Fire: Stage 2. Tinder or Accelerant – Preps

A section in Chapter 1 of the book:
Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking

This stage of tinder or accelerant catches a spark or small flame and intensifies it for extra heat (or for damp fuel). Most of these items are commonly called “fire starters”—although they lack the initial spark or flame needed to light them.

Preps

Consider keeping the following things in your pocket, backpack, or survival pack for times when you don’t have easy access to natural, dry tinder.

• Knife: Use to create fuzz sticks or split wood into small, dry pieces by striking the back of the knife with a baton.
• Paper: Newspaper, note paper, food wrapper, lunch bag…
• Tissue or toilet paper: flattened roll in a zip tight plastic bag (for multiple purposes)
• PencilSharpener: Use to whittle pencil-sized tree branches into small, wood shavings that are easy to light. A pack of several these can be purchased at a dollar-type store.
• Cotton Balls (Cotton patch, swab, cloth, denim, etc.): These light quickly from sparks or small flame, getting damp tinder burning—add accelerant to cotton balls (see below) for even better lighting and duration
• Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline): Worked (or melt) into a Cotton ball or patch, this burns 1 to 5 minutes and can be stored in plastic straws or zip bags to keep dry, clean, and isolated—more messy than wax, but easier to light.
• Paraffin Wax: Melted and soaked into all or part of a Cotton ball or patch burns 5 to 10 minutes and can be stored in plastic straws or zip bags—not as messy as petroleum jelly, but more difficult to light.
• Wax & Jelly Balls: combine the two previous components on each end of a single Cotton ball or Cotton patch for optimal lighting (petroleum jelly end) and extended burn time (paraffin wax end).
• Paraffin Wax: Add to a small container of Cotton, cardboard, lint, paper, etc. for a long-lasting flame burning 10 to 30 minutes, providing both heat and light—consider a small tin can, Styrofoam egg carton sections, or pill bottles as forms.
• Candle Stubs: Save the last half inch of any sized candle—with the wick still intact, to provide a steady flame for tinder.
• Lighter Fluid: A few tablespoons of fuel burns 30 to 60 seconds and can be stored in a small, glass, eye-dropper bottle.
• Alcohol Fuel: A small amount of this non-volatile camp stove fuel is a great accelerant to get damp wood burning. It is also available in a number of other (less expensive) products, like “Gas Line Antifreeze and Water Remover” available in 12-ounce bottles a dollar-type stores.
• Char Cloth: This scorched cloth, heated without oxygen to prevent burning, is like charcoal that easily catches low-temperature sparks or helps to bring a small coal to flame.
• Magnesium: In shavings or powder, a small pile burns very hot for 10-20 seconds to kick-start your tinder or kindling.
• Wax Paper: Fold palm-size piece like an accordion, sprinkle with magnesium shavings, and light with a striker.
• Trioxane & Hexane: These commercial fuel bars are the single greatest method for quickly building a campfire—if you don’t mind the price tag.
• Never Dull: This commercial polishing product, made of soaked cloth fibers, lights quickly and burns hot.
• Duct Tape: Wad up a small ball and light it.

} } }  This information is in the book “Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking.” { { {