What are you using as a Tinder box?

[illumeo]

Hi
Just wondered what people are use to keep their tinder in?
Do you even bother with one?
I suppose it begs the question what types of tinder do you keep in it?

Thanks

illumeo

 

[sxmolloy]

I use a rubberised pouch from Bearclaw Bushcraft. Inside I keep birch bark, a tea light candle, a small fire lighting block thingy and bamboo shavings.

ATB....Stu

 

[Greg]

Hi
Just wondered what people are use to keep their tinder in?
Do you even bother with one?
I suppose it begs the question what types of tinder do you keep in it?

Thanks

illumeo

I keep my tinder in a zip lock bag inside my new leather pouch courtesy of John Fenna,
Its mainly birch bark and Maya sticks, But there is other stuff in there that I collect on my travels.

 

[Matt Weir]

In my jacket breast pocket I have 2 envelopes. One stuffed with cattail fluff and the other with dried grass.

Is that weird?

EDIT: I did have until I needed to start a fire on the allotment this morning. Time to re-stock

 

[Justin Time]

Left pocket of my swannie always seems to have a good mixture of stuff since I tend to put freshly gathered stuff in there to dry. Also use a plain tobacco pouch I got from... a tobacconists with a big stuffed bear outside.








and, to be honest I always have a film canister with some cotton wool and vaseline in a pocket too

 

[fredcraft]

In my jacket breast pocket I have 2 envelopes. One stuffed with cattail fluff and the other with dried grass.

Is that weird?

Yes, but then again, very practical

 

[MitchelHicks]

Hey

Do you ever get those re-sealable pack lunch bags. I use one of them keeps it all waterproof may not look very good but its full of tiny strips of birch bark the bits that curl off and you can collect easily and some bits of bark about 3 inch by 4 inch which can be scrapped to get the very fine powder that lights super easy with a firesteel. Its also got some rubber inertube in there which is easy to start a fire with if you light it burns for a long time even if its got wet. I also cut up a few bits of birch bark into long thin strips like long matches which you can light one end from a fire and it burns like a match to light a candle or whatever you have in mind. Its clear as well so I can see which bits I wanted to get out and I carry it in a side pocket in my trousers.

Dont know if that helps. But its a real budget option lol

 

[illumeo]

thanks guys, some good ideas for me to try, kind of expected someone to be using an old tobacco tin but the tobacco pouches seem a bit more versatile.

 

[Justin Time]

thanks guys, some good ideas for me to try, kind of expected someone to be using an old tobacco tin but the tobacco pouches seem a bit more versatile.

Good thing about the pouches is it allows the tinder to breathe and thus dry out. If you put tinder that's even a little bit damp in a tin, you're going to end up with a tin of damp tinder.... which is where the cotton wool and vaseline comes in.

 

[addyb]

I keep a Zippo in my right trouser pocket. At ALL times. Does that count as tinder? In all seriousness though, when I want tinder I take a sharp, flat rock and scrape up and down the bark of a cedar tree. A couple of strikes from a firesteel and we have ignition.

 

[sxmolloy]

I keep a Zippo in my right trouser pocket. At ALL times. Does that count as tinder?

I'm the same but it's always in my left trouser pocket. If it's not there it just dosen't feel right

 

[andyn]

I use some yellow rubber tabacoo pouches that I picked up for a couple of quid from the net somewhere.

Mixture of tinders in amoungst them, birch bark, cherry bark, honey suckle bark, red cedar bark, cramp ball, Amadou, clematis seed, bullrush seed, and thistle down. And a couple of sachets of silica gel just to help dry it off

 

[addyb]

I'm the same but it's always in my left trouser pocket. If it's not there it just dosen't feel right

I know the feeling. If I leave the house and don't have it, I feel naked!

 

[sxmolloy]

a couple of sachets of silica gel just to help dry it off

Great idea, never thought of that, simple, yet no doubt effective.

Cheers....Stu

 

[maddave]

One of these

 

[Ranger Bob]

Am I the only one that uses a birch bark container?

 

[andyn]

Great idea, never thought of that, simple, yet no doubt effective.

Cheers....Stu

Yeah - it all started off with what to do with the sachets that were in the Biltong packets I buy

 

[illumeo]

does anyone keep char cloth as their tinder?

 

[tombear]

I've two kits, the one I should realy make more effort to be proficient in which has char cloth, plumbers tow, a good Ragnar made steel, gun and picked up flints, small candle and maya sticks in a old biscuit cutter tin

And the kit I actually use beig lazy/practical is a firesteel, MoD fag tube full of cottonwool/vaseline gunk and Maya stick splints in a penknife pouch with a couple of wetfire blocks stuffed in the bottom.

I have made up another tinder box for Jnr (8) and he loves making sparks, he actually has more joy than I do. Yup, I included plasters in it!

Tom

PS, does anyone know of a source of soldered, rather than stamped out, round tins? Something more suitable for period trekking? My soldering skills are awful otherwise I'd make one.

 

[Westnorfolk]

does anyone keep char cloth as their tinder?

i use charcloth with my darrel aune steel (i think thats how you spell it) its one of those dragon ones