Hi Guys:

We all know (or damned well should know) that fire is a BIG component in survival. There is no need for me to belabor the point.

I do have one question: Has anyone yet identified any glaring deficiencies in using petroleum jelly/cotton balls for tinder?

It seems to me I picked up on this trick somewhere here on ETS. A few minutes working jelly into small cotton balls and I've prepped a bunch of these little fire starters. They are quick, easy and cheap.

I've found a few advantages too. Once properly worked up, I can squeeze a whole bunch of 'em into a very, very small space. My blast match came equipped with a piece of tinder. As in exactly 1 (ONE) piece. There simply is not room for a second chunk of this stuff. However, I've managed to squeeze about 10 jellied cotton balls in and around that tinder, as well as a half dozen or so more in the end of the cover for the flint rod. It seems to me that more tinder is a good idea.

I'm also finding that since these are so cheap and readily available I'm actually using them instead of hording them. More practice making fire is a good thing right? A simple flim canister holds a zillion of these things. Pull one out, fluff it out a bit, and one or two showers of sparks and its blazing away. My last fire took all of about 5 minutes to get going. Four minutes collecting and preparing wood, 30 seconds to kick away the leaf litter, and another half minute or so to dig out the cotton ball and prep it. Two strikes later the fire is well on its way. My wife's remark was "Wow. I'm surprised how fast that works".

We regularily take little hikes into the woods, and a small fire is enjoyable. I'me finding that the blast match is now my preferred fire starter, and its easier and more reliable than matches. And the cotton balls are working wonderfully.

The only down side I've identified so far is clean up. They are a tad greasy. Big deal. Just pack 'em carefully so petroleum jelly isn't oozing out onto anything important.

Am I missing something???

Frozenny

I've used them in the nastiest of conditions. You can pull it out to a large enough area to catch a spark, you can shake water off of it, you can use the vaseline itself just like... er.. vaseline! I have found NO objections to this tinder!

Try this: 1) melt the vaseline in the jar, in a microwave, until just liquid. Then dip the cotton (real cotton.. not synthetic) into the liquid. Lightly..
2) to store, I push them down a McDonald's drink straw (large bore) with a toothpick. Cram them in, flame and HEAT (carefully) and pinch closed with pliars each end of the straw. They're any size I want them to be. Fit in any kit I've carried. And both the cotton and the straw burn well!

A small stash of 6-12 fatwood sticks wiegh little and make the next step from tinder to kindling to main fuel so much easier. When your tired,cold,possibly hurt or sick and in a hurry they really help.