Fire Starting Tools

What do you carry?

  • Bic (reg or mini)

    Votes: 16 20.3%
  • Bic and fire steel

    Votes: 24 30.4%
  • Bic and matches

    Votes: 12 15.2%
  • All three

    Votes: 22 27.8%
  • Other (post up and let us know)

    Votes: 5 6.3%

  • Total voters
    79
Two bics. One in bino harness and one in stove/ mess kit. Also pack an MSR flint and steel type fire starter. ( X-mass present from the kids.)They like seeing it in my kit.😁
 
I think it's more important to know what type of fire you are lighting?
Lighting a gas stove is simple. If you are lighting a wood fire, that is completely different. My back up is another lighter but if I was in a wet invironment I would use a torch adaptor that turns a normal lighter into the torch, also minimizing a break.

If lighting a wood fire every time my most important back up would be a bit of gas or small esbit chunks so you don't have to abuse your lighter so much.

So the best back up would be making it easier to light that fire in the first place.
 
I would also add that having a close by well supply of kindling is also helpful. Doesn’t matter if your starting a camp fire or a box/cylinder stove. You will need to build up your fire after it is started until you can place good size branches/logs to burn.


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Mini bic in pocket, light my fire steel and Vasaline soaked cotton balls in pack. Try to light my tires with the fire steel and natural material for fun and practice. The vasaline balls and bic are my backup.
 
3 bic’s (one in my mess kit, one in my bino harness, and one in my fire kit), waterproof matches, and a ferro rod. Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline and jute twine for tinder. I also pack a small candle
 
I’m a little shocked to see all the Vaseline cotton balls. Have any of you done a side by side of Vaseline vs alcohol cotton balls?


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I think firesteel.com sells the best quality ferro rods (including the above mentioned gobspark, I've just about always got a ferro rod of some sort floating around my gear somewhere. I also carry at least one bic (I prefer the translucent bodied ones so I can see fuel levels). A few matches are also in my survival kit. As is waterproof sealed containers of cotton balls already coated in vaseline. But I've also always got a few feet of duck tape in my kit. A small ball of that lit on fire will keep a flame long enough to get damn tinder going though it smells terrible.
 
Mini Bic and wetfire cube in a tiny ziplock in my bino harness, one in my pants pocket (less likely to forget it changing layers than in a jacket), and a small firesteel in my pack survival kit. The kit also has my cotton balls and a few wetfire cubes.
 
I’ve used Bic lighters, Ferro rods and PJ soaked cotton balls, and fat wood, all to great success starting fires in all kinds of weather. I carry all three with me.
 
lighter, vaseline soaked dryer lint or some sort of WetFire or TinderQuik, and a few waterproof matches. It really helps to put a piece of tinfoil below the firestarter to prevent the fuel from dripping into the ground
 
2 bics and waterproof matches as backup in my first aid kit. Have a couple dip cans with vaseline soaked lint that work great for starting fires
 
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