I used to carry a lot of pre-prepared tinder and stuff around, then I learned a trick that made a lot of sense to me.

When going for a walk/hike, I'll stop and grab whatever tinder and occasionally potential food items I might come across as I'm going on my way. From there I'll stuff them in one of the pockets of my jacket (or occasionally the back pocket of my pants). After a while, I end up with a ready made birds nest of stuff in my pocket, perfect for getting a fire going.

It's a lot easier than searching for the stuff when it comes time to build a fire and, after doing it for a few years, you get in the habit of grabbing the stuff without thinking. Plus it means I'm not filling up my bag with as much extra dead weight. Nature actually tends to do a nice job of providing for us, if we know what to look for.

The other good thing about it is that you essentially train your eye to pick up on certain materials out in the wilderness. You start to notice things that others may miss. You start to keep a mental log of what's around you and what you can make use of.