that I can keep in the truck for a just in case situation.  Plan on making some cotton balls and vaseline tinder.

Brand suggestions?  There's a million different ones on amazon

I keep a few cheap Bic lighters in every vehicle.

I have 5 or six in my truck. Don't overthink making fire.

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While a BIC lighter is always a good idea, they won't work if it's really cold.

I know for a fact that Vaselined cotton balls and a Blast Match will start fires at -45*.

I use a combination of UST WetFire tinder, the stuff that lights  in a puddle and Vaseline cotton balls.




-P

Road flares work well.

I use them to start brush piles on fire.

I have some of the blackbeard fire starter plugs.

small, inexpensive, light easily and stay lit for some time.

https://blackbeardfire.com/

I had a couple of days off one winter and decided to clean up some brush one cold winter's day.   It was over 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit so the first order of business was to start a fire.   I had some leftover construction debris that I figured would make good kindling.   When I split it to make smaller pieces it did not split along the grain.   Some of the splits were 45 degrees across the width of the wood.   My guess is that it was so cold that the structure of the wood was affected.   Anyway, I got some kindling and paper ready to burn but the bic lighters that I had in my pocket would only work for a second or so before they would quit.   I would put them back in my pocket to warm back up and try a different one.   Again, only a second or so then it would quit.   I would have thought that the warmth of my hand would keep them working longer but it didn't.   So I switched to a ferro rod and cotton balls with vaseline.   The cotton balls turned rock hard and the sparks just bounced off of them.   The bic lighters wouldn't stay lit long enough to light them either.  So I soaked the wadded up paper with fluid from hand warmer and lit that.   It still took two tries to get the fire going.   It wasn't even wet.   Moral of the story?   Options are good.  

I keep a lot more stuff in my truck than most people do.   One thing that I added to my stuck is a one poind propane cylinder and a $11.00 propane torch head with electronic igniter.   If the vehicle becomes disabled I can use it as a poor man's heater (with ventilation of course) or to start fires.   I started doing this after I stopped to help one guy that was stranded on the side of the road.   His car was dead, he had been there for a couple of hours and he was shivering cold.   It wasn't even that cold out at the time.   There was snow on the ground but it wasn't below zero.   I figured a propane canister and torch head were cheap enough and another option was good.   You can expect propane to stop working at around -40F.   At that point it stays liquid and won't evaporate.

Get a ferro rod and learn to use it.

Empty scrip bottle filled with cotton balls that are partially coated in Vaseline, that's a big help.

Vaseline cotton balls burn for a minimum of 1minute 30 seconds with flames as high as 3-4” for a 1” cotton ball with a dime size dab of Vaseline. I know because I have timed it. Baylite ferro rods are good. They are 1/2” wide by 6”. They aren’t too soft and not too hard. Get a few baylite carbide scrapers. Tie a loop of hi viz rope to the ferro rod. Murphys law is as universal as gravity. The one time you think you don’t need a hi viz cord loop to find the black ferro rod will be the time you drop it when it’s raining and the sun is going down in leaves.

Bic lighters get cold and take a while to light up. For a reusable, absolutely temperature resistant ignition source nothing beats a ferro rod. Absolutely nothing. Stormproof matches are a good idea. But you get far less lights than a ferro rod. If anyone disagrees, you are welcome to, but is a flare reusable, is it waterproof? What about a butane lighter? They need warmed up if it’s below 40. Despite that I still do carry a bic lighter or a

Hexamine is another good material to burn. It is mildly toxic but it will be effective as a several minutes long ignition source what will fire up from a spark. It is not waterproof though.

Here are the items I highly recommend, and I have tried a LOT of things. These are by far the easiest, most durable and just plain work.

Consider coughlans fuel tabs (hexamine) if you want to experiment. Those will work for some applications. If I did not have much space and say I was carrying things as small and as light as possible, for slightly more cost I’d consider Blackbeard firestarter plugs.


