I tested Vaseline and cotton balls. When it is dry, it is wonderful for starting a fire. It is very easy to start and burns with a big flame for a long time. When it gets wet it is useless. If you are counting on it to save your life from hypothermia when it is cold and wet you might die trying to light it. I recommend Coghlan’s Emergency Tinder and/or a small 3” piece of pine pitch wood. You use the pitch wood like a magnesium block. You scrape the side until you get a pile the size of a quarter. Then you hit it with a spark. It will burn for about 30 seconds. It works well when wet.