Survival Fire Kit
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Sensible Prepper Presents: "The Survival Fire Kit". Fire is one of the most important Survival tools and having multiple ways to start a fire can be key to Survival.
Going Gear Website: goinggear.com/ Also get 10% off your order using Sootch00 in the coupon Code.
Maxpedition Website: www.maxpedition...
Thanks for watching~ Sootch00
In my fire kit I carry a two holed metal pencil sharpener, great to use with small twigs to make tinder pretty quick. Works great!
I have 2 metal pencil sharpeners in my handbag.
Awesome kit!
Instead of the Bic lighter, I have a Ronson Jetlite. It's a bit more pricey, but piezo-electric lighters will work even when wet, and you can adjust the flame too; so it works even if upside down.
Cotton balls dipped in melted wax and then cooled are less messy in the bush. If you don't care about the mess, cotton balls dipped in Vick's Vapor Rub will also have a medicinal use.
+hoosierarcheri never thought of doing it with the vapor rub thats a good idea might have to remember that
Also like the Vicks version because when it burns it keeps the bugs away.
I have the three types
Here in Northern Ireland, a freznal lens is pretty much useless unless it’s a sunny day in the middle of summer, so I typically just use matches, a lighter or a fire steel in my kits. Also the cotton balls are Vaseline work brilliantly. Thanks for the advice.
Great kit. I'm putting one together right now, and I'll probably include basically the exact same thing. Another idea for you to consider putting in your kit would be a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer which is alcohol based. That could then be used on tinder to get a little extra flammability in really rainy conditions. Also, not an addition, but more of a hint: the petroleum jelly on the cotton balls can be used as lip balm. Both of the items I mentioned also have additional first aid uses. Like you said, redundancy is optimal.
2:52 "The Big Texan steakhouse" matchbook....brings back memories. I used to stop there ever time i was through Amarillo, never tried the 72oz steak though but my mother did and she was on the wall.
I like your sunglasses man
Hi, Don! Was happy to see you had a Fresnel lens in your fire kit. Many people don't think about them. One thing that I carry in addition to everything that you showed is a small pencil sharpener to make tinder shavings from twigs and sticks...
Love your videos, brother! Keep up the excellent and valuable informational videos!!!
having good old fashion wax paper in your kit is great for starting a fire. it will burn hot and take a spark from your fire steel. it folds flat and weighs almost nothing.
There's one change that jumps out at me: Having your fire kit in a tough bag is convenient. However, it also means that if you lose that one bag, you're without a way to make fire. Having the fire kit is good, but have backups in other locations around your gear and on your person. When I was in Alaska, I never went anywhere without a lighter and a knife in my pocket. I have a ferro rod in just about every bag I own, they're in my vehicle, in coat pockets.
This is an excellent point.
I had the same thought at first, but I am pretty sure he has mentioned having multiple fire kits, lighters, tinder packs, rods, etc. stashed all around his bags for exactly this reason. I mean, he's not stupid so as to put ALL firestarting gear in one bag, not a single piece anywhere else ("but I have the fire bag, duh!"), and then after losing the firestarter bag says something more or less incoherent about hindsight being 20-20
I always have my zippo with torch insert in my pocket. My day pack/go bag has my fire kit but i also have a seperate cigar kit for when i'm out if i forget something and it has another torch lighter in it
I have 2 peanut lighters, a mini ferro rod, and a Psook striker on my necklace. I've got a Swiss Army Knife, 2 flashlights, a multitool, fatwood pendant, and a ferro rod on my keyring, and the zip pull on my handbag and on my coat, are mini Ferro rods. Not that I'm paranoid. Much.
I swear, Sootch...you think of EVERYTHING! What a great kit to have! Thanks for all the great information!
I also keep a container of Magnesium Shavings ( inexpensive on eBay ) for very tough conditions.
A few sticks of Fatwood are great addition to your Fire Kit. You can get large packages of it at Walmart and most hardware stores, and it's rather inexpensive. Fatwood is very oily and is an excellent tinder. I've used it for years to start my wood stove. The pieces are also quite small, so they will fit nicely in a kit.
It's good to see you getting back to the techniques of survival. Don't get me wrong about the product reviews you have been doing a lot of lately, they are certainly helpful and I have acted on several of them, but it is good to see you talking about the techniques of survival and the mind set that goes with that. Thanks!!! Great Channel and videos!!!!
