Issue #018
One petroleum jelly cotton ball burns three minutes in the rain
Plus the reason your bars fade two hours into a blackout, even on a full charge.
Monday, August 17, 2026 · Emergency Skills
A cotton ball worked full of petroleum jelly burns for about three minutes. A dry match gives you twenty seconds.
Today’s Skill
Three minutes of flame in the wet
Pull a cotton ball apart, work petroleum jelly into the fibers, and store a dozen in an old mint tin. Fluff one open before you light it so the dry fibers catch. Build on a platform of finger-thick sticks so wet ground does not steal your heat. Feed pencil-lead tinder first, then pencil-thick, then thumb-thick. Split wet branches and use the dry core. Keep the tin in your pack, not a hot truck console.
On The Radar
Cell towers run on batteries too
August pushes air conditioners hard, and afternoon storms drop lines on top of that. When your power goes, cell sites nearby run on backup batteries measured in hours, not days. Bars fade even though your phone is charged. Charge banks tonight. Download offline maps for your county. Keep a battery radio on the shelf. Write two numbers on paper so a borrowed phone still works for you.
The Drill
Soak one, light one, tonight
Make ten cotton ball starters tonight. Drop one in a cup of water for a full minute. Pull it out, squeeze it, fluff the fibers open, and light it outside on bare dirt or concrete. Time the burn. If it dies fast, you skimped on the jelly. Fix the batch, label the tin, and put it in your pack before bed.
Ready beats lucky.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Forward this to the person who still keeps one lighter and calls it a fire kit.