Yakataga - are you combining the cotton balls and vaseline/chapstick before you head outside? Or just taking both separate and combining right before lighting a fire?
I like the idea of not having a goopy ziplock in my pocket, but wondering if the cotton balls get wet BEFORE adding the vaseline, will it still work as well?
I keep everything separate. The cotton balls are in their own water resistant pill bottle. The vaseline lip balm is pretty handy for squirting out just the right amount of grease and then mixing it in. You don't need very much to get a good blaze.
We had to try three different fire starting systems in Learn to Return Aviation Safety class last winter. About a 1/4 inch of capstick mixed into the cotton ball and then teased the ball apart to gets lots of surface area created a really good kinder only fire. The vaseline was in a little jar and made a mess. However, still only need a small amount of the grease to get a good fire.
If I was going to attempt a fire in super wet conditions, I would build a shelter to keep the base fire materials and area as dry as possible for the initial lighting. Then keep the tender materials secure until I was finally ready to strike a spark.
