I have been making my own firestarters for quite some time and this may not be unique in any way but what I do is burn tealite candles until they are completely melted then blow them out and pour in fine wood shavings until I can't get anymore in it. Once it starts to cool I pack it in as much as possible being careful to not crush the wick. Light one of these and put it under some small wgs in a teepee type formation and as soon as the wick hits some of the wood shavings the whole thing will burn and make quite a nice little fire. It's hot and pretty fast too. Also compact and very portable. The only problem is their tendency to ooze in hot weather. They still work though even if they do ooze a little.

I like it, thanks for the tip.

Reminds me of the ones we used in Scouts. Roll up several sheets of newsprint, tie off with twine every 2 inches and cut into a bunch of little rolls. Soak in wax or parafin (the kind used in canning food) and let dry. Just light the twine like a candle, will burn for several minutes with a good strong flame.

This brings to mind the "prison match" I saw Les Stroud use in a "Survivorman" re-run episode the other night on Discovery. He was in the Georgia swamplands. He used rolled up toilet paper with a funnel shape on the end, inserting a dime-shaped bit of cotton-lint from his socks, then lighting it with sparks from a lighter that had ran out of fuel. Am I getting this right? Anyone want to re-describe more accurately how to do this? Never been in prison or arrested before for that matter, so I don't know.

It is the same principal as cotton balls and vasoline. Only you use the cotton "lint" from your socks or underwear to "catch" the spark and then then tolet paper starts to burn from the cotton that caught the spark.

If you have a first aid kit with you, Try some of the cotton form you bandage material and use neosporin or lip balm for the vasoline.