Brangdon,

I was also of the opinion that the 35mm film canisters were the best containers. Then I read a post on another forum about a hunter that had treated cotton balls in a 35mm canister and some additional fire making items in a plastic bag.

He said he was suffering hypothermia. He said he was not able to open the 35mm container in his condition. He said he was able to see the items in the plastic bag and open it with a knife. He said that once he got a fire going that he used a Space Blanket to reflect the heat back to him and he started to get warm. He also said he had a Swiss Army Knife and was unable to open it. He said he also had a Gerber Sportsman's sliding saw and was able to use it to cut fire wood.

I have put 35mm film canisters in my freezer and they do get hard to open. I have switched to small plastic bags I found at a craft store. I keep two bags so that if I loose one I am still good. I also keep an extra ferro rod in my CamelBak along with some fat-wood sticks.

What you can do with a clear head and warm hands is not the same as when you are freezing and near panic! I expect that I will have reached near panic before I admit I am in trouble and stop to survive.