Vaseline-soaked Cotton Balls

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I find cotton pads work even better (the kind used to remove makeup). If you grab the edge, you can put them apart. You then apply the Vaseline to exposed inside and then push them back together. Fluff the surface before lighting and the take a spark very easily. The advantage of the cotton pad / Vaseline “Wagon Wheel” is that they make much less of a mess as compared with normal cotton balls soaked in Vaseline.

Nice, thanks. And good video. Most of the boy scouts use dryer lint, but I'll show them your video and suggest they try this as well. (I keep Coghlan's Tinder in my kit; it's a cotton/wax product.)

I take the vaseline-soaked balls and roll them in sawdust. I makes them less sticky to handle and gives them a little longer burn time.

Any experience on how these compare to Esbit tabs? Half an Esbit tab burns for several minutes and is what I have always used.

does anyone but me roll theirs in magnesium filings ?

I make some small cotton balls, smaller than a dime, and soak them with candle wax. Then I wind a bit of dry cotton around the outside to make it easier to catch a spark.

–B.G.–

Esbit works very good. I use PJ cotton balls as my everyday fire starter and use an esbit if I really need to get the fire going quickly in wet weather.

Minutes of burn time isn't as important as number of BTUs (or Joules) of energy. That's what it takes to dry off wet wood and get it burning.

And, like stoves, it's BTUs/ounce that's important. Esbit or wood/cotton/paper or alcohol are half as efficient as vaseline/parafin/white gas/kerosene/…

Yes, this is "old" information, but I think that BPL should update older articles that covers the basics like this and to frequently recycle them for the benefit of new BPL members or novice backpackers.

From a business standpoint, it is a good idea to cater to novice backpackers and to traditional backpackers who are looking to transition to lightweight/UL Backpacking.

Having articles that mostly caters to very experienced backpackers might be a bad business model.

Not saying that BPL should ignore the core body of experienced members.

As A Lifetime Member, BPL really cannot make money from me anymore.

New members should be a focus.

Plus, there is a lot of older articles full of wisdom that could benefit from a dusting off and updating to be current with the times.

Off the top of my head, I think that articles should be 40% on the basics, 20% on intermediate skills, 30% on gear, and 10% on advanced skills.

30% on gear because let's face it….only so much new gear hits the market per year. This can easily translate to a 2-3 reviews on gear per month, if you figure 8 articles per month….2 per week.

10% on advanced skills because maybe we are talking SUL type skills?

Plus, recycling older articles does not have to mean less new stuff….we are seeing about two articles per week that are new. Why not simply add more articles each week by whipping out older articles covering the basics that will be immediately valuable to the novice and give them an incentive to join BPL?

Anyway, off topic, but I am glad to see an article like this.

My two cents to vaseline cotton balls: I carry a small square of aluminum foil which I use to create a bowl for the cotton ball to sit in. By narrowing the top of the bowl, I can restrict air flow and slow down the burn to give me a 5-6 minute burn with a 2 inch high flame or more. A very light weight way to increase burn time.

Tony

I use vaseline soaked cotton balls. And they can be multiple use- I dip into them for a little bit of the vaseline if I have chapped lips and forgot my lip balm.

They burn a long time, as well, almost like a mini-candle. And unlike a candle, sparks will light them up, so if you have a ferro rod but not a lighter you can still start the fire with ease.

I mostly make fires in winter and don't bother with it in the summer. In the winter it is about utility. It keeps me warm, lets me dry out my clothes, and provides a free source of fuel for cooking.