I have tea candles and those plain white candles. I have read in various books that by first lighting a candle, even a skinny little birthday cake candle, you can avoid using a second match, burning lighter fluid or reducing your fire rod. They can also be used for light or heat.
Second thing that comes to mind is in regards to tinder. I have saved a ton of chop sticks, popsicle sticks and tongue depressors, which incidentally are sold as craft supplies. And I save short pieces of 1x2 wood or fur strips to trim into shorter thin lengths and then I can drill a hole in one end to attach to a knife sheath, key ring or fire starter such as a magnesium bar. This would provide dry wood that can be shaved.
Excellent kit. You really covered the bases. I teach a minor fire building class for outdoor school for 5-8th grade and you had some things in there I didn't know of. I like the fire steel without the plastic junk and the small aluminum lighter. Good job and thanks for sharing.
It may have been mentioned in previous comments but a road flare is another good way to get instant fire without a lot of effort in an emergency. All the best.
I like the concept of a fire kit. love the comments of redundancy. I would like to add education and aquisition of primitive fire making skills and conservation of contemporary fire making tools. the matches, the fuel lighters, even the ferro rod are consumables. I use the most primitive method possible for the situation at hand. The premiss is Redundancy, 1is none, 2 is one, and 3 is what you need. that's a minimum, specially with fire. Educate and aquire new skills. Conserve your resources, you never know how long you'll be out.
I would like to say thank you. You have helped me get some good idea's for a fire kit.
I realize this is a couple years old now, but i recently found a product that I personally believe has been one of the most important additions to my fore kit. Its called the Ugly Stick Re-usable Match. I am in no way associated with this product, but am a true believer. I found it on ebay and thought it would be worth trying out. It is light weight, easy to light with a ferro rod, has a good burn time, and is water resistant. Makes ignition from a ferro extremely easy. I do practice fire skill with ferro and knife only, but this addition is worth a place in my fire kit and certainly worth consideration.
Put a small piece of aluminum foil in the kit to start the fire on wet ground
David Trommler, DC I include some baking parchment as well, for the same purpose but it's flammable so it can be used for tinder in a pinch
Good ideas, both of you, thanks.
Winner of a video, I have been researching "making a bug out bag" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Janameron Tenylan System - (just google it ) ? Ive heard some decent things about it and my buddy got excellent results with it.
I have a similar sized kit in my car. I have a shtf firesteel,cottonballs and vaseline, alcohol pads, a mini bic lighter,storm matches and a surplus west german pocket stove with the fuel tabs and a swiss army knife camper. I do like that Numyth lighter.
The best survival kit is pure knowledge and experience and practiceing the basics
I have never seen those style of matches before...awesome,I have 2 packs of 2 packs of Coleman's camp matches time to upgrade. I also carry a small pack of birthday candles I have used several times to help get damp wood going.
I know this video is nearly 3 years old but, fantastic setup you have here and I'll be following this layout you have here. Thanks for the great review.
Great minds think alike. I was putting together some stuff in the garage and picked up a stick of fatwood. Now, I've seen people drill a hole and put it on a bit of twine. Then, we have the ubiquitous pet balls. Then, you have the issue of starting a fire on wet ground. Finally, since it was a rainy day, I reverse wrapped some jute twine I had to bulk it up. So, I trimmed the fatwood to fit in my pouch, I drilled a hole near one end, I rubbed my hand wrapped jute cord with vaseline, tied a stopper knot in the end and threaded it through the hole in the fatwood, then wrapped it around the fatwood. I took this to the kitchen and spooled off a bit of aluminum foil (about 2 s.f.) and burrito-wrapped the cord wrapped bit of fatwood. Voila! For about $0.50, I have four feet of vaseline impregnated 1/8" jute cord, a 3/4" square x 6" long stick of fatwood, wrapped in a water-repellent ground mat . . . and it kept me from being bored in the rain for almost a half hour!
Great video. Another suggestion as a "last resort", keep small (separate) containers of "Glycerin" and "Potassium Permanganate" (KMnO4). Mix a little of each together and you will get an "instant" fire even in wet conditions. Plus "Potassium Permanganate" can be used to treat water for drinking. You can see a video of its use here: Make a "Matchless" Survival Fire Kit
I love my Micro Pocket organizer. I EDC mine.
