Bottled Firestarter

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

One of my biggest failings as a prepper is that I am absolutely terrible at getting a fire to catch without cheating. No matter how I build my fire bundle, I lack the skill and/or knowledge to coax a spark into an ember and that ember into a flame. Heck, I have difficulty getting a fire to start with a lighter. 

While this is something I intend to work at improving, I must acknowledge and make allowances for this shortcoming, because the worst time to have to improve one's skills is during an emergency. 

As my friend Lokidude says, If you aren't cheating then you aren't trying hard enough to win. This project, therefore, is my attempt at cheating at fire starting in a compact package suitable for a Bug Out or Get Home bag. 

No, it's not Purell hand sanitizer, but I am repurposing an empty 2 oz squeeze bottle. Does Purell even come in orange color? If so, I haven't seen it. 

No, this is actually Sterno from an aging 2.6 oz can. I don't know how old it was, but it had never been opened and I scraped it all into this bottle, so 0.6 oz must have somehow evaporated or condensed down. 

My plan is to use this like lighter fluid, but with a twist. You see, most fire starters burn hot and quickly, and therefore have a tendency to burn out before my fuel fully catches. Sterno, on the other hand, burns low and slow because it's made to keep food warm instead of cook it. The longer it burns, the more likely I am to get the fuel to ignite. 

The plastic squeeze bottle is small, durable, enables me to see how much I have left, and the small aperture allows for precise application of the gel. Plus, I repurposed something rather than throw it away, which is always good. 

I plan to experiment with this to find out how much I need to squeeze per fire. Hopefully I will have useful information for you in a few months!