Minnesota is basically under water right now, and everything is wet. I was car camping a week ago, and was having great difficulty getting a fire started, as all of the available wood was green and had a very high moisture content. I split some of the firewood into thumb-sized kindling and used fatwood sticks as a firestarter. The fatwood burned well, but the firewood merely scorched. I ended up using the top of a 18 gal tote to fan the flames to get the fire started, and several times to revive it.

I mention this because under those conditions, I may not have been able to get a fire going with what I normally carry in my day pack. I think the portable 'bellows' could be very useful when starting a fire under difficult conditions like the ones I mentioned, or in snow. It looks like it could double as a drinking straw too.

I appreciate when forum members test items and report. Thanks Montanero. I'm going to pick one up for my daypack.