With all the emphasis on fire in our PSKs, I feel the need to address tinder. While matches, match cases, fire steel, lighters, and everything to napalm have been beaten to death, let's talk about what burns.

Good tinder should be able to be lit fairly easily (I consider one match fairly easy), put off enough heat to ignite the kindling, and burn long enough to make this task as easy as possible. There are tons of pre fabbed tinder trinkets out there. Some of which are very useful and work quite well. Others are simply as waste of time. Lets put those aside for a moment and discuss what we might have on our person (PSK or otherwise) that would make good tinder.

1- Paracord.-- Everybody who's burned the ends togeather knows that once it's going, it burns well. I've found that with about 3" of cord as tinder, it's quite easy to start a fire. It can be lit with a simple kitchen match. We all have this, or probably should have it in our PSKs. If not, put about a foot or so in your pocket fire kits. It will come in handy!

2-Paper-- I know, I know. Everybody knows paper burns. What I don't think everyone realizes is how much paper they have on them. What about a little TP? <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> What about the blank pages in the book you brought along on your camp out? Receipts in your wallet? Think about it.

3-Cotton-- I know again. Vasaline and cotton balls. It's a great idea, and it works! It doesn't take much vasaline to make it happen either. Also, think about the clothes you have on. I've used the bottom edge of a t-shirt before, just make sure it's not dyed. The dye wil slow the burn down.

Do you guy's have anything else? I'm sure you've all tried something before. What do you have in your pockets now? Let me know, it might help out in a pinch! <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

--Luke

I keep a "ranger band" cut from a bicycle tire tube around my lighter. It saved my butt in a Rocky Mt. snow storm I got caught in on a hunting trip: can only light it with a flame, but once lit... look out. I had enough hot flaming rubber to get thumb and wrist size twigs going in the damp!

I made fire starters out of wax, lint and wood shavings. It worked just fine.

I think that cotton "laced" with KY works the best but it's messy. I carry couple of tampons and small pockets of KY in my FAK. This way I can use them as blood stopers or burn medicine (not the best but will work). When needed by mixing those two together you have perfect fire starter.

Matt

I carry paracord around the psk and some cotton twine inside.

Used to carry nylon twine inside because of the strength but my step-father showd me a trick that he used to use as a kid. Using an old flint-wheel lighter (mini bic without the butane) with cotton string wrapped around he could light as many fires as you might need. The charred end of the cotton twine would catch the spark really well and would burn at about the same rate as a match. So out with the spark-lite and I went hunting for 100% cotton twine. (that was harder to find than I expected it to be)

Hold the twine in place with an appropriately sized rubber band. and you have tinder and kindling.

Also I have ranger bands wrapped around the psk under the paracord and over it.

Also I carry a 1 oz bottle of the hand sanitizer which is mostly sterno with perfume.

Don't forget pocket lint

Beeswax lip-balm can be used to juice up the cotton obtained from your bandanna (just make sure you bandanna is dry first.)

TP burn before use.
<img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Steel Wool and a D battery. In fact, just plain steel wool works great to "hold" a spark while you build up a small fire on top - very fine (0000) works best.

Luke:

Doug has some very good things to say on tinder elsewhere on the site. Also, there are several earlier threads on the subject, too. As for me, I carry cotton balls and a few Spark-Lite tinders in my PSK.

On a Scout camping trip up to St. Francisville earlier this month, I was showing the boys how to properly build a fire. The boys said that the other dads just piled up the wood and sprayed it with lighter fluid, so I thought I'd give them a real lesson on fire building - I gathered the wood, built the teepee and, using a gauze pad and my Spark-Lite, I got the fire going in under a minute. The boys were amazed. So were the the other dads.

Oh yes - welcome to the forum, and Go Lions!

.....CLIFF

Minime: I was going to add Purell (hand sanitizer) to the list but you beat me to it. I tried it once as a "ha ha" and was amazed at how easily it caught <img src="images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> I was even able to lght it with my Strike Force after letting it spread itself out a bit. As you said, it might as well be sold as Sterno.

Chris

Fatwood works well even when wet. I shave the stick with my blade at 90 degrees creating shavings that are nearly powder. Usually one spark does the trick. On another forum several individuals reported success using Fritos, not the baked variety, though, as they do not contain enough fat.

I tried the fritos and taco chips - works great! I just don't usually carry them.

When I am wandering in the woods I usually pick up a chunk of birch bark (I'm in NH, USA and there are always birch here). Carrying this with me till needed or till I get out. Just habit. Birch bark is just about the best kindling you could get. Doesn't catch the spark that well tho.

There is some discussion of tinders, as well as other aspects of firestarting, in the classic "Playing With Fire" thread by Evolute over on the Swamp Rat Survival Forum:
http://www.swampratknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000069