Bushcraft basics: Trioxane!!!

[RGR SNAPLINK]

So I have been on a fire starter kick lately. My latest aquisition in flippin amazing. It is dirt cheap ($2 for a box of 3) and super easy to use.

What I have, and what I have found for sale, is the USGI offerings.



So I recently made a little burn pit in my backyard. What better place to test out my latest fire starter?



So the guy who turned me onto them told me that you can start completely soaking wet wood ablaze with them. I figured for my first run with them, I would use green wood. Wood that would normaly be extremely hard and stupid to try and start a fire with.
So, I dug a little pit,


Threw in one tab of Trioxane,


shot it with my fire steel and it instantly lit up.


I took my green sticks and just piled them on. I didn't wait for the little ones to catch, I just threw them all on.





So I had to go to work so I couldn't let it burn too long. But, as you can see, a fire one could definately work with!
It is important to know, if you get some of these little tabs, they mostly burn with invisible flames. You can see some small little white and blue flames, but there are larger ones you can't see. Approach your fire with caution.

[Chef]

Do they not issue trioxane anymore?

[Frank]

i think its been replaced by this?
http://www.countycomm.com/firegel.htm

[RGR SNAPLINK]

No, not issued. At least not where I was at. The focus was so much on the GWOT, that a lot of those old skills and practices are gone.

[Chef]

The focus was so much on the GWOT, that a lot of those old skills and practices are gone.

That's just . . . sad. Typical, but sad.

I keep a small supply with my gear for emergency firestarting or brew-ups, and about a dozen boxes in the stockpile. Be careful to protect the packaging, if the foil gets a hole in it the trioxane will slowly evaporate-- do maintenance checks on your stash often! If you're using the stuff as a heat source, you don't really need a canteen cup stove support for brewing up, you can scratch a small trench with your fingers or whatever to set the trioxane in, then place your canteen cup over it. Don't burn it in an enclosed space.

[Dogan]

I carry a bar of Trioxane in my jacket all the time, and love them. They are great for pretty much anything. Also, the gel lights easier than the bar itself.

[hangfire]

Dirt cheap is right! Mind sharing where you found it at that price?

[RGR SNAPLINK]

Dirt cheap is right! Mind sharing where you found it at that price?

Of course, kinda embarassed I didn't think to do it earlier.
http://www.google.com/products?q=trioxa ... =en&tab=wf

[ODA 226]

Trioxane does work great to start fires, but remember that it also produces a very distinctive smell that can carry for hundreds of meters.

[offcamber]

Trioxane does work great to start fires, but remember that it also produces a very distinctive smell that can carry for hundreds of meters.

That distinctive smell is highly toxic, so best used in an open area and try not to breathe it. I agree though, they make great firestarters.

Couple of other pointers: Its toxic in solid and gas form.

-keep your hands clean after using, you don't want to be touching this stuff then prepping food.
-its best to burn the whole bar once the package is open, you don't want that stuff inside a cook tin or the dust floating around you bag.

[the_alias]

That is a nice fire pit you've made!
I've never seen Trioxane actually, looks to be good in the wet.

[Black November]

Are we not using PJ cotton balls anymore?

found this also:
http://www.surplusplanet360.com/Milpack-Gel-Ration-Beverage-Heating-System-200pk-14-9663-200pk.html

[mk_ultra]

Triox is a essential part of my kit .

[RGR SNAPLINK]

Are we not using PJ cotton balls anymore?

found this also:
http://www.surplusplanet360.com/Milpack-Gel-Ration-Beverage-Heating-System-200pk-14-9663-200pk.html

I featured this because it's simple, easy, wont burst under pressure (like the gel) so you can keep it in your bag and not worry about it. It is also cheap. Not as cheap as PJ balls, but will start wet wood on fire. PJ balls wont do that, unless you have a whole mess of em!

[danzig]

I also found these and have used them to start fires. Found out a spoon full of sterno smeared on wood or just a pile on ground works just as good, easier to get and cheaper!

[sigboy40]

The gel is supposed to be vapor free, but I also have had problems with the package bursting and making a mess of itself.

[dukman]

I saw some at the local sportin' good store once, but decided not too get it because of the "best by" dates on the package. Some of the reviews I have read say they really are not good for much past that date. Many of the other alternative fire starting methods have no best by date, so I chose to have them in my pack instead.

[Frank]

id rather invest in Esbit tabs...i had a few that i left unwrapped for two months that still lit up yesterday. (wanted to see if they would still work)

[Thug Hunter]

We used to sprinkle MRE salt on our trioxane heat tabs, and it seemed to cut the smell a lot.

[angelofwar]

Another advantage of Trioxane, with it's high burn temps, is how FAST you can cook food with it. I used one with an Esbit folding stove and a USGI Canteen cup. Cooked a can of beans in 30 seconds. I was hooked from there on out. the two downsides, as other have mentioned is:

1) You have to use the whole bar, or it get's everywhere. I'm sure you could get some uber small, tight sealed containers, to contain the mess, but that's one more thing to have to pack/worry about.

2) The aluminum packets can "wear"/"rub" open, and the powder can get everywhere. I'm not sure I want toxic trioxane residue floating around in my BOB, with my snuff and ice cold beers

[sigboy40]

I jus used some this past weekend to start a fire. I had hiked up a mountain during the frost snowfall of the year. It dropped about an inch of wet heavy snow and my boots were soaked. I made my tinder pile and was unable to start a fire with gasoline cotton balls, among many other methods. The only thing that started the fire was trioxane. It allowed me to dry my boots out and continue on my trip. If I hadn't gotten them dry, I probably would have had to come down early.

[sturmotter]

I'd rather use Esbit/hexamine tabs, because trioxane is toxic and has about half the heat value. Not that hexamine is your best friend either, but it only releases the bad stuff when actually burning. A note on trioxane from Zen Stoves: "These fuel tabs contain metaformaldehyde which is toxic and releases formaldehyde gas (also toxic) when it decomposes. This fuel is toxic despite the many websites that claim theirs are "nontoxic". You shouldn't eat without first washing your hands after handling this fuel and the fumes aren't much fun either."

[Isheian]

Yeah its bad for you, but trioxane will light just about anything ablaze.