Hot topic - fire starting paracord

Lately one can find "fire cord" - standard paracord with an additional waxy impregnated strand - for sale from various outlets. I have purchased from a couple of sources and I think this is a worthwhile, albeit a tad expensive, product.

Basically you get paracord. Checking it out, you will see a red strand inside the sheath. This can be pulled out and used to start a fire. Think of a candle wick without the candle. The pieces I have used (from two different suppliers) lit up readily and burned steadily, just like a candle. The strands light readily from a match and I suspect they would light with difficulty from a spark, but I have't tried that yet because I am a klutz with a ferro rod.

Starting a fire can range from a trivial task to a critical, well nigh impossible challenge with life itself hanging in the balance. In the later situation, I would prefer to have some of this stuff around. I would pull out 10 cm or so, insert it beneath my dry, fluffy tinder and light it up. It should ignite any reasonable fine tinder. This happens with fresh paracord. How readily pcord will ignite after it has been hanging around for five years or so is anyone's guess. I think the stuff deep inside the cord will be OK, even if the exterior portion has dried out.

To me, this product provides additional capability to an already common item in my gear. I will eventually replace all my zipper pulls with this paracord, for instance.

Please, no flames, in response to this posting....

I have looked at this stuff before, but never tried it. Thanks.

I've been thinking along these lines too. I saw fire cord zipper pulls on my local army suplus store's website. (Can't remember the brand name of the manufacturer, sorry.) It seemed like a genius idea to me, and easy to DIY if you can get your hands on some of this cord. I'm a brick and mortar shopper, and haven't seen any (cord or pulls) around here yet but I am keeping a look-out for it.

Can you order from REi? They have the UST version at a decent price.

REI -- Exotac tinderZIP Zipper Pull - Package of 5

I have a package of the Exotac zipper pulls in service and I am confident they will work, if needed. The problem is the price - nine bucks for five zipper pulls versus the UST cordage which is thirty feet for six bucks. That's a lot of zipper pulls, plus shoelaces and all the rest.

I am a fan of Exotac stuff but they ain't cheap.

Wouldn't a plain old candle be good then? Or even better, one of those "Can't blow 'em out" trick birthday candles to give you some wind resistance? Maybe just some vasoline or petroleum based first aid jelly smeared on your regular paracord to turn it into a candle.

While a strand of flammable stuff buried inside of your paracord might work OK, it just seems like technical overkill to me.

I would agree, a candle, especially the "no snuff" variety would start a fire just as well, but they don't work as well for zipper pulls or shoelaces. I am sure a candle will melt and degrade if used to wrap the handle of a knife, although I have not tested that proposition.

The point is that if you are using pcord for stuff like ZPs, it might as well be the stuff with the pretty red strand inside, because you then have more options for starting a fire. I definitely keep the fire starters formerly present in my kit -you cannot have too may options when it becomes vital to start a fire - voice of experience speaking.

And when you need to have a fire and warmth or signaling or whatever, you can be sure that you will need to start this fire under exceedingly unfavorable conditions. Stack the deck in your favor.

Since I am foaming at the mouth in my ecstatic praise of this stuff, I should add that I have no commercial interest, not even a little bitty emolument, involved in this product.

good idea..and if you have your jacket or pack with the zipper pulls...you should include a basic fire kit in the pocket. ( I worry much more about spark/flame, than tinder in these situations...

This stuff travels better than candles.

UST Para Tinder on Amazon.

Hikermor is right on this, much more tinder for the $$$. I may buy some of this, I don't need zipper pulls.

Getting a flame or spark seems like the easiest part of getting an emergency fire going to me. Good quality tinder, and enough of it, is vital. Even the solid flame from a stormproof match won't get your fire going if your tinder lets you down. I'd rather stack the deck in my favour, and I use pcrod for lacing and zipper pulls anyway.

Considering the size/mass of the little strand; i don't see it putting out enough btu's to light something much bigger. If it's only able to tinder, than it might not be that usefull.

Besides if you need a fire in a hurry, will you have enough finger dexterity to get the strand out?

i always have a little piece of fat wood with me: can be shaved/sliced/split. burns hot/long. doesn't leak or melt. smells nice. safe. natural. free for the taking.

for those who may be unfamiliar: Fatwood Wiki

"Think of a candle wick without the candle."
I don't agree. Mine has a definite petrochemical smell to it, and a somewhat oily feel.I think it is more than wax. That is, the inner strands. I've had no trouble getting them to catch a spark if I sort of mash/pound them into a lacy flat surface.

Hi,
food grade wax can have a petrochemical smell
dont know if its the dye (red 40) or the wax itself
but I've smelled it

I didn't end up buying this - but I will add tinder to my fire kits.