what do you use as a fire lighter/accelerant?

[Skender]

I was in Bogong (the shop) the other day chatting with the very friendly shop assistant who offered some great advice for starting out hiking/over nighters etc.

One of the more interesting tips was to collect the lint from the front of your clothes drier, pack into a water proof container and use that as a fire starter for your camp fire. Sounds like a great idea being that its so lightweight and a large handfull packs down to virtually nothing... not to mention this stuff is the cause of many house fires starting so it must be good!

Has anyone else here used this method and how well has it worked?

Cheers,
Skender.

[forest]

Lint will work... If it's dry.

Better off IMO to soak some cotton balls in melted vasoline and use those. Plenty of how to vid's on youtube etc.
They take a spark off a flint really easily and they will work if it's wet. They burn for a while too so if you have damp twigs it's normally enough to get a fire started. Just pack a heap in a old film canister, I can fit about 12-15 soaked cotton balls in one and the weights only about 20-25 grams.

[justacouch]

[Forest - I must have been typing this as you were posting above, some repetition of info from your post here]

Drier lint sounds like a good method (and it's free), but I haven't tried it.

I have used cotton balls with some Vaseline rubbed into them (works fine without melting and soaking, just put some Vaseline on your hands and rub into the cotton ball) and that works really well. They light with a spark and burn for 3-5mins depending on how much Vaseline you load them up with. Good for getting damp kindling going and fairly wind resistant. You only need 3 balls max per fire, even for a damp start.

The other option if you're desperate is the alcohol sterilising napkin things from a first aid kit (10c for two from chemists).

[LandSailor]

+1 on the cotton wool/vaseline combo.
My only quibble with dryer lint is probably alot of it is synthetic. I prefer not to be breathing in whatever chemical brew is generated from setting fire to something like that no matter how small.

[andrewbish]

+1 on the cotton wool/vaseline combo.

[Strider]

+1 vaseline and cotton wool

[Skender]

Brilliant. Love the vas+cotton ball combo idea and will definitely be doing this for this weekends trip as there is showers forecast.

If nothing else the drier lint would good to keep as part of your emergency kit.

[Franco]

I would avoid dryer lint because at least some will be from synthetic fibers, so you would be burning plastic...

[Mark F]

I like the idea of cotton wool and vaseline but I never seem to get around to preparing any and I rarely use a fire. My standbys are a squirt of hand sanitiser which I always carry, or a block or 2 of fire starter that can be broken into smaller pieces.

[Strider]

I like the idea of cotton wool and vaseline but I never seem to get around to preparing any and I rarely use a fire. My standbys are a squirt of hand sanitiser which I always carry, or a block or 2 of fire starter that can be broken into smaller pieces.

Vaseline+cotton wool lights more easily than either of the above.

[FatCanyoner]

Dryer lint works very well, although it can vary in effectiveness depending on what you dry (ie, woollen socks make bad firelighting).
Another one that is a good trick is a small piece of old bike tire inner tube. It is light, compact, and burns really welll. Best of all most people have some around the house. Being rubber it's not the most environmentally friendly thing to do, so only use in really wet / bad conditions. I keep a couple pieces in my first aid kit.
If the weather is fine, you shouldn't need anything other than the kindling in the bush. I find hanging stuff is best (bark falling from gum trees, and those dead little branches also on gums) as it dries quickly after rain.

[Strider]

Another one that is a good trick is a small piece of old bike tire inner tube. It is light, compact, and burns really welll.

Will this ignite with a firesteel?

[southbank]

Cotton Wool balls coated in Vaseline, as everyone has noted are fantastic. I stuff them in to a film canister, you can get quite a lot in.
Small scraps of rubber (car tyre) also works as an accelerant.
My tip is dried mandarin peel, burns like phosphur...

[southbank]

Cotton Wool balls coated in Vaseline, as everyone has noted are fantastic. I stuff them in to a film canister, you can get quite a lot in.
Small scraps of rubber (car tyre) also works as an accelerant.
My tip is dried mandarin peel, burns like phosphur...

In the Australian alps I use the small tufts of dried grass, also very effective.

[Swampy460]

Tampons,,,,,, they are wrapped so stay dry. Just cut in half and tease it open (surprisingly large amount of cotton wool) . Then a spark from a flint will ignite really easily.

Swampy

[Greenie]

What's a film canister?