For my fire kit I use a black three pocket apron I received at a previous job of mine, I liked the idea of the apron because I could just pull it out of my bag and quickly tie it around my waist so I could have easy and fast access to all my fire tools
That is a great kit. I need to revisit mine. Agreed, each option has pros and cons depending on the environment. Your kit pretty much covers all bases. The only thing I would suggest is adding is possibly a lighter that can produce a wind resistant flame, in case you need to start a fire in windy conditions.
As always, another great video. Keep up the gr8 work!
Very nice kit, I moved mine up to the Mini so I could add a Live Fire tin, and I always keep a metal pencil sharpener to make nice tinder
I like those plasma arch lighters, because they can be charged with any USB device (and solar charger), making them potentially last forever without "fuel". You should also be able to fit one of those small collapsable bellows in your kit. Being able to blow a direct stream of air on your embers is very useful for getting a fire going, or rejuvenating an old fire.
Nice kit!! I know this is a survival channel but I am a hiker and I carry multiple ways to start a fire. The days it rains all day and can't get a fire started I know for a fact can be miserable nights.
I subbed you I think maybe two years ago, I like your kit reveals I always get good ideas on stuff that I would like or could use.. I also like your bloopers at the end, I like the fact that you're all right and comfortable with showing the TH-cam world as they call it not everyone is perfect, thank you so much for all your ideas and our community
Great video Dom,
I also keep some foil and a pencil sharpener in my kit
I like to include birthday cake candles. Small enough to carry a few and do the trick in a low wind situation. They keep a flame for a good while and once the tinder starts you can toss the rest of the candle in to help the fire build on itself. It's hard to beat jellied cotton balls but like the most important thing you said, it's good to vary your options.
JC Wood
I prefer to Carrie those small circle candles that have the aluminum case around them so that you can lay them on the ground even if it's wet
A tiny flashlight so that you can see while preparing the tinder/fire. I keep a Streamlight Nano in mine. Super small & lightweight but it puts out an amazing amount of light when it's dark.
One of my favorite piece of kit is two things. One, I have an old Hudson Bay Company tobacco tin with a mag. Lens. I prefer to keep a good plug of pine resin in there and a little char and some fungus. Next I alway put a ranger band around my bic lighter. Living in the Pacific Northwest on the ocean where the weather is either; drizzel rain or hard rain for months on end I have found that I can get a fire started in rain and high winds with one of those never fail.
Great vid. Thanks for the info! My current fire kit is a surplus compass pouch with a lighter, firesteel, magnesium bar, striker, and an old film canister filled with vasoline soaked cotton balls. After seeing this vid I think I'll pick up a maxpedition pouch like that one. One thing I've read about and may add is some trick birthday candles. Also I keep that same fresnel lense you showed in my wallet on me at all times. Keep up the great work man!
Just want to point out that fire steel you're supposed to strike with non-serrated / straight side if the striker. Other side looks like an emergency small saw.
Thanks for the review and comments on this Sootch. Always enjoy your videos and have made a lot of purchases based on your recommendations. Happy New Year and look forward to your new vids!
I wrap the carry handle with jute twine and when you need it you can take some off and fluff it up. This could get wet though so you should probably put it in the pouch itself. This way, you can store loads of tinder and it catches a spark really easily.
Nice kit! I know everyone says to get the white lighters but I prefer the one you got. This is why, if you rip the plastic off the lighter it is more likely a white lighter but you can also light the plastic which should be waterproof after a good wipe. Just a thought I haven't tried yet.
Also steel wool and a 9 volt battery is excellent.
Alcohol hand sanitizer is flammable enough to use as fire starter as well sootch. They come in compact containers for carrying in EDC bag. Hand sanitizer plus fire starter.
REM firearm oil wipes are great for fire material. It's gauze soaked in REM oil. Comes in water proof package. A small bottle of gun powder is helpful all you need is a spark.
Some cordages are reasonably flammable and still strong enough to hold things together, I can't remember the name for the life of me but I've got about a thousand feet kicking around the house. Not paracord but it does work as well so it might be a good idea to stuff a few feet of cordage in your fire kit.
Good video!
a bit of charcloth and a firesteel, you can often flind flint if needed
add in some fatwood, a small 5hr enegery bottle of fuel for the lighter
i make my firekits in empty cleaned out peanut butter jars to help keep every thing dry
Useful additions. Magnesium Powder. Pencil Sharpener. Ranger bands. Fire Dragon blocks. Candle. I would also use something more waterproof than a Maxpedition pouch.
