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Just an idea, wrap some natural cordage impregnated with wax around the outside and some rubber inner tube over that for more tinder and fire extender.🔥
Hey Dan, I discovered today which is something you may consider is that if you ever snack on babybel cheese, you can save the wax wrapper and make a candle from it with a rolled half a square of TP for the wick. It burned for me about 12 minutes when I tried it today. I saw the wax and thought, I bet I could make a candle from that and saw on another channel that I could do just that. Just another way to extend your fire or keep you a little warm under a blanket under cold conditions.
Crazy timing as I just added a few items to all of my UCO match cases last week, but I did not add a mini lighter. I did include a small Birthday candle, a piece of fat wood, and a small ferro rod. Thanks Fan for the content
Great idea! One observation: over time, when moderate heat is applied to the kit you built (either body heat or environmental temperature), the Vaseline in the cotton balls will wick throughout the cotton, and eventually get into the matches and other contents. But for short-term it would work great.
In my Scouting days (MANY moons ago!), I kept a couple of balls of cotton in my Marbles match holder (with 6-8 SA matches). I had a ferro rod, but it was an old Navy issue so it didn't fit in the match holder. But I also carried a small tube of Vaseline--good for chapped lips, hands, etc., but I could put a dab on the cotton balls, too. And so much safer to carry... never did leak out of the tube! 🙂 My friends always teased me, calling it, "Girl Scout water" (lighter fluid). ;-)
Their Titan matches comes in a taller container, but you only get about half the matches because they are bigger. You UCO case is pretty full when you get it, but you can always vacuum seal or zliplock bag the extra matches as a backup, leaving your lighter/tinder/match combo more waterproof and crush proof. And wait, there is more! Act now and you can wrap strips of Procamtek's Fire Strip Roll or other flat water resistant tinder around the case and secure it with an elastic.
I've smoked for over thirty years. Fire is a given. At work right now 2 lighters, & 2 fire steels. 4 black beard fire plugs. 2 spartan strips. Also a small piece of fat wood attached by a tinder pull to my Keychain.
Amazing. I actually have the exact kit minus the matches add a small ferro and striker that’s wrapped in birch bark. It’s got the fat wood and cotton too. I’m using a prescription bottle with with about a foot or so of 1 inch gorilla tape wrapped around it. It’s my emergency fire kit that goes in my main fire kit.
I enjoy your videos and I really like the micro fire kit. I made your kit and added a mini ferro rod and striker and the credit card size Fresno lens fits in the match case perfectly giving you two more ways to start fire. I hope this has been helpful
Another great video. My only suggestion would be replace the Bic Mini with a Bic " Slim Flick", which is identical to the Mini, but about a 1/2 inch longer, holding more fuel. The Only place I've ever seen them was at check out in Dollar Tree.
I'm surprised I haven't seen someone smashing up a road flair and mix it with some sawdust and wax or something. Glue the flair debrea to sticks or something. Cut the road flair into small pieces . Those flairs are cheap and the fuel will burn under water.
Had some cotton balls soaked in Vaseline. Worked for 7 min. when I made them. 2-3 years down the road, the vaseline was hard as a rock and didn't work very well at all. There is a shelf life to these. They work well, but replace them often.
Great idea but put the cotton wool n vaseline in a very small plastic bag so that it doesn't contaminate the matches etc. Maybe wrap a small length of gaffa tape around the outside. There's loads of options but these ideas of yours definitely improve the kit 👍🔥
Might I suggest you up your cotton game. Replace the Vaseline with Purell hand sanitizer gel. Longer and hotter burn. Plus you can sanitize with it. Give it a shot!
Damn, that's almost like mine! Except I have some kevlar line( fishing/sewing), waxed jute wrapped around it, and gorilla tape on top of that with a razor, small fishing kit, and needle in it. It's a small survival kit in its own... kind of.. but great addition to day pack/ haversack/back pack/ edc back up if you are that dedicated! Lol!
If you wanted a bit more space you could use a slightly larger plastic prescription bottle to hold the matches etc. That way you could fit in a few of those cotton make up discs soaked in wax/firelighter. I think Dan has a video on making those, but it might have been someone else. Those things work so well I store them near a smoke alarm.
Question: If the petroleum jelly comes in contact with the match head would it soften or destroy the match head. Also, if wooden portion of the match contacts the jelly could it be siphoned over time down the wood to the tip and destroy it? Great vid.
What would be good is a kit that could be made from what you can get at an international airport. I say this as I’ve had kits like this removed from my hold luggage and carry on. Not everyone lives in North America and I’m a quick flight from Asia
Nice, compact kit for an everyday emergency. I would add a 4 fl. oz. Bottle of alcohol, diesel, or kerosene when purposely heading out away from civilization, should multiple fires be needed in the case of a bad sprain or break in a leg or ankle. A small strip of plumber's carbon felt can act as a wick to hold and extend the burn time of a flame. Shoving a strip inside of a short length of aluminum or stainless tubing can extend the flame even longer.
Thanks Dan, I carry something very similar to that. My question is: Does the petroleum gel leach from your cotton balls to the matches, making them soft and hard to strike?
Great little kit to throw in my pack for sure. Another awesome tip for the tool box indeed. What's that bag sir? Another awesome video as always brother 💪 👍
Using the UCO container itself for the whole kit... that is freaking brilliant. Add fatwood, a tinder quick tab or two, that mini bic lighter... again, freaking brilliant. Your videos are such a wealth of great information, and this one goes to the top of the list.
You are the first on RU-vid to fill a UCO match case in that manner. Very good or even excellent idea. I like the mini-ferro rod added into the match case. Outstanding idea! Will get to work on setting up my match cases like that.
Use Gorilla Tape to tape chapstick to it, a Ferro rod/striker, a small vile of potassium permanganate, and small vile of Suger, and a small lens to the top of the lid, and Id say you have all your fire starting bases covered.
OMG! WHEN will reputable instructors STOP perpetuating this gear destroying practice of using vaseline-soaked cotton balls for firestarters? SERIOUSLY! One thing is obvious ... you have never used/carried these in your gear in warm to hot weather. In a plastic bag, the vaseline will eventually leak out and contaminate your gear. In THIS CASE, it is going to eventually contaminate your matches, then where is your fire kit? Is a vaseline-soaked cottonball a good fire extender? It sure is, but there are better ways to do it. Get a plastic straw. Yes, there are still some out there. Cut it into lengths as long as your matches. Using your iron and a piece of wood, seal one end. Now force vaseline (I use Vicks vapo-rub or polysporin ointment because more than one use) to fill the straw. Seal the other end. When you need to light a fire, take a dry cotton ball, cut the end off the straw, and squeeze it into the cotton ball. If you need it for first aid, it's there, too. The thing is, it won't wreck your gear this way, no matter where you carry it. You can do this with toothpaste and chafe cream. Anything, really, in a tube can be used here as a "one-off" to save space. Find a better way, I've seen this too many times and with too many frustrated campers.
