Tips and Tricks: Do-It-Yourself Fire Starters

Right now, I’m working on Not Quite Dead, a book that takes place about 28 years after a zombie apocalypse. I’ve been quite busy lately looking up survival tips that I could incorporate into the story such as natural herbal remedies, etc. One thing that I did find that I thought was interesting (although I probably won’t exactly use it) is this tip on how to start a fire using cotton pads dipped in candle wax.

It’s a pretty cool idea and it’d be very easy to carry some around in your pocket (not that you’d want to start a fire to attract zombie attention but still). You simply dip the pads into melted candle wax, let it dry and then when you’re ready to use one, make a small tear and light it on fire.

The wafers can be used in whole, broken in half or quarters depending on the quality of kindling and how dry it is, the larger the piece the longer the burn time and better for damp kindling.

If you had limited supplies and were desperate during the times of an apocalypse, what would you use to keep warm?