Lighters​

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092ZLFGG9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
 
One of the best fire starters in the world is a Tampax. No other brand, only Tampax. Cardboard tube helps keep the fire going and you just slide out the beginning of it and the string and it catches on fire right away. Guys these are easy to carry.
 
joel said:
I do not have three lighters, going to get the Ranger Lighter.
View attachment 99338
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Here is the link for the Ranger Lighter. I skipped the Vaseline and cotton balls, and used the Q-tips. Less messy, and they work the same. I agree with Supe42. I have kept BIC lighters for a very long time, and they still work. I would say stick with the BIC brand. Other brands do not last as long.

I will admit I have a passion for lighters. I think it is an offshoot of my passion for good cigars. One of my grab-and-go items should the need arise is a fire box that has lighters, matches, candles, lighter fluid and flints for the Zippo lighters, and butane for the butane lighters, all in a wooden box that is about 6" x 6" x 6" (an old cigar box with a sliding lid).

 
Bic lighters (I don't use any other brand disposable lighters) are great. I have many in various locations. I like Zippo's even better. I need to get a few more of them.
As far as the straws go, yes the cotton needs to be pulled aparts. I'm thinking just slice the straws open and pull, with whatever tool on hand, enough loose material out to take a spark and it'll go from there. I've carried a pill bottle stuffed with many PJ'd cotton balls since I was in the scouts. Messy but works well

Morgan, I'm thinking we need to start up a cigar thread. Probly won't be much traffic, but interesting to see what folks like, share new finds, etc
 
joel said:
but I never needed that kind of heat to start a fire.
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You've never gone camping with me. it always seems to rain, usually a monsoon grade cloud dump!

Y'all have me thinking. you know how flammable lard is, what if you strained some out and poured it over some cotton cloth strips and kept it in an old water bottle or such like? sounds cheap anyway. I'm all over using stuff up until it breaks, repairing it until it can't be anymore, and then repurposing it for something else, like making mini smokehouses out of refrigerators. (land lady had a fit!)
 
Magus said:
You've never gone camping with me. it always seems to rain, usually a monsoon grade cloud dump!

Y'all have me thinking. you know how flammable lard is, what if you strained some out and poured it over some cotton cloth strips and kept it in an old water bottle or such like? sounds cheap anyway. I'm all over using stuff up until it breaks, repairing it until it can't be anymore, and then repurposing it for something else, like making mini smokehouses out of refrigerators. (land lady had a fit!)
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Magus, are you sure??!
I swear there was this guy that could have been your twin.
 
Has anyone ever used patches for makeup removal? You can buy a tube of a couple hundred for a buck or so. Melt some candle wax in a skillet, grab the patch with tweezers and lighty drag both sides through the wax, lay on a piece of wax paper to cool. I leave about a quarter inch by the tweezers dry patch.
 
If the bore was big enough, sure. You would never get one down a .22 barrel, but a bigger bore and shotguns, I don't know why not.
 
zoomzoom said:
I'll pile on as a big fan of Bic lighters. Can't think of how many times I've run them through the clothes washer and dryer and they still come out working.
I buy in bulk. Here's 50 of them for $50.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQEFUOA/
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Yep they are reliable. Let's see now, if one BIC lighter can light 1,000 fires and you buy 50 in a brick, how many fires can you light?
I don't know about you, but if you give me a cardboard box and a BIC lighter, I can have you a roaring fire going in 5 minutes.
I've seen me do it.😁:thumbs:
Maybe someday the 'flint and steel' videos from the stone age will die off.:rolleyes:
 
Curmudgeon said:
Has anyone ever used patches for makeup removal? You can buy a tube of a couple hundred for a buck or so. Melt some candle wax in a skillet, grab the patch with tweezers and lighty drag both sides through the wax, lay on a piece of wax paper to cool. I leave about a quarter inch by the tweezers dry patch.
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If you can find it Walgreens carries a travel package in their Travel section that has make-up rounds, cotton balls, and Q-tips in a small resealable poly bag. Ideal for a fire kit.
 
Magus said:
Same subject. how do you store these things?
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You're referring to Bic lighters, right?
I've never thought about storing considerations for them. I just keep them wherever needed and extras just sit someplace, normally with the rest of my stores. I'd just keep them someplace out of high humidity so the scroll wheel doesn't rust.
 
zoomzoom said:
You're referring to Bic lighters, right?
I've never thought about storing considerations for them. I just keep them wherever needed and extras just sit someplace, normally with the rest of my stores. I'd just keep them someplace out of high humidity so the scroll wheel doesn't rust.
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I don't store them any special way. They are in a drawer in a credenza in the house. The ones in various BOB's are stored in the garage. I check them periodically to make sure they still work. BICs have always been the best. With other brands the fluid tends to evaporate.
 
Yea, be careful with off-brand lighters.
I bought a bunch of lighters like what's pictured below. They're pretty much crap (but I only paid 10-cents per lighter so I don't feel bad). If you hold it on for about 10 seconds or more, it starts melting the lighter itself. Basically, the roller ball holder just falls out of the lighter next time you try to light it.

1670252551693.png
 
zoomzoom said:
You're referring to Bic lighters, right?
I've never thought about storing considerations for them. I just keep them wherever needed and extras just sit someplace, normally with the rest of my stores. I'd just keep them someplace out of high humidity so the scroll wheel doesn't rust.
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We have a 'high standard' for the storage of BIC lighters.....
They are always kept above the level of flood water :thumbs:. :rolleyes:
 
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I've got lighters everywhere too. Some are Bic, some are not, but I've got lighters I didn't even know I had. I was searching for something in my backpack at work and found a lighter last week. I really have no use for one at work, but...you never know.

I actually like the lighters with an adjustable flame better than the Bic lighters. When you're trying to light something stubborn, a bigger flame matters. That said, they do break easier. Often times I'll have an adjustable one, and one of the tiny size Bic lighters, in the same kit.

I also keep grill lighters on hand. I've got 3 of them at home. But my all time favorite fire starter is a Bernz-O-Matic torch. I know, you're not gonna carry one in the bush, but if you need something lit, the Bernz-O-Matic will light it...
 
Spikedriver said:
I also keep grill lighters on hand. I've got 3 of them at home. But my all time favorite fire starter is a Bernz-O-Matic torch. I know, you're not gonna carry one in the bush, but if you need something lit, the Bernz-O-Matic will light it...
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I'm glad someone mentioned those:
41UUUh2ULxL._AC_.jpg

I am not soaking cotton balls in Vaseline when I have several of those.
And the Bernzomatic will absolutely light anything on fire but it is more expensive and not very portable. I have 2.
So put away the flint and steel rod and embrace that it isn't 1820 anymore :).
 
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