Ireckon has a great point. If you are going to depend upon any concoction for something as fundamental as lighting a fire, be darn sure you are intimately familiar with its characteristics, including long term storage. Don't just read about on the internet.

That's one of the reasons I figured a nice September afternoon in my backyard was a better time to learn to use the firesteel than when I was lost in the woods.

For a while I was betting buddys at BBQ's I could start a fire without matches or lighter using what i had on me and could collect from outside the house. I'd go rip up some dead grass, some palm tree fibers and whip out my FireSteel. Presto, money in pocket. Word gets around, money's now dried up.

Update:

I was at some BSA (Boy Scouts of America) Scoutmaster training on Saturday, and one of the instructors mentioned that if you have small children don't try to use dryer lint for firestarting because their clothes are flame-retardant....

So maybe that's why I couldn't get the lint to take.

I never thought of that but it makes sense. It would be worth a try in an emergency and nothing else was available.

Yeah, using dryer lint is good for learning purposes. However, deliberately packing dryer lint, if you have cotton balls available in large quantities, borders on irresponsible.

Agreed when it comes to packing cotton balls. If you're going to pack tinder, pack cotton balls. Take different stuff too if you want, but cotton balls are just too efficient not to pack. I stuff a couple into the elasticated pocket in the back inside wall of my Leatherman sheath, using an old trick I learned here at ETS (I think I need to credit Bird, but baby brain is making my memory foggy) - stuff them into snipped and melted plastic drinking straws. You can cram them just about ahywhere and easily carry a few without much effort.

I like the soda straw idea, thanks!

Why is dryer lint only good for practice or a last resort? I thought it was a good tinder material, but apparently not?