[north-north-west]

I just pour some kero over a couple of can't-manage-without-a-campfire bushwalkers and throw a match at them.

[Strider]

I just pour some kero over a couple of can't-manage-without-a-campfire bushwalkers and throw a match at them.

If lost and cold, would you not light a fire to keep warm?

[LandSailor]

Another option is cotton balls dipped in candle wax. Apparently this burns even longer than vaseline.
Its much harder to light wax with a firesteel compared to vaseline though. The solution to that is to half-dip the cotton ball in wax.
Then use the undipped half to light with a firesteel.
Here's another relevant link.

[michael_p]

Egg carton fire starters:

I've made fire starters like these (solid wax in the egg carton works fine) and got them going with a firesteel. Can burn for up to 10 minutes.

Comparison between Vaseline and candle wax cotton balls:


Search on youtube, there are lots of videos on how to make all sorts of fire starters.

Paper Bark Tree bark can be used:

The guy in the video tears the bark up but I've had better success with pulling the bark off as a thin sheet (hope that makes sense). Also the inner layers of a thick piece of bark can be quite dry even when the outer layers are soaking wet. YMMV of course.

Cheers,
Michael.

[north-north-west]

I just pour some kero over a couple of can't-manage-without-a-campfire bushwalkers and throw a match at them.

If lost and cold, would you not light a fire to keep warm?

Assuming I'm so lost I have to stop moving for an extended period, I'm more likely to pitch my tent, get into warm, dry clothing and then into the sleeping bag. It's safer and more effective than a fire.

[corvus]

I was in Bogong (the shop) the other day chatting with the very friendly shop assistant who offered some great advice for starting out hiking/over nighters etc.

One of the more interesting tips was to collect the lint from the front of your clothes drier, pack into a water proof container and use that as a fire starter for your camp fire. Sounds like a great idea being that its so lightweight and a large handfull packs down to virtually nothing... not to mention this stuff is the cause of many house fires starting so it must be good!

Has anyone else here used this method and how well has it worked?

Cheers,
Skender.

I suspect most of us carry "dunny paper" + hand sanitiser and I have found that it has other uses when needed , scrunched up to break the fiber a bit I have found that it can be easily ignited with a flint and steel plus if you had added hand sanitiser it ignites quicker and flames a bit longer so no need to carry any extras
corvus

[Strider]

I was in Bogong (the shop) the other day chatting with the very friendly shop assistant who offered some great advice for starting out hiking/over nighters etc.

One of the more interesting tips was to collect the lint from the front of your clothes drier, pack into a water proof container and use that as a fire starter for your camp fire. Sounds like a great idea being that its so lightweight and a large handfull packs down to virtually nothing... not to mention this stuff is the cause of many house fires starting so it must be good!

Has anyone else here used this method and how well has it worked?

Cheers,
Skender.

I suspect most of us carry "dunny paper" + hand sanitiser and I have found that it has other uses when needed , scrunched up to break the fiber a bit I have found that it can be easily ignited with a flint and steel plus if you had added hand sanitiser it ignites quicker and flames a bit longer so no need to carry any extras
corvus

Gerry, this is the bush equivalent of burning money! With what currency will you trade with other walkers??

[corvus]

Strider if you had a choice if it was really cold and warmth from a nice fire was possible or a dirty bum! you tell me which would you choose ??
corvus

[Strider]

Strider if you had a choice if it was really cold and warmth from a nice fire was possible or a dirty bum! you tell me which would you choose ??
corvus

Looks like I hit a sore spot

[michael_p]

Comparison of cotton balls with/without hand sanitiser accelerant:

[corvus]

Strider if you had a choice if it was really cold and warmth from a nice fire was possible or a dirty bum! you tell me which would you choose ??
corvus

Looks like I hit a sore spot

That spot is never sore as I never ever go bush without Lucas Papaw Ointment
corvus

[Strider]

Strider if you had a choice if it was really cold and warmth from a nice fire was possible or a dirty bum! you tell me which would you choose ??
corvus

Looks like I hit a sore spot

That spot is never sore as I never ever go bush without Lucas Papaw Ointment
corvus

Good one Gerry

[ILUVSWTAS]

If your car camping, I find petrol to work well. If not Pandani's or Huon pine burns quite well.

[corvus]

If your car camping, I find petrol to work well. If not Pandani's or Huon pine burns quite well.

Are you trying to make some sort of point