Great Stuff as usual! I love those trioxaine bars! Used them a bunch in the military. They are a sure fire every time!
Great video. Which maxpedition bag is that?
Matt Brewer Maxpedition Mini Pocket Organizer
had a newby in my platoon actually eat a trioxaine bar. needless to say he got med-evaced. was ok after stomach pump.
I used those trioxane blocks, too. Good stuff. I have a package of them in the emergency box in the back of my car.
Saw you use it for one of the fires, drier lent. I keep it in my kit.
Strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof case; Bic Lighter, fatwood stick(s), fire piston, char cloth, stormproof matches, firesteel, cotton balls dipped in wax OR vaseline (though the wax-dipped is less messy), dryer lint in sealed plastic cylinder. I use a slightly larger Maxpedition case for mine.
Forgot about my magnesium block! Small rectangular block with attached ferro rod. Use the included striker (short hacksaw blade) or pocket knife blade to scrape shavings and strike the ferro rod.
I have a similar fire kit using the regular EDC Maxpedition Pouch. I put a couple of fire steels, a magnesium bar and striker, Waterproof matches and a Bic lighter. I keep some Esbit cubes and a 3 Trioxane packs. I also have a tin of Mini Inferno fire disks. I don't keep a fresnel lens or magnifying glass as I find that the toughest way to start a fire. I also keep a small wind up flashlight. But I plan to add a EDC pocketknife. Great suggestion!
A zip tie around the switch mechanism on the Bic lighter will prevent any accidental release of fuel. personally I would also remove the child safety , No fun at all with frozen fingers
buy an electronic hand warmer and you wont have that problem - I dont
Great video mate, love the little demos. good way of getting the viewer engaged
I've used dryer lint mostly because it free and I've been looking at the Bear Grylls Tinder Box that you can keep a lighter and some matches inside as a carrying case. You don't really need the knife in that case but its still good to have one. I've have yet to create any bags, I'm still doing the research on what it looks like I would want and can afford.
Char cloth, and I prefer beeswax dipped cotton balls over vaseline. Burn times are similar and all you have to do is crack open the ball and light, no meesy jelly.
I added some old gun powder to my kit as a add on.
I found several hundred rounds of 7.62x39 ammo in my local river magnet fishing, I wanted to cave the bullets that was the only good thing on them but the powder ( 1 quart jar) was good to put in my fire kit .
I think a rare earth magnet (300-500 lbs. pull force) would be a good item to add to a survival kit to find survival items that a person can not get to easily.
I carry a small amount of tender in my kit, I use it to help dry out other tender I collect on site. Like your kit.
Great informative video as always, maybe a suggestion would be to add a tampon to the pack
Nice collection of fire starters. May I suggest you try out a sugar packet or glycerin product mixed with some potassium permanganate. It will burn very well and the Potassium Permanganate can be used as an antiseptic as well as for water purification. This is widely used by the British Armed Forces for those purposes. It is used by water purification plants for cities as well.
You could keep pool chlorine in a film container (crushed up) the have a container of brake fluid and if you mix the it catches fire so that would also be a good thing to have in your kit
alcohol prep pads can also be used to help start your fire !! plus they are small so they dont take up a lot of space !!
Your fire Kit is awesome. I bought the same pouch and put very similar items in it. But I wanted to add The Steve Kaeser tin fire starting kit to mine. So I bought the maxpedition Fatty and was able to add all my fire preps into that pouch. Your prepping skills are way beyond mine but you should check out the Kaeser fire tin. You only had 1 piece of tinder in your fire kit. The Kaeser tin is small and compact and has lots of fatwood and jute twine with a fire steel for about $11 on amazon. It's a great little tin to add to a fire kit. I love your videos and have learned a lot from them. I also bought the Savage B17FV 17HMR rifle after seeing your review. Probably one of my favorite rifles I own. Thanks for what you do.
I would suggest that this fire kit is a little light on fire tinder. I like having multiple types. I have dyer lint, char cloth, cotton balls and vaseline and fine steel wool.
after reading through comments I will add fatwood.
To Josh Jordan, your tip about using the iodine wipe to purify water is excellent, could be a life saver.