If you cannot get Vaseline cotton balls to ignite in 20 below you need to carry wax paper along as a tinder and make sure the cotton ball has a spot that is just cotton so it can ignite easy. Another solution is to carry the Vaseline and cotton and mix them as needed so you always have cotton that will readily take a spark and flame up easily. If you can’t ignite a cotton ball with ferro rod that’s about as silly as being unable to light gasoline on fire with a match.

Gobspark Armadegon is the best firesteel I've used.

3/8" soft Mischmetal steel throws giant burning blobs o metal sparks, and the oversized striker lets you put a lot of force into it.

https://firesteel.com/gobspark-armageddon-and-palm-scraper-2-piece-kit/



UCO Stormproof matches are also great, basically like a 10 second micro roadflare. Also other applications.

https://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Revolution-Stormproof-Waterproof-Windproof/dp/B08NTNXM79

Of course, the best fire starter should already be in your car already - Road Flares.

For a heater in a car at low cost I’d get a sleeping bag. If you get into a ditch in the winter and a window gets busted do you have enough clothes on to stay alive if it takes 4 hours for someone to get to you? What if it’s -30 below with a wind chill and you happen to have the window busted that is facing the wind? Always plan for the worst scenario, because Murphys law will kick your ass every time. A winter rated sleeping bag and perhaps a drum liner trash bag around the outside to cut down on the wind blowing through the stitching will work much better than the propane torch as an improvised heater. It only takes 3 hours to die of exposure, as it is the fastest killer out of the 3. It’s 3 hours of exposure to extreme heat or cold, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.
I always have a military winter sleeping bag in the car every winter. I camp a lot and you never know when you may absolutely need it. Look at those people stuck on the highway last winter for 16 hours or something in a massive wreck. I have done this for years before that ever happened. The cold does not play around, you goddamn well be ready for it.

A bit of wood ash, saw dust and just enough kerosene to make a semi dry paste, put in a plastic bottle with a lid.

Stuff works well, stays lit for a bit to light small sticks grass etc

These are even better to make than cotton balls with Vaseline

You don't spark on the Vaseline, you tear the cotton ball open and spark on the cotton fibers that ignite easily (even a cold Bic will spark) and it will ignite the Vaseline.

For a “just in case” emergency fire starter to keep in your car or truck go to Walmart or any marine store and buy the 3 pack of Orion marine flares . They’re made to light in any weather and are made to take abuse and even light while wet . Much better made than the typical road flare sold today .

The round cotton makeup disc's in the video dipped in a 2 to 1 mix of melted wax and charcoal lighter fluid. Tear open to expose the fibers and hit with a ferro rod, lighter,  etc. A dip can will hold about 10 of these. Each individual one burns for about 5 minutes and puts out a solid high flame.

I like the marine flares for the cars.  

Usually keep things in threes for fire kit.  Magnesium bar w striker, matches and lighter w tinder.  

Or ferro rod and tinder, matches and lighter.  Usually matches and lighter are constant.

The Vaseline and cotton balls is always a good choice.  There’s others out there so having a couple of options there is a plus.  

Another option is the long burning candles and maybe a candle lantern.  Works good in a tent, car or under a wool blanket in a pinch.  
Lantern can get hot tho so be careful.

In the winter, some wool blankets go in the truck and car.  Even an old bed comforter will be good if it doesn’t get wet. Just bulky.
That and a plastic tarp could be a solution to staying dry and surviving cold until help arrives.

Fire sticks/starter kits are a gimmick. Been camping my entire life and nothing beats a Bic lighter. They are so cheap you can buy a bunch and just scatter them all over your “kit”. I have 2 in each vehicle, 2 all my back packs and travel bags, and dozens home and  shed. Heck I even got one stashed away in my MOE grip.

I keep a package in every vehicle and packs in all of my emergency kits.  If you can't light a fire with these you're past help.

Don’t forget gloves

Hard to start a fire if your hands won’t work.

