Have you ever gathered tinder to start a fire by friction or by using a fire steel only for it to last just a second or 2 before being gone? If you’ve spent much time in the woods then you already know how some tinder materials can go POOF with a quick flame and some smoke and be gone in just 1 or 2 seconds. One such tinder is Cattail Down. It is a great tinder material and ignites with a spark almost immediately but it burns soooo fast that it can be difficult to get your other materials lit in time.
As a survivalist, I evaluate everything I carry into the woods. I like for each item I have with me to have at least 2 or 3 different uses. For example, I always carry some lip balm with me. However, I want that lip balm to serve a dual purpose. Not only do I want it to help with dry chapped lips but what else???
If you choose the right kind of lip balm you can also use it as a tinder fuel extender when starting a fire with limited resources. I have chosen to use CARMEX as my lip balm. CARMEX is a beeswax and petroleum based lip balm. When you mix this product with tinder such a cattail down, it extends the length of time this tinder will burn. The tinder acts almost like a candle wick that is burning fuel rather than just going up in a quick puff of smoke. It gives you more time to get your larger kindling lit.
This past weekend my brother Mike and I went ice fishing. To cook the fish we caught, I built a fire using this TINDER EXTENDER quick tip.Hopefully you enjoyed this quick tip. I would love to hear your thoughts and or questions about other fuel extenders that you know about….
A great natural fuel extender is PINE SAP…
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