I also have collected some birch bark in a small plastic bag for my fire kit
Great video, thanks! May I suggest a few sticks of fatwood. I keep a few small fatwood sticks, fatwood shavings and fatwood dust. I like to put a folded piece of aluminum foil in my fire kit if the ground is wet or to use to shield wind. Thanks again for your video.
the No1 thing about fire lighting kit is make it 100% waterproof, i would use a micro pelican case type case. Tampons are great firelighters and bring a small tea light candle. Fabric cases aren't great for fire elements and 100% agree about fire steels, 1 on your person and 1 in reserve in your kit. Char cloth is also excellent.
The refillable lighter you have here can use any fuel that lights from spark. Can even set up a wood gas collector to refill it.
Compressed towels
When they get wet they expand and when it drys it can be lit for a long time
I have little fuel cubes by Wet Fire that burn at about 1400 degrees and last about ten minutes each and you can also cut shavings off of them instead of using the whole cube at once. Plus they're all weather compatible.
Great kit. One of very few I have seen with a knife included (smart). I am not carrying anything you have not covered here, and I have been making and using fire kits for 25 years. A Bic will start 90% of all real life fires : )
Fatwood sticks, one stick lasts for a hundred fires if used correctly, little pile of shavings lights right up with a ferro rod and burns with a intense flame long enough to get kindling light up.. and its waterproof due to its high resin content, meaning it can be soaking wet, shake off the excess water and scrape your pile and it will still light up, its the most reliable tinder there is, if you know how to use it.
Personally I always pull off the useless plastic handle of the ferro rods and replace it with a carved piece of fatwood, that way I always got tinder close by if I cant find anything else, just carve it off the handle. (after its carved to shape it takes about 1+ week for the surface to dry up as before that its quite sticky due to the resin)
I made some "starters" with a paper egg crate, some pet shavings and a few blocks of parafin. They aren't very compact but you can keep the crate covered and cut off a block when you need them. They will burn for several minutes. (A co-worker gave me the idea.)
Hi! Can I get your opinion on perhaps:
- A crumbled Esbit cube or similar...
- candles. Any size that just doesn't fit a candle-holder/birthday cake....
- strike anywhere along with the waterproof matches (separated to not rattle together)....
- and in keeping the fire going: pruning shears to cut nugget sized pieces once fire is started.
Enjoying the work you do!
I have a few fire plugs & 2” cuttings of fire starting tape. They weigh almost nothing and they’ll light with a spark or flame.
I keep a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil (folded) to use as a base when the conditions are especially wet.
The Numyth lighter gave me an idea for something to add to the kit. You can find little Zippo fuel canisters on Amazon or probably your local Walmart even, might be a good idea to keep one in the kit so you can have at least one refill for the Tohil. They're pretty small and inexpensive.
I have a tea candle in mine. You can also keep a tube of chapstick in there as well for extra petroleum jelly or a candle (using a Q-tip head).
As far as survival fire kits go, a FANTASTIC piece of gear is a magnesium pencil sharpener. SUPER lightweight, easy to pack, can be used to make great tinder by "sharpening" sticks and collecting the shavings as they're sliced off. Added bonus of a magnesium body means you can use the magnesium to help the combustion of your tinder and it's silver, so with some know-how and some patience, it could be used to signal, though I would never ever depend on that specific use of the product - it's really just a little "bonus" of sorts. Hope that helps. Take care.
I forgot: The tiny blade can be used as a striker or cutting edge as well and you can make decent tent stakes out of green wood as well. Same goes for spiked frog gig, wooden arrow, blah blah blah, you get the idea...
Zachary Hawkins Few more thoughts, this is what happens when you type and watch simultaneously! A fire kit is fine, but you're better off spreading that kit out. That way you're never reduced to bow-drills if you lose your pack or whatever. Also, those big fire steels are great, but wildly unnecessary. Purchase the super tiny ones and leave that big fella at home. By preparing your tinder correctly and using JUST the tip of a firesteel instead of raking down the ENTIRE length of a firesteel, you get THOUSANDS of ignitions from a tiny firesteel that fits anywhere and saves on weight so you can pack other stuff. Sure, small steels can be lost, but that's user error. If you're too unorganized and you lose a small steel, chances are high you would've lost a big steel as well. Hope that helps. Take care.
You stole my thunder in your Fatwood and charcloth comment.
The only other you may want to try is makeup pads. I make them differently from anything I've seen on TH-cam and it's a bit time consuming, but they work great.