Bic lighter, ferro rod and either a magnifying glass or flint and steel. The more ways you know how to start a fire the better.

Negative, the Vaseline doesn't ignite, it prevents the cotton ball from burning up quickly. As the Vaseline melts, the exposed cotton ball continues to burn.

I drill a hole in a chunk of fat wood and put it on a loop with a large ferro rod and a piece of hack saw blade. Shave a bit off the fat wood and it catches sparks pretty easy

Be wary of UST WetFire. The flammable ingredient evaporates over time, even in the sealed package (if it feels 'shriveled' in the package, it'll probably be useless).

As someone mentioned; UST Blastmatch + cotton balls (or dryer lint, which is free. Dryer lint from any synthetic fleece is VERY flammable) dipped in Vaseline.

Keep the Vaseline dipped balls in those old 35mm film canisters (the canisters are available on Amazon). The entire setup can be used one-handed (in case one hand is injured/compromised).

The Blastmatch was deliberately designed so it could be operated one-handed (If you've used it already, and plan to store it, or stick it in a BOB, wax the scraped portion of the ferro rod, otherwise it WILL corrode from exposure to moisture in the air).

The Vaseline dipped balls in the 35mm film canisters can also be opened 1-handed (or with cold, numb hands) by simply placing the container on the ground, on its side, and stepping on it.

I've carried a Windmill Quest/UST Trekker wind and waterproof jet lighter as my backwoods fire starter (and BOB lighter) for over a decade. The Blastmatch and Vaseline balls are the backup.

S.O.L. Survive has a couple of thermal reflective bivvy bags that are WAY better than the typical mylar survival blankets.

Material is stronger, and the bag traps heat/warm air much better than the blankets. They don't fold into a 2"x2"x1/3" package, but they're still easy to stick in a vehicle.

The Vaseline is a petrolatum based fuel. It effectively works like a candle, or oil lamp. The cotton/dryer lint is the wick.

Dryer lint with Vaseline... Plenty of dryer lint...

road flares.

Buddy showed me this.  Stored it in empty toilet paper rolls in a zip lock baggie.  Worked well.

I've had the propane cylinder freeze up and stop working around 20 degrees before

The UCO matches mentioned above are pretty cool. I played with them for a while. Left one in a cup of water for a few minutes, still lit. Fairly hard to blow out. The stick itself doesn’t catch on fire, just the coating burns off.

Ferro rod and magnesium tends to produce great results. Most people are stingy with the magnesium. You can get premade baggies of mag chips for cheap. Put a wad of mag chips on top of your dryer lint and vaseline, on top of some more substantial tinder. With more twigs and junk to try and light from the vaseline flame.

I don’t actually have any normal petroleum jelly, so I tried Bag Balm and that works well enough.

I agree with the BIC lights laying around everywhere...

For light and simple - take a look at a Spark-Lite

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00029EWIA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I keep a sterno can, emergency candles, bic, blastmatch, marine signal flare and jet stove in my car when i do trips across the mountains in winter

Oh and one of these

Bic
Ferro with striker

Keep both.

Maybe not for in the car but a Diaper filled with gas or diesel is the best fire starter there is.

It is Napalm.  

The diaper will gel the gas and burn like a large candle for a long time.

There are some credit card-sized Fresnel lenses on slamazon for cheap. They work even with moderate sunlight, weigh nothing, and take up almost no space.

I keep one of those; a mini Bic; some NATO weatherproof matches; a candle; a Maratac signal mirror; some nails wrapped in Gorilla tape; fishing line and hooks; a sewing needle, safety, pin, and thread; empty Ziploc; Potable Aqua; and 30' of paracord in a surplus NBC decon kit container.

Speaking of magnifiing glasses, many orienteering compass' have small magnifiers and they will get a fire going if you have good light.

What I have is.

Black Beard Fire Starter and Ferro Rod.
Bic lighter (In my pocket).
Road Flares.