I recently had the chance to try Fire Wicks from Ben’s Backwoods and I’m impressed. To give you some context, my impression of them is that they are kind of like an improved version of petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls. Having something that readily turns spark into flame and then extends that flame is vital to any fire kit.
Fire Wicks are sections of lamp wick that are impregnated with wax. The use of lamp wick is the genius part. First, lamp wick is dense with cotton fibers so the can be fluffed to catch a spark and burn for a long, long time. Second, the lamp wick is flat in form which makes Fire Wicks incredibly easy to store in a kit, on a sheath, or anywhere. Lastly, one Fire Wick can be trimmed into multiple pieces to start multiple fires. It can also be kept whole to use like a match when starting a twig stove or reaching into a fire lay. The lamp wick form is very handy.
