Best winter/wet fire starter

[bigdub257]

Small flare will start anything.

[Timberstalker]

My jetboil seems to work just fine. Constant fire.

[Wanttohuntmore]

I second the film canister and  cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly. It never leaves my pack.

 

[SGTDuffman]

A 3/4” wide piece of bicycle inner tube burns for about 2-1/2 minutes. Take an old one and cut it into rings 3/4”-1” wide and toss a few in your pack. Start it w a Bic or whatever. Wet or dry doesn’t matter.

[Caseyd]

Cotton balls caked in p jelly.

If it’s an all nighter emergency....whatever gas is left in my sled, then the sleds next 

[RB]

Wetfire... this stuff is awesome... watch the video

https://www.ustgear.com/fire/tinder/wetfire-tinder/wetfire-tinder/20-1WG.html

 

This, plus a small block of Fat wood, Bic lighters, Zippo lighter, and toilet paper in a Ziplock, inside a dry bag with a small candle.

[robodad]

Dryer lint and hand sanitizer or wax coated cedar sawdust in egg carton and a small wind proof butane lighter, bic for backup !

[Bareback]

I’m not sure about a big emergency fire, but in every backpack and all my rigs I keep a 1 gallon ziplock with a newspaper, 3 bic lighters and a film canister full of cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly.

People under 30 might not know what a film canister is. When was the last time you seen one?

[Fl0und3rz]

Cotton balls and petroleum jelly here too.

But hunting in SE AK, FiL gave me a can of sterno.  That, a lighter, and a cup was what we packed, and it rained so much, my nuts were swimming.

[Buzz2401]

I have experimented with a lot of different fire starters over the years. Some good some not but never really kept track of what was best. I spend a lot of time in the mountains in the winter in snowy but also  really wet conditions. If you had to pick one fire starter for wet conditions what would it be? I usually pack a few flares and some fire starter but looking for opinions on what’s the best. I’m not looking for something to start my campfire but most reliable to start a fire when stuck out there emergency type fire etc.

Have you or anyone else here started a fire with a flare.  I tried to one time and it didn't work, which I thought was crazy.  Asked around and was told flares are designed to not catch things on fire for safety reasons, I guess they suck all the surrounding oxygen which doesn't allow other things to catch.  Probably different kinds of flares though.

[ellensburgpo]

I have experimented with a lot of different fire starters over the years. Some good some not but never really kept track of what was best. I spend a lot of time in the mountains in the winter in snowy but also  really wet conditions. If you had to pick one fire starter for wet conditions what would it be? I usually pack a few flares and some fire starter but looking for opinions on what’s the best. I’m not looking for something to start my campfire but most reliable to start a fire when stuck out there emergency type fire etc.

Have you or anyone else here started a fire with a flare.  I tried to one time and it didn't work, which I thought was crazy.  Asked around and was told flares are designed to not catch things on fire for safety reasons, I guess they suck all the surrounding oxygen which doesn't allow other things to catch.  Probably different kinds of flares though.

Not my experience at all. I’ve lit lots off fires with flares and have caught several things on fire with them unintentionally at work. Only thing regarding what you’re saying I get off the top of my head is it’s adding so much heat it can cause things to burn the fuel too quickly in a small area. The flare is the heat component, it’s not sucking enough air in the outdoors to cause an issue in the oxygen component. All that’s left in my head is fuel. It can burn stuff so hot it is no longer going through pyrolysis enough to sustain fire.

When I use a flare I get a spot going and move it to a new spot to get that going. This all makes sense in my head but is much easier to explain verbally. Sorry if it’s more confusing then helpful.

[bustedoldman]

I use dryer lint, you can compress ALOT into a zip loc storage bag. Also soak a little with jelly as well....

[NRA4LIFE]

A bic lighter and a few of the old style wax coated paper cups. 

[Magnum_Willys]

Never had luck with flares - lotsa lite lil heat in my experience.  Of course will lite dry tinder.

[CastleRocker]

We used to use road flares to light our slash piles.  They work, no matter what the weather.

When I took up snowmobiling, I immediately put a couple flares in ziplocks, and put them in the trunk of every snow machine.  One ride, and all that was left was the Striker caps, and a bunch of powder.  Apparently, they won't take the bouncing around.   

We carry three completely unrelated means of building a fire.  Yellow fir, (old growth pitch wood), a lighter, and weatherproof matches, (yes...in a film canister), a ferro rod and knife with a square spine.  The kit we carry in our vehicles, and sleds include at least three tampons.  One down the gas tank to absorb some gas, and two soaked in oil will provide enough heat to get your kindling going.

I think what most people absolutely fail to realize is;  you HAVE to go out and DO IT!  If nothing else, just go out in the yard and try to build a fire in a torrential downpour.  Better yet, when you are out playing in the snow this winter, and stop for lunch...build a fire!  You will NEVER learn how by just watching videos on the internet!