Cotton balls soaked in Coleman white gas works pretty well - you don't even have to blow on them to get them to ignite with a coal as a single spark will normally get them going. Best to keep these white gas soaked cotton balls kept stored in an airtight re-used metal shoe polish tin though. Using this method of firelighting is useful in snowy, cold and wet conditions especailly in conjunction with a fire log.

Other useful tinders are;

high loft down from a sleeping bag or jacket.

birchbark which has been fuzzed up using a knife.

tinder Fungus or horses hoof fungus again fuzzed up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaHNWaBmNJU

Charcloth. etc...



Ray Mears shows how to prepare a fire log. Use 1 cotton ball soaked in white gas instead of a match..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V4l5St4MyA