Chapstick is one of my favorites.

One few people think of are the single-use alcohol wipes common to first-aid kits. A step up from them are the single use acetone wipes used to remove the glue from adhesive tape. Both are flat and light foil packets that wear well, stay sealed.

The single-use foil packets of petrolatum is a tiny tube of napalm.

Antibiotic cremes, like Neosporin, are mostly petrolatum.

Many sunblock cremes and tanning oils burn well. Nothing like the smell of coconut and exotic fruit to bring that topical smell to a sub-zero tent. Festive.

The powder out of a rifle shell?

Obviously, we would use whatever we could find when we needed it to start a fire. I was looking for ideas on things which are not normally thought of as fire starters and the dual use nature of some make them better. The lip balms are generally available world wide and can be carried without raising an eyebrow (no fire hazard). I have only tested the white petroleum jelly before. The other lip balms are a great addition. If you don't have it with you when you need it, it doesn't help, and lip balms can be carried in your pocket all the time; small, dual use and effective.

USGI (or similar) insect repellant. That bug juice, if squirted into a puddle, will put a match out. But squirt it on your tinder, touch a match to it, and whoof!

I recently watched a movie where the western hero, needing a fire badly, pulled the bullet from a cartridge, placed the case, powder still in it, on the ground, open end pointed at a tinder pile. While holding the cartridge stationary, he put a sharp object against the primer, when whacked it with something heavy. Primer ignited powder, powder ignited tinder. Anyone ever tried this???

That sounds like a bad burn or eye injury in the making! I've heard of pulling a bullet, stuffing a small piece of cloth into the cartridge case, chambering it and firing it at the ground, hoping the cloth will come out smoldering. I've never tried either one, although if it was on TV - it must be real!

I do know, from watching a friend years ago, that the brass part of a 12ga shotgun shell, laying unrestrained on the ground, will come back at you with great force when the primer is hit with a BB. Luckily for him, it got him on the front of his right shoulder, inches from his eyes...

If I could just interrupt this discussion for a brief moment and mention a recent discovery:

In addition to candles as one of humankind's all-time greatest inventions, I would like to add pencils. I like using them cuz, well, I'm a traditionalist at heart, and I like shoving them into my little electric sharpener. A moment ago, a light bulb went off in my head, and I emptied the little catch-tray in the sharpener of it's contents of pencil shavings. It proved to be an excellent tinder. I don't know if I've ever heard of anyone suggesting that as a resource. I imagine a little pile of pencil shavings and some Chapstick, suntan oil, hairspray, paint thinner, lighter fluid, or acetone wipe would make even better tinder.

Back to your previously scheduled programming.

AH, I understand.
You want the kind of stuff a terrorist might carry onto an airplane.

I am a bit leery of dual use products because if you are carrying it for emergency use you might find out it has already been all dual used up when you decide you need it.
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You might find some of your wife's perfumes will burn just like rubbing alcohol.
A lot of perfumes are really high grade alcohol

+1 for Neosporin since I usually carry it anyways. Good for little dirty cuts, keeping hot spots from blistering, and in a pinch, can improve and extend tinder.

Keep in mind that Neosporin "ointment" is mostly petroleum jelly but the "cream" is a less flammable mix of wax, oil, water and pj.

Lot of people carry a pencil sharpener in the kit. Works just fine on pencil sized twigs and you can save the pencil for writing.