Take a makeup pad and put it in a small zip lock bag. Wrap 2 layers or toilet paper outside the sealed bag. Dip in candle wax. The wax provides a long burn time and the bag keeps the tender dry for easy lighting. Let me know if you try it out. Thanks for the videos.
You got yourself another sub. I'm going to watch more of your vids. I'll be moving to Montana and need some more survival gear and tips. Thanx
Great kit. My fire kit is very similar. Only thing I have in adittion to yours is a small fire piston. In a need fire now situation though the fire piston would probably be my last choice just due to my lack of profieciency with it.
I use a pelican case 1150 it might be above what's needed but I was thinking it will be used in my house for a SHTF also as well as where it is located in my Get Home Bag!
Great video! Also lots of great comments too. My two cents to add is some powdered or ground magnesium in pill bottle or other container and put it all in a Pelican 1040 case which is ver waterproof and durable. All items can be found on eBay for bargain prices. Keep up the great work.
Jute twine is also a simple reliable tinder, just wrap it around something to save space
I would also recommend some tin foil to act as a wind guard and to also act as a reflective
The foil can also protect the base of the fire from wet / damp ground.
Perfect ides♦
Get the military spark lite kit. They have ones where the striker is metal or brass. Heavy duty and never fails
If this was my fire kit. I'd forgo the spring loaded blast match. While it does do it's job, I find it to be finicky and a tad flimsy. I'd use the space for some other item. Perhaps a small little container of tiki torch oil to act as a boost of fuel for a dying fire. A small flashlight, another lighter, more tinder, etc, etc. Thank you for posting.
Thanks for all your hard work and insight Donald
Just another tool that would easily fit in your kit that I carry and doesn't weigh much would be one or two "trick" birthday candles. ;) Nice kit, brother! Mine is in a tin and probably a bit heavier, but I'm carrying fatwood and a binocular lens. Not many pine trees on the beach haha...
I like that small knife. It amuses me that I have so many things in my small (7”x 5” x 3”) “go to town” purse that I will undoubtedly never need in town, like a decent small knife, a small magnetic compass, tiny jar of Vaseline, hand sanitizer, a protein bar, a Fresnel (sp?) lens, a signal mirror...after all, I can check my lipstick in a signal mirror as easily as in a regular cosmetics mirror! Oh, and a loud, piercing signal whistle, too.
Just remember, dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot. That’s the only Morse code I can remember!
Thanks sootch for always reminding me I don't have any maxpedition gear. Thanks for the video :)
You have put tougther a well thought out fire kit with good redudancey. In saying that I think the blast match is unessary and you would be better severed to put another fuel tablet in your kit along with some fat wood. Because when it is wet and cold, finding tinder can be tricky so I like to go tinder heavy. Their is no point having 5 different ways to make a fire if you have nothing to light.
Nice fire kit. Love the Maxpedition pouch :)
Great video, one thought though. The Bic lighter should maybe be considered a three season tool. I recently was out , 10 degree day minus wind chill, my bic got to cold and refused to light. Once in the house it lit right up. Maybe carry a small piece of fatwood. Love your channel..
If you take the filter out of your drier you and scrap it off you can use what u scrap off as tender but it only last for a few seconds but it will get a fire goin
Steel wool, you can use your flash light batterys to lite it or the battery out of your phone too. There are great videos about how to mod your army crookneck falshlight for this but some of the information is valid to any flashlight.
You will have to use a square batterie to use it I think
Nick Jenks I use the battery pack out of disposable Polaroid film cartage. They can have 6 to 8 volts when "thrown out" plus they are flat and the contacts can be covered with tape to keep it from shorting out while in the fire pouch.
The crazyrussianhacker dose a video to light a fire with this too
um am i the only person that tried other ways to light steel wool? i find that even a good spark from flint will light it. a ferro rod works great. electrically speaking any voltage that will short out the size steel wool (0 and finer work OK 0000 if my favorite) if you have the leads to a solar panel on a sunny day should also work. AA and AAA type battery are hard to use because the wool lights up under your fingers when each end is pressed but the can work as well if careful. can also use a foil backed gum wrapper that is cut thin in the middle, i like this one cuz it actually flames up instead of just gets really hot but both have there place.
Tesla Matrix You can just touch both 9V. battery terminals to steel wool & you'll have instant fire. Have tinder ready, it burns fast.
The fire piston is a must have in a fire kit.
Even lighters that no longer produce a flame is still a good fire starter because of the spark it still gives.