Best Fire Starting Tools When SHTF

[Spots]

I carry a mag block, dryer lint with petroluem jelly sealed in a bag, char cloth, a hand made striker with several pieces of flint, char cloth and half a dozen bic lighters. If all else fails I'll have fire lol.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[10-Ring]

Don't know if it has been mentioned but Bic lighter are great!  Just kidding!  Seriously though, I stick them everywhere, every backpack, every car, every motorcycle, carry one in my pocket (I don't smoke) I will always have 5 lighters within reach at any given time probably.

[Guest copperhead_1911]

Another thing lots of people throw away are those dryer sheets like bounch. I have 5lb empty protein powder jugs that I fill up with dryer lint and those sheets as I get it. The problem in shtf situation is will I bug in or out.

[Guest TN.Frank]

To me "Best" means it's handy, works every time and is cheap enough to have a lot of em', that spells Disposable Lighter IMHO. Sure, I love my flint n' Steel with some homemade charr cloth, it works pretty well and I CAN get a fire going with it but it's just as easy to stick a "Bic" in my pocket to use and it's a lot easier too.

[tennessee01tacoma]

In my ghb I have a bic lighter, a three ferro rods, matches in water proof container, mag block, and finally the last ditch road flare. Plus dryer lint and Vaseline.

[subsonic]

This is pretty neat: 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkWJdWGdgaM

[Dad03]

Those magnesium fire starters at Harbor Freight for $2.99 work great. Strike it on a cotton ball  dipped it Vaseline or candle wax. Never failed yet.

[whitewolf001]

I just bang some rocks together, works..... kinda.

 

 

Those magnesium fire starters at Harbor Freight for $2.99 work great. Strike it on a cotton ball  dipped it Vaseline or candle wax. Never failed yet.

 

^^That

[Guest damonsecloro]

Another thing about the BIC lighters, i have them in the BOB as well, i tape up the tip of them with packing tape and sealed tight so no water gets in there, but hey if a bic does get wet there's a way to dry them off and get them working again (this guy is crazy):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QZCL7zg4NE

 

 

[Dirtshooter]

I understand that fatwood or fat lighter as we in Mississippi call it must not be available to any or most of Tennessee. I may have to start a small business bringing some up when we come to our place near Dale Hollow. I will have to see what a fair market price for this will be. Let me know what would be a fair price for some. Mac in Ms, coming to Tn. as often as I can.

[subsonic]

My wife orders fatwood online from Plow & Hearth, free shipping and comes in a liquor case sized box.

[Dirtshooter]

I may give some fat lighter away or trade for some tasty Morel mushrooms. I could be bribed by some great fishing spots or access to some nice place to drive my Kawasaki mule. Heck let's talk guys I am easy. It sure would be hard for me to have to buy fat lighter.

[whitewolf001]

Here's something you can try I found on my SHTF forum, Potassium Permanganate and Glycerin. The latter is used for medical purposes and the former is a water softner, not really what you find in a BOB/GHB BUT they work, lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_4j36cUcEw

Edited July 3, 2013 by whitewolf001

[whitewolf001]

This was hijacked from wiki-knowledge'n'such:

 

Potassium permanganate- Potassium permanganate is typically included in survival kits: as a fire starter, water sterilizer and for creating distress signals on snow.

As an oxidant, potassium permanganate can act as an antiseptic. For example, dilute solutions are used to treat canker sores (ulcers), disinfectant for the hands and treatment for mild pompholyx, dermatitis, and fungal infections of the hands or feet. Potassium permanganate is used extensively in the water treatment industry. It is used as a regeneration chemical to remove iron and hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) from well water via a "Manganese Greensand" Filter. "Pot-Perm" is also obtainable at pool supply stores, is used additionally to treat waste water. Historically it was used to disinfect drinking water. It currently finds application in the control of nuisance organisms such as Zebra mussels in fresh water collection and treatment systems.

[JWC]

I bring fat lightet back frim my in laws place in FL

[JWC]

I bring fat lighter back from my in laws place in FL

[tennessee01tacoma]

I learned a new one, super glue on a cotton ball will combust without a spark.

[UncleJak]

I learned a new one, super glue on a cotton ball will combust without a spark.

haven't heard of this one...how does it work?

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[Guest The Itis]

I learned a new one, super glue on a cotton ball will combust without a spark.

 

It was a faked video, it does not work. Please don't rely on this in a survival situation, you'll only waste a lot of superglue which is better saved to be used as liquid bandage or something.

[RichardR]

I bring fat lighter back from my in laws place in FL

I can't seem to find any here local sources here in West TN, what small evergreens that I have seen & sampled have had very little sap, even at their hearts.

Plus their spines are just nasty, seriously wtf is up with those? It's like a damn hybrid cross between a porcupine & an evergreen, I had never seen such a nasty mean-spirited little Christmas tree as the one I cut down from the back part of our property to use last Christmas, putting lights on it was torturous, but it was sooo entertaining watching the kids try to retrieve their presents out from under it on Christmas morning hahhhahhaaa Yes I know, I'm going to Hell for that one ...

Anyway I'm currently working on making an alternative for fatwood/fat lighter, I'll post results as soon as I field test it.