Have you ever been outdoors in damp or rainy weather and needed to start a fire, but had nothing dry enough to use? Here is an old trick that Scoutmasters have taught for years.
Buy a bag of 100% cotton balls and a large jar of Vaseline or other petroleum jelly. Saturate the cotton balls with the Vaseline. Some do this by hand; others melt the Vaseline to its liquid form and then pour it over the cotton balls. If using hot melted Vaseline, place the cotton balls onto some aluminum foil or an old baking sheet that’s not needed anymore. Allow the soaked cotton balls to cool completely. Use extreme caution with hot petroleum jelly. It will leave a nasty burn on skin.
Store the fire starters in a quart-size zip top bag, film canister, etc. This item will take up very little pack space and weighs next to nothing.
When in need of a fire starter, simply take out a saturated cotton ball, place it where you want the fire (not in your hands), open it up to expose the cotton fiber, and start the fire with a match or lighter. Once the ball is burning to your satisfaction, add kindling. Before you know it, you’re on your way to being warm and dry.
I’ve found that rubbing alcohol (90% kind) works just as well if not better. It takes a spark really well and will burn for about 5 minutes. And the biggest advantage is that it’s no where near as messy as Vaseline.
I am still a fan of candle stubs or small votive candles. They are easy to light, will stay lit for longer than the cotton balls, making it easier to get your fire started.
Dryer lint works really well, too. Plus, all we do is throw it away….
Wrap each cotton ball in aluminum foil. Open the package and use it like a candle. This will increase the burn time as the Vaseline has no way to escape into the ground. It also helps with storing and transporting. I can get three of these mini Vaseline candles into an old film container.
Always get excellent tips from here.Not a better place to belong.Thanks!!
This is my favorite method of fire starting. It works very well,especially when it is wet and cold.
When temperatures get down close to 0 degrees fahrenheit and everything is wet this method allows instant fire. I keep a Mora “Light My Fire” knife in my truck as well as my hunting pack. I tape a film canister to the knife scabbard and keep the vaseline soaked cotton balls in the film canister. The fire steel that Mora uses on these knives is high quality and produces very hot sparks. Usually 1 to 2 strikes is all it takes to get a cotton ball burning. As mentioned in the article it is best to spread the cotton ball out so there are fiber strands showing. They light much faster than a compressed cotton ball.
I have had good luck also with cotton balls soaked in Coconut oil for fire starters. It is a solid at room temperature and it can also be used for cooking oil unlike petroleum products. Google “uses of coconut oil” and you will get many other benefits. The stuff is anti-microbial also. Multi use products are important when packing light.
I tried them at 10K feet once and they refused to light.
I have utilized the 100% cotton make-up removal pads/discs saturated with PJ for the past 25+ years. These combined with a quality fero rod (I have compared and tested several and decided I preferred the “Gobspark Armageddon from Firesteel.com) have never failed me. I get close to ten minutes of burn time from one disc. These will keep for years in a snuff can. I keep a steel & PJ disc set-up in my various packs and vehicles. Cheep life insurance!
These are good to have , a staple in the survival gear world. I melt the jelly, use tweezers to dip the balls and put them on foil to cool. put a few in a small pill bottle in your pack. They light well with just sparks a “ferro” rod but matches and lighters work too. I believe ferro rods and cotton balls are allowed on an airplane too, double check me on that.
On the subject of dryer lint, yes, it works well to catch a spark from a ferro rod but you must have it inside your tinder bundle because it can burn up very quickly once it catches fire so just be prepared.
Hello,
Great tip…great “conversation”. I have also been experimenting with lint stored in small pill bottles (with the theory that in a pinch I can also use the bottle for fuel).
My next thought has been to try soaking cotton in hand sanitizer since there is a high alcohol content and the “viscosity” seem ideal.
Has anyone out there tried this already…I’d much rather learn from your mistakes than my own?
Thanks!! Always enjoy the input.
Kevin Brown