• Pack charcoal in paper egg cartons and tie shut. When ready to use, just light the carton.
• Put a piece of charcoal in each section of a paper egg carton. Cover with melted wax.** Tear apart and use as needed. You can also use sawdust, dryer lint or Pistachio shells instead of the charcoal.
• Take 100% cotton balls and thoroughly rub Vaseline into them. Keep in a Ziploc bag.
• Newspaper cut into strips (3"-4" wide). Roll up and tiewith string. Cover with melted wax.**
• Use lint from your dryer as a fire starter.
• Bundle about 10-12 Diamond brand "strike-anywhere" wooden kitchen matches together with waxed dental floss. The heads of the matches should all be pointing in the same direction. Generously soak the buddle of matches (except heads) in melted paraffin wax** to waterproof and to provide a long burn time. Dip heads lightly only to waterproof them. Simply strike on flat rock to ignite.
• Soak a piece of charcoal in lighter fluid. Coat with wax.**
• Use small condiment or "sample-size" cups. Add a long wick to each cup and fill with melted wax.** You can also fill them with sawdust.
• Waterproof your matches by dipping them in wax** or coating them with clear nail polish
• Use cotton string about 3-4" long, put in wax paper bathroom cup with about an inch hanging over the edge. Fill cup nearly to the top with saw dust and pour melted wax into the cup. The saw dust will compact and become waterproof. The extra string length is a wick to start burning the starter, but can also be tied to another starter string through a pack loop to carry outside your pack.

*Never use liquid igniters on your campfire. Example: lighter fluid, gasoline etc.
** When melting wax, only use a double boiler set up. Melted wax can easily ignite. Have a fire extinguisher handy in case of emergency.

This article first appeared in Pathfinder Pathways by Karen Reed. Used with Permission.