Dryer lint that is effective is created by drying cotton clothing. - It is essentially high volume cotton fluff. If it is largely composed of other fibers it won't burn. Wool simply won't do anything, Synthetics will, at best, melt into a lump if you hold a match to it. (of course if you have a match.....)

The way I see it,
The only true redundancy is when you don't have to improvise anything from the environment. In which case, that means carrying your fuel on you. For redundancy I carry at least hexamine, trioxane, and thick peices of rubber. One piece of any of these materials will boil about a cup of water without elevation. For cold weather travel I am looking into carrying a can of Eco Fuel. Supposedly, one can will burn for ten hours.

As far as fire lighting, any number of methods will provide redundancy. Finding dry wood might pose a worse problem in some environments.

Starting a fire is always my last resort for keeping warm. I always travel with the means to provide myself adequate shelter.

Some cotton is treated to prevent it from shrinking or to facilitate dyeing. Lint from that cotton doesn´t burn too well sometimes. And even if it is effective initially , the soap residues may attract moisture rendering it useless over time.

I use a swedish firesteel and also have a small bic in my psk.

Mayadust i somethingh that works great whit the fire steel to get the fire starting.

Wow! I have this lubricant like WD-40 but better, it's called Balistol. Anyway, I sprayed this stuff on a cotton ball and it burned for about 2 minutes with a high flame. I packed an altoid can with cotton and balistol and now i have another thing to add to my "Redundant Fire starting Methods" list. I don't know if it is just as good as cotton w/ vasline but it seemed pretty good to me! The only problem is if I pack this stuff like i did in an altoid can and the can got hot, it might catch on fire! <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

P.S. -Balistol was used by the Germans during WW2 as there primary oil for anything. It's VERY combustable.
Visit Balistol.com for more info.

I usually have at least a regular Bic lighter in my pack and a mini-bic in my canteen pocket. Clipped to the inside of my pack is a magnisium block/sparker with a brass tube of cotton treated with vaseline. I also carry a candle stub and a waxed cardboard firestarter or two (egg carton dipped in wax). I also have a few matches on the sheath of my knife. Mac