Looking for fire starters that are as good for the backpack as for the backyard? Look no further. Using Vaseline and cotton balls is as simple as can be and incredibly effective. While there are many commercially manufactured fire starters the Vaseline cotton ball works just as well and superior in many cases.
Making the Vaseline Cotton Ball Fire Starter
You cannot get much simpler – or cheaper.
Putting these together is easy. First, buy a container of petroleum jelly. This does not have to be the brand-name Vaseline but make sure it is 100%. The dollar store has large containers for only $1.00.
Next, get a bag of cotton balls. Make sure these are 100% cotton as they take a spark the best.
Then – grab a cotton ball and swab it inside the jar of Vaseline covering up to 3/4 of the ball with the petroleum jelly. While you could cover the entire cotton ball I prefer to leave some of the cotton dry so it can be ignited with a spark.
Lastly – throw the Vaseline covered cotton balls in a Ziploc bag.
Fire Starting Tip: Save an old prescription bottle and stuff 10-12 Vaseline cotton balls inside. This is a very lightweight supply of fire starters that can be used many times.
Starting a Fire With the Vaseline Cotton Ball
These small petroleum jelly covered cotton balls are highly flammable. They can be ignited via any spark or flame source including ferro rods, matches, lighters, etc. The dry cotton fibers can be targeted for ignition or the jelly itself. Using a ferro rod a spark or two hitting the cotton will generate flake – and then ignite the petroleum jelly.
Below I am using a ferro rod and tool sharpener to shower sparks onto a Vaseline cotton ball.
Are Vaseline Cotton Balls The Perfect Fire Starter?
Vaseline cotton balls are wind-resistant, waterproof, lightweight, long-lasting, inexpensive – and easily ignited. If these features match what would be considered a “perfect” fire starter then I guess they are. The only drawback I can find using Vaseline cotton balls is they can be a mess to make. That’s it.
Vaseline Cotton Balls: Not Just For Survival
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a fire in the backyard fire pit with cotton balls or dryer lint covered with Vaseline. I’ve also been the hero at a neighbors cookout a few dozen times as the “man of the house” couldn’t get a fire going and I bring out a Ziploc bag and work my magic.
Yes – Vaseline cotton balls are not just for survival and sitting comfortably in a bug-out bag. Perfect for camping as well.
Rourke
Good stuff, it’s been my go to for years, another example of why this is a great sight, it is rare for a site to show you the survival hacks to save money, most will try to sell you a inferior fire starter that won’t hold up to any kind of long term storage to turn a buck! Not here, brovo!
Excellent description and demonstration. What’s really cool is I almost bought some Vaseline at Wally world and I thought. Could the “cheap” stuff work just as good. Now I know 🙂
I’m going to Dollar Tree this week.
Vaseline has many uses besides starting fires you can make a candle you can lubricate a weapon stop your knife from rusting use it as hand cream or for cracked lips and condition leather and I am not sure but I think it could be placed on a burn, if you’re in the wild in extremely wet weather I prefer fatwood starting fires it burns hot and for a long time end it is very easy to get started to burn
What’s fatwood, I hear it all the time but am a noob when it comes to trees, botany in general.. thanks
Fat wood is a sap rich section of pine tree after it has died. The sap ends up sinking to the bottom of the tree, and into the base of branches. When you cut the tree up, some pine will be light, and some sections will be a dark red (the darker red the better) from the concentrated sap deposit. The resins and make up of the sap is highly flammable, but you usually need an ember, or feather sticks that have a flame going, to ignite, and then it burns very hot, and usually for a good duration. So in survival scenario, you would want to find this resource for a good fire starter in bad weather conditions.
Very good description, thank you Andrew
Fat wood is found in Pine trees that are dead when the Pine tree dies all the pine sap flows back down to the center of the base of the tree saturating the center of the tree with Harley concentrated pine-Sap then as the tree is standing up there for a long length of time some of the pine sap evaporates leaving behind a Harley concentrated piece of wood that is impregnated with very flammable Wood that is resistant to moisture If you take very fine shavings off of it it lights from a spark pretty easily and the larger piece once it ignites is excellent for drying out wood to start your fire, it’s usually pretty easy to find in the woods if you find wood that is amber in color shiny and extremely hard that is located in the center of the tree that would probably be it
Oh, ok cool! Thank you very much for taking the time to explain that to me, I will look for some on my next hike. 😃
JR I take a clear straw cut it into three sections seal one end stuff it full of the Vaseline soaked cotton balls and seal the other end. Nice small portable and a little less mess. But the principle is the same. Thanks for the info as always
I carry a small jar of these cotton balls in each of my kits, with a Bic lighter strapped to it with a rubber band.
You don’t need to use an entire cotton ball either – just tear off a small piece of one and the Vaseline will cause it to stick to your small kindling. The Vaseline burns for an extended time while the kindling catches fire.
When you use up all the cotton balls, the container will still have a good amount of Vaseline smeared on the inside. You can wipe it on kindling by itself to help start a fire.
You could probably just carry a jar of Vaseline and use it by itself if you wanted.
I’ve considered ferro rods, magnesium starters, waterproof matches etc, but I never found anything as easy as a good old Bic lighter. I buy packs of them periodically and stick them in drawers, glove compartments, BOBs, GHBs, tool boxes and SHTF storage.
Survivorman Les Stroud showed that there are dozens of ways to make fire. I’ve seen him go hungry for a few days in a row but I’ve never seen him fail to make a fire, no matter what method he’s trying. The Vaseline cotton balls/Bic lighter combo does indeed make the perfect fire kit.
I made a batch a while ago and did a few things differently. I didn’t like the idea of the mess with the Vaseline so I used a Ziploc bag that I put the Vaseline in. I then added the cotton balls and squished them around. This kept my hands from getting all greasy. I then took 100% cotton makeup cleaning squares I bought at the $1 store and melted a candle in a pan. I dipped the cotton squares in the wax then added a Vaseline cotton ball then folded it over and pinched it shut on all sides. It looks like a wax ravioli. When using this fire starter I just peel back the cotton square and I have a Vaseline cotton ball in the middle that starts up easily. This burns for 5-7 minutes which allows the kindling to catch.
Its a felony to carry prescription bottles. Stupid I know, ask a cop.
Jim – I think you have is slightly wrong. It is illegal to carry prescription medication NOT in the original bottle/packaging. Having the bottle itself is not illegal. Also – I remove the label as well and once I do that it is merely a plastic container.
That’s what I thought the law was as well, you definitely wouldn’t want to carry aspirin, and I histamines or any other things like that in there though!