View Full Version : Best tinder for possibles pouch
barryasmith
28-11-2007, 16:50
Hi there,
I'm in the process of putting together a possibles pouch/PSK and have been thinking about what the best tinder(s) is to include...
For fire lighting I'm including a mini bic, firesteel and waterproof matches if that helps.
Ideally I'd like something that is resistant to water or easliy packaged to protect it. I've seen the tinder-quick and wetfire products which look good but a expensive.
Any suggestions on what else I could buy or make to include in the kit?
I'll put a full list of items and a couple of pictures in the PSK thread when it's completed.
Cheers
Barry
Get a few slivers of maya wood in there. Brilliant stuff. If you find an old pine stump in the woods, chop into it with an axe and have a sniff. If it is really strong with the smell of resin, then chop some pieces out. It isn't quite as good as maya wood, but it is the enext best thing. There is enough resin in the wood for it to light up with a match and keep burning.
Hi,
My 3c.
A bit of bogroll (also has a dual-purpose :D) in a zip-lock.
Ray Mears uses strips of rubber of a tyre, they seem to burn quite well even when wet (haven't tried it myself yet).
And a candle, also quite weatherproof (just make sure you protect the wick)
Mike
Hi there,
I'm in the process of putting together a possibles pouch/PSK and have been thinking about what the best tinder(s) is to include...
For fire lighting I'm including a mini bic, firesteel and waterproof matches if that helps.
Ideally I'd like something that is resistant to water or easliy packaged to protect it. I've seen the tinder-quick and wetfire products which look good but a expensive.
Any suggestions on what else I could buy or make to include in the kit?
I'll put a full list of items and a couple of pictures in the PSK thread when it's completed.
Cheers
Barry
John Fenna
28-11-2007, 17:16
A tub full of vasaline impregnated cottonwool is ideal....
Bernie Garland
28-11-2007, 17:32
i take charcloth and birdnest material,jute, tow, sisal,and bits of cotton wool in a small ziplock
bernie
wanderinstar
28-11-2007, 18:04
Ray Mears knows what he is talking about.I also have strips of pushbike inner tube. Obviously it won't light with a firesteel, but when using a lighter you have no problems.
Dougster
28-11-2007, 20:18
Birch bark, light, and goes up a treat.
deepcmonkey
28-11-2007, 22:04
I second cotton wool, I use the flat square pads for removing make up as they are made up of three layers, put them in a ziplock bag with a bic lighter. They work a treat.
I have found tampons ideal for carrying in a pouch as tinder as they come with a plastic wrapper making them resistant to damp and are teased apart easily
i too use tampons or make-up pads(if SWMBO doesn't miss them first!!), maya dust, and cramp ball fungus. also handy for the really rough weather are a couple of esbit hexy blocks, which are blister packed individually
Bernie Garland
28-11-2007, 22:39
i also carry tampons but only when the wifes with me just in case we need to start a fire :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
John Fenna
28-11-2007, 23:08
The old RAF survival kit had tampons in it, not only for firelighting but also for first aid and the source of off colour jokes...but they do make excellent tinder!
Graham_S
28-11-2007, 23:44
vasaline impregnated cotton wool.
or take some cotton wool and soak it in paraffin wax. you can break it up and the fibres will catch from a firesteel. the wax melts and adds fuel.
another survival kit tip is to take a box of friction matches, and instead of dipping them in wax, pour melted wax into the box,covering all the matches.
Vaseline soaked coton wool is very good but be careful to wipe your fingers afterwards as they can catch fire very easily, and it hurts :(
I like cotton balls in balloons as an emergency tinder, if it's dry use the cotton, if it's wet light the rubber of the balloon.
Excellent thread, very useful info here!
Cheers guys & gals
Jedadiah
29-11-2007, 11:04
I have, apart from a firesteel, lighter and matches, a baccy tin full of fluff from my tumble dryer filter (cotton and dog hair), strips of inner tube and lolly sticks. Magnum ones fit in the tin without having to break them, but if you can get hold of the wooden stirring sticks from Costa Coffee or Starbucks, they are free. You can also pick up free sachets of sugar for your brew kit the waxed paper bags they give you your bun's in if your eating out, make a nice water resistant bg to wrap around your baccy tin to keep the moisture away.
The fluff out of your tumble dryer filter can be used with vaseline and the dog hair is optional!:D
British Red
29-11-2007, 12:22
For a possibles pouch?
A couple of individually wrapped zip firelighters or wetfire lighters. What I carry is only going to be used in an emergency. For playing at bushcraft I'll use locally gathered tinder. But when it has to work and work fast, I'll use a firelighter ;)
Red
for a PSK a BIC lighter with the stem covered in elastic bands. For my firesteel tinder I also use the fluff out of the tumble dryer kept in a tin along with stirrers from Starbucks.
Wetfire tinder. It is not 'natural' like some of the other suggestions but it comes in its own wrapper, is small, will light from match, lighter or firesteel and burns hotter when wet, apparently. I've found the Maya stick option to be a good one too.
Wetfire tinder. It is not 'natural' like some of the other suggestions but it comes in its own wrapper, is small, will light from match, lighter or firesteel and burns hotter when wet, apparently. I've found the Maya stick option to be a good one too.
I second that! WetFire tinder (http://www.ultimatesurvival.com/product_view.cfm?product_line_ ID=157) is astounding stuff - make sure you fluff it up with a knife, and this stuff burns at the bottom of a full lake. Burns consistently and for a long time, enough to get damp kindling going.
