Do you make your own? I didn't want to hijack another thread. I've made different kinds over the years. Tightly rolled up newspaper dipped in Gulf wax. Cotton balls dipped in Sterno. Several others.

My latest is old manilla rope. I had a length of 1/4" manilla rope hanging in the fur shed for maybe 20 years. I cut that up in to 2" pieces, soaked them in charcoal lighter for 30 minutes or so, then dipped them in the Gulf wax. They work well. They burn for probably 3 minutes. Just not quite as much bang as I had hoped for.

Do you have a favorite?

Pack cardboard egg containers with wood shavings. I use the paper thin ones from using a block plane. Pour melted wax over them.

One piece is more than enough to start most fires.

This is exactly what I do except with dryer lint instead of wood shavings. I usually cut them in half. A whole one will burn for about 5 minutes with a 6-8" tall flame on it's own.

Go to a grocery with a deli and get thier discarded waxed cardboard. Great fire starters. I usually just collect birch bark, though.

Duraflame log cut up into meatball sized pieces. Three will get the woodstove started.

Just jute ....all teased up into a ball...and some birch bark...is all yah need

I took a bunch of the wife's old odds and end candles. Melted them in a old pan. I've done as simple as dip cardboard strips to pouring it over the egg cartons of saw dust. Made a bunch with card board tubes some LED Florence replacement came in. Ran them threw and saw so had 3 inch pieces. Stuff with saw dust dunk them in my wax pan. I only use them for camp fire so don't care that they smell like bunch weird holiday candles.
This post actually reminds me I'm out of them right now. Need to make another batch.
Usually have a half dozen stashed in truck and camper couple other places.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

Exactly

0r Old man's beard lichen in jute

I cut super pitchy pine , ( fat wood) , into popsicle stick size pieces.

These work

I have used corn chips as an experiment. They do work. Totally off subject, I like to dip Fritos in peanut butter.

"First a roll of Birch Bark,,dry as it can be.Then some twigs of softwood,,dead,but on the tree.Last of all some knots of pine to make the kettle foam.And there's a fire to make you feel your sitting right at home".

fuel tablets are good to carry if you want pre-made. I like a few cotton balls, petroleum jelly and fatwood shavings.

Dryer lint. One sandwich size baggy packed full is enough for a few fires.

I am cheap
for fires in the wood stove
junk mail , dryer lint , socks with holes in them.
waxed cardboard from boxes I bring groceries home in
strips of corrugated cardboard
wood detritus , all the bits and shards from splitting firewood pack it in buckets and boxes and bring it inside and it gets so dry it burns very easy



for a emergency type fire starter , cotton balls and Vaseline the generic of course in a recycled pill bottle

my other go to is Squaw wood , this is the little stuff that dies on the lower part of a tree for lack of sun light , it dries out , it is the last thing to get wet and the first thing to dry
snaps easy it is so dry

A guy I work with mixes wood stove ash with diesel into a paste. Rolls into a ball and lights it. Makes a coffee can full at a time. I haven't tried it, but he says it works good.

I make fire tacos. I use old pants for the taco shell and dryer lint for the meat. Then I take cheap paracord to tie it shut and dip in hot recycled candle wax. They last a long time and smell very pleasant.

Candle wax dregs and corrugated cardboard, free,ish

Dryer lint stuffed into discarded toilet paper tube

Drier lint and shredded paper in toilet paper tube.

I bought a few them some years ago from couple little kids. They were Hocking them in the camp grounds we were at. Make more money than selling lemonade. LoL!

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"