Traditionalist
Lots of tinder and kindling a few pieces of birch bark in the center and a strike anywhere match to get it all going. I never travel in the woods or on the water without my firestarting kit: Small knife, birch bark, plenty of strike anywhere matches all in a waterproof bag.
Bring along a teenage boy
They can even set water on fire.
Dogmaticus
No birchbark
Been a Scout leader for years. We have a rigid old scouter , been around forever. He teaches the boys how to find standing dead wood, split it and shave it and use it for tinder. They all have to know how to do that before he lets them make up fire starters. He never lets them use birch bark based on the theory that boys being boys they will end up at a live tree soon or later.
I used to think he was a little too rigid in his teachings until we had a scout come back one night. He had gotten out of Army Ranger training. They had been out on some sort of survial thing in the middle of a huge rain. He was the only one to get a fire going. He came back to thank Mr W.
I’ve seen water "burn"
A hunter safety instructor in my area likes to demonstrate it. He dramatically rips up some paper and drowns it in a pie pan of water. Then he touches a match to the whole works and it bursts into flame. The paper is just a prop. What is burning is the acetylene gas given off by carbide nuggets that he has also popped into the water. This is the same fuel that is used to light the old miners lanterns.
boot lace
and stick for the bow… a little bearing block and spindle… not really. but Les Stroud is my hero. Ya’ll watch Survivorman on Discovery?
But on a serious note
Cavers carry three separate light systems.
Maybe paddlers should carry three separate methods for starting a fire.
Jim
Slow-down little pyro-maniacs,
by putting them in charge of the the fire.
This removes the novelty of a flame.
Playing with matches will be boring for any kid who had to start a wood stove every morning.
like my momma used to say…
you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.
Ba dum dum
call me a geek but I do
2 lighters
waterproof matches in a waterproof match container
Primus stove with automatic ignition
homemade cottonball and wax “fire turds”
commercial fire starter sticks
2 small pieces of cedar
Swimmers Ear alcohol in first aid kit
Usually a mix of flowers and alcohol…
… sustained with chocolate.
Tried lots of other combinations - but for some reason the classics stand the test of time.
Do Teddy Bears Have…
Do Teddy Bears have cotton balls?
Sierra Secret
I am into my campfires. It gets cold at 7,000 feet. I like fires hot, and I want them to last for hours. I learned the Sierra secret from an old cowboy when I moved here from Florida. Pinecones.
In the olden days in the Sierras they didn’t sell kindling at campgrounds. They would sell sacks of big pinecones in burlap sacks for 50 cents. Dump some cones in the firepit, and some by your chair. Use the burlap to start it, pop a brew, and throw in more cones as needed. For a really good fire, you need about a burlap bag per hour.
Pinecones don’t burn long, but they burn hot, and put off lots of light. They also leave a great bed of coals for cooking. They are great for a quick fire in the morning to take off the chill, and make coffee.
And they CAN keep you warm all night, IF you have enough of them. The trick is collecting enough.
I have a slightly more modern version. I have 4 really big nylon bags. Each about 24" by 36" with a drawstring. I can make a good fire all night with two bags full.
There is an art to collecting pinecones. Mostly, you find them under pine trees! (DUH!) The bigger the tree, the bigger the cones. Also look for places where the terrain rounds them up into a pile for you. They naturally end up in small gullies. Wear gloves, or you are going to get stuck!
The great thing about this system is you can go for a really long time and just use pinecones every night. I usually take along some hardwood logs and some pressed logs for weekend trips, but for really long trips you just can’t haul enough wood with you.
Steel wool and three D cell batteries
from the flashlight. Line up the batterys then stretch the steel wool out and touch the positive/negative ends and the steel wool heats up to start a fire.
I just imitate my father…
…when it’s wet out, he just pours camp fuel over the wood and tosses a match, FOOM! sometimes we have to pick up burning debri that rocketed about, but it always works 
Most methods have been covered…
Along with taking a few Bic-style lighters, I usually carry a waterproof container of strike-anywhere matches and a synthetic flint and tinder set. In addition I carry cotton balls dipped in vaseline, and and old favorite, a few of those trick birthday candles that continually relight. Usually all that is needed is some small tinder from a hemlock, and some small twigs. If you’re staying in a established campsite, search around for a few inches of twine that often gets left behind by other campers. Pull it apart into a fist-sized ball, and it will light up like a torch.
-MEAT
Better Living Through Chemisty
I am lazy, I now use a TRIOXANE bar and a lighter. There is nothing that trioxane will not ignite. I love these things.
I don’t like to spend
– Last Updated: Aug-25-06 12:52 AM EST –
a lot of time on starting a fire, takes away from the cold beer. I use Coghlan's Fire Paste. You can find it in the cheesey camp section of your local sporting goods isle. I swear by this stuff. Gets even the dampest wood going real good.
Link please to Troiaxane
I try to keep…
This as part of my standard gear while cold weather kayaking:
http://tinyurl.com/g3b49
It was a bit of a bitch mounting it to the back of my ‘yak, but ignition is so reliable, that after an unexpected swim, it’s really worth it.