I ran across something called "Insta-Fire" today. It's a new product that seems to bridge the gap between tinder and kindling. It is a mixture of pumice, wood pellets, and paraffin. It may be a little bulky for lightweight-minded hikers, but could be quite acceptable for stowing in a car or bushplane.

I checked their homepage and while the stuff is not too terribly expensive, I wouldn't use it for run-of-the-mill firemaking. However it may be a key tool in that worst case scenario where you desperately need a good fire, fast, but everything is soaked. One of those 1.8 ounce packets could well be a godsend. However would it be any better than a fat bar of trioxane or a wad of 5 petroleum jelly cotton balls? Dunno yet. It would be a potential deal-breaker for me if it won't light with a ferro rod and requires open flame.

No affiliation, just looks like a potentially useful tool.

What do you pyromaniacs say?

You can never (well, hardly ever) have too many ways to start a fire...

I've had very good fortune with Esbit tabs and milsurp fire gel. I'm not sure if I'd want to try anything bulkier.

You can get small packets from them on eBay. I've had it in my "watched" list for six months but haven't yet pulled the trigger. I can't decide if it adds anything over Esbit/hexamine, Wetfire, or Weber cubes.

That's sounds like good stuff, but I wouldn't replace anything until the longevity is verified. The WetFire garbage is worthless past the expiration date if it's exposed to air or if you look at it the wrong way.

Some U-tubers have been making something like this
Just search for ( homemade firestarters ) and perhaps include (egg carton)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWE--sJ4uxM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7xRq0gAwgs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UB3W93wXwc

Are you perhaps meaning WetFire? Tinder-Quik is just braided cotton, treated with something akin to parafin. They don't come sealed, or at least I haven't found 'em that way. WetFire really does go bad quickly if not stored properly (and sometimes even if it is).

Yeah, I've always been amazed that WetFire has survived at all on the market. How could anyone trust something so fragile for such an important task?

It should be noted the issue in the original post is bridging the gap between tinder and fuel. That's fine, but always the most important issue for me is bridging the gap between zero and tinder, in other words, getting the fire started in the first place... an important distinction I think.



You're right. I meant WetFire is finicky. Tinder-Quik is just a waste of money, when cotton balls w/ PJ is better, has more uses, and is about 100 times less expensive.

I must admit that I love the stuff! I purchased a 100 ct bag on eBay for $20 or so shipped, not a bad price. It's treated someone and will light easily when wet. It burns for a good 2-3 minutes vs 5-10 seconds for untreated cotton. It's a lot more compact than cotton, too. Don't get me wrong, treated cotton balls are great tinder (PJ and wax are both great, and I've got some Gel-Wax that should rock, just haven't had a chance to try it out.

I'll certainly never try to convince anyone to use the stuff but I really find it useful.

I can reliably get two fires out of one Tinder-Quik by cutting it in half before use. I can fit a bunch of them in a single match safe and they come out easily when I need one. For me, they're worth the money.

If you are ever in a situation where you really need to light a fire, money spent for a fire starter is trivial.

Tinder-Quik lights with a spark while wet? I don't think anybody here means that. I think you mean it lights from a flame while wet. If we already have a flame going, then Tinder-Quik is to be compared to other fuels/kindlings, not other tinders.

The same goes with inner tube, which is sometimes referred to as waterproof tinder. That's inaccurate! It may be waterproof "fuel", but it's not waterproof tinder. In fact, I say inner tube is never to be considered tinder. Try to start a dry inner tube by using a ferro rod, and let me know how it works out. If something can only ignite from a flame (and not from a spark or another chemical reaction), then that's not tinder.

By the way, we're talking about a product (Tinder-Quik) that is both more expensive and less reliable than other alternatives. In that sense, money does matter. I also imagine a situation where a group leader is teaching a group of 20 people or whatever. The group leader needs to know that they don't need to waste their money on garbage when less expensive, more reliable products are available.

I have not tested this extensively, but I cut open a damp Tinder-Quik and found it dry on the inside, fluffed that part out and it took a spark quite nicely. I don't know how long you'd have to soak it to get those inner fibers wet.

The insta fire stuff sounds like the sawdust/wax blocks you can get at the dollar store, just more expensive.

I've made my own version of tinder quik, it's completely waterproof in the sense that you can soak it for hours and the inside is still dry. Just wipe it down and it'll light with a spark.

Care to elaborate?

It's nothing fancy, just cotton ball rolled into cylindrical shape saturated with tea light wax/vegetable oil mixture. Not messy like PJ balls and floats on water.

Sweet, but you threw me off with the vegetable oil. Are you soaking the cotton balls in vegetable oil first and then dripping the wax on?

The oil is mixed with melted wax beforehand. If you use straight wax the end result will be too hard to pull apart and fluff, especially in cold weather.

What's the approximate ratio? I don't feel like finding out on my own, thanks.

I use 50/50, it works well down to -20C and still solid in +25 or so. Given your location you might want to try 70(wax)/30.

I've found you can get Tinder-Quik wet and light it with the supplied Spark-Lite device. Even when the outside gets wet, moisture doesn't penetrate into the tinder. I've never tried soaking them overnight, just tossing them into a glass of water for a minute. When you fluff up the end the inside is bone dry. And it does light more easily than naked cotton, if you can believe that. The frayed out fibres are very, very fine. The Spark-Lite doesn't put out a very robust spark, being essentially a Bic with no fuel. It won't light cotton balls quite as easily as the supplied tinder. Yeah, I was surprised, too.