Cheers,
Mungo (http://mungobah.blogspot.com)
I tend to keep birch as a main tinder which is just as good as any manmade stuff in my opinion wet or dry and some cramp balls incase things get tricky.
My best tip is to keep an eye out for tinders even when your not looking to make fire and keep your possibles well stocked. There is nothing worse than trying to find tinder when its throwing it down. This is only my opinion but i think the tinders that you can buy are great for starting out but with a little knowledge you shouldnt have to as there are loads of natural FREE tinders out there that havent had to be packaged shipped from the other side of the world then distributed by lorry :o
barryasmith
30-11-2007, 15:22
Hi, thanks for the excellent responses, this is really useful for me.
If I was in the UK i'd be stocking up on birch bark and putting loads of that in but I'm in India and hav'nt seen much birch knocking around!
For now my possibles pouch will contain man made 'sure' tinders as I really need something relaible when I venture into the wilderness here. As I get to grips with the local environment and learn what makes good tinder I'll start using that in my firelighting and keep some in my possibles pouch.
In the mean time can anyone explain in more detail how the cotton wool and petrolium jelly thing works? Do I completly smother the cotton wool? Will it light from a spark?
I look forward to hearing more views on this subject so keep them coming!
I always carry a tinderbag with birch bark. I used to carry some wood from a pineroot that contains tar, but I didn't use it (as it's harder to light with a firesteel) though it's really great with matches/lighter.
How about a bottle of alchol hand rub.
John Fenna
01-12-2007, 00:28
Vas Cottonwool
Grab a chunk/ball/pad of cotton wool.
Spear it roughly over the surface of your Vas tub so it picks up a good gob of Vas on one side.
Bung it in a plastic pill pot/film case/sweety tin etc - repeat until container bursting.
To use said Vas Cottonwool
Open container
Grab hunk of Vas Cottonwool
Tease the wool opn or find a bit without Vas on it
Aply flame/spark/ember to cotton wool
Watch flame flare up to then ignite the Petroleum Jelly (Vas) and it burn like a candle (hot and for a long time)
Get Vas Cottonwool under your prefared fire material and watch it catch.
Treat singed fingers/eyebrows
Get brew on on the now roaring fire.......;)
The Vas cotton wool mix is my favourite.
For no particularly good reason I've spiked mine with shavings from one of those magnesium blocks which I bought as a kid but never really used as scraping the thing to get the requisite pile of chippings was always a pain in the bum, especially in any sort of wind.
I've a old, spare Surform and if you rub the block on one of those you soon end up with a big pile of shavings. If you mix that with the cotton wool/vasaline (I always rip the cotton wool up into tiny pieces as I make the stuff so it is easier to extract from the container with a twig and mix the chips in then) the vas seems to prevent the stuff from oxidising and stops it blowing away.
It sparkles pretty when it burns anyway!
Whenever I see them on flea markets/junk stalls (usually for just a few pence) I pick up those old aluminium Kodak 35mm film containers. They have a rubber seal, are screw topped and are a nice friendly bright yellow and make a ideal container for the mixture. So far they haven't leaked and dent rather than crack if abused.
ATB
Tom
John Fenna
02-12-2007, 11:08
I knew there must be a way to get those £$%^ mag blocks to do something other than distribute dust around the world on the merest breeze!
Burnt Ash
02-12-2007, 15:19
The Vas cotton wool mix is my favourite.
For no particularly good reason I've spiked mine with shavings from one of those magnesium blocks
By you own admission "for no particularly good reason"... ;)
There's just no contest, IMO: cotton wool (and it must be pure cotton) is easily the best tinder in terms of reliable first time strike to flame. Extended with the Vaseline, you get a good hot, smoky, luminous flame.
Dryer lint is a waste of time unless it's come solely from pure cotton clothing. Man-made textile fibres are useless for firelighting. Wool and hair are both useless and produce noxious combustion products. Why bother? How much does a big bag of cotton wool balls from Boots cost?
In the USA, one can buy Vaseline in 'toothpaste' tubes, which are better than the little round tins that we get in the UK, if only because the latter can leak a bit in very hot weather. Apart from its usefulness in fire-starting, Vaseline can be applied to chapped lips and other grazed and abraded parts of the body.
Burnt Ash
Hay! I had a lot of time on my hands and I'd already combed the fluff out of all my velcro...;)
If I ever get that bored again I may make a big pile of magnesium block dust and make a thick paste with a bit of vaseline and see if thats any use.
Yup after 25 years I'm going to find a use for that damned block!
ATB
Tom
Tea light. mega cheap, waterproof and burns nicely. If your fire needs a bit of oomph, tip the melted oil over it, then treat your burnt hand/arm, etc.
Chris
I tried alcohol hand sandiniser once, and it didn't burn. It's almost like someone had the foresight to put fire retardent in it so people's hands don't set on fire! Also, I gathered loads of dandelion heads the other day; convinced that they'd make excellent tinder, but they just singe and turn to ash. Maybe I could be the expert on things that don't work? :)
My pouch has got a piece of candle and some fibrous papery firelighter blocks (50p from tesco) in it at the moment, and the firesteel lives there, too.
No one mentioned charcloth yet?
Squidders
03-06-2008, 00:41
Birch bark in the uk is very reliable and more importantly can be found on trees.
Anything that needs to be made - and some like cotton wool and vaseline are awesome - have the drawback in that they are not renewable in the wild.
but... there's sod all wrong with just taking a lighter out with you as long as you have the knowledge to use what's available. Be kind to trees.