Fuel Cells/Tinder paks

Hey guys,
Still new here so apologize if this has been brought up, and hopefully i'll add pictures later...

but for those of us still able to make a campfire...not the know how but the legality...

i'm sure you've come across those expensive and smelly fuel cells...they work great at starting fires where lack of tinder is around, or everything is wet and you need something to burn a min or two to dry out your wood...leaves will not work!

to solve this for a year or so now i've been exclusively using fritos and or dipsy doodles....

they are soaked in oil and will burn surprising long...

rather than bring a bag of them...i crush them into dust...and then tightly pack about a ping pong ball size in tissue paper, and twist the end super tight...and bite off the excess...they arn't the most durable things but pack well, and have held up for a week bounching around my pack(inside a ziploc)...then just take your homemade fuel sell, place under your stack of wood and go finish setting up your tent.

you'll honestly be amazed at how long they burn...and at 99 cents for a huge bag of fritos....i don't think they can be beat

also note...i was once scucesfully able to start one using a magnesium block and my knife

That's really interesting that junk food will burn like that. I wouldn't have thought of it, but all that grease must be good for a fire.

I'm trying to double up on gear, use things that serve more than one need, and I think the other need (eating) would probably eliminate the fritos pretty quickly. A little canister of cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol works really well as emergency tinder, sets off with just a spark, and the cotton ball burns for quite a long time. Don't need the whole tube, just one gives a damp start a good boost. It's also first aid gear so there's an excuse for carrying it besides making fire, and I can't drink rubbing alcohol so I won't suck them dry along the way.

JimmyTH

i agree on the double up feature...so sometimes i'll sprinkle the fritos on something else...i used to do the alchol balls as well, but they are stinky and i've had a few cases where they dried out on me...you don't really ever need to worry about the fritos...the corn oil or grease or lard or whatever will stay around in the elements longer...

i'll have to do a burn test for you guys when i get a chance this weekend!!

BTW technically everything burns...its the old school way of determine calorie content...based on the temperature burning 1 unit of said item will heat one unit of water...

the lil marshmallows in lucky charms burn like crazy!

That's a good idea to crush up the corn chips. I've used them as firestarters and they do work well (if you have a lighter) but now I see how crushing them up could be used with a firesteel. Good tip!