My fireworks, usually what I'm packing in the backpack.

Firepaste, Firesteel, Pink Lady candle, dry-peeled Birch bark, BIC, and a brain

piston fire starter and heaps of char and pine resin  

My 2 gripes.  Pistons are heavy..  And they seem to be pretty much fair weather devices.

But then, I haven't played with them much

If I was to go deep woods for a while I would always carry  one or more of the following.

1.Steel wool+9volt battery
2.Impregnated cotton or lint in film canister
3. Magnifying glass
4. Magnesium fire starter (best Ive seen is a blast match)
5. Matched
6. Bic Lighter
7. Pyrodex pellets (for muzzleloader) are also handy.

I live in a rain forest, and the wood is almost always very wet. The egg carton fire starters work well. I made mine by putting planer shavings and sawdust in the egg carton and then pouring in the melted wax. While it was still liquid, I put two strike-anywhere kitchen matches into each cup, heads down. I figure I could pick the matches out with my knife if I had to, say if my lighter or other matches were not working. These are a little bulky; I carry a couple of these for difficult firestarting.

If it is not so wet, I also usually have a few birthday candles, or a plumber's candle. The candles are not so all or nothing, and can be blown out and reused, and you can drip wax onto the fire where it is needed as it is just getting going.

another for cotton balls soaked in vasaline.....though I was too lazy to make any for this trip.  

nothing snowpeak stove wouldnt start with a little coaxing in a rain   .

A bag of Fritos.  Use one to start the fire and have the rest for a snack. They burn forever.

Small size Purell hand sanitizer the clear unscented kind at the checkout counter at Wally world helps to have after a gutting or after you sit on a log at around 10 am ha ha. I tried it and it works great as a fire starter

Wind proof lighter and vaseline cotton balls. Always keep your fire starter in your pockets, not in your pack. I have had the misfortune of getting seperated (loosing it for hours) from my pack several times after some stalks.

9 Volt battery ,steel wool and cedar chips.

Belly button lint and pocket lint.  A birthday candle in your pack makes an easy fire.
When we do fire competitions, it is amazing to see how many start a fire and then try to gather tinder and wood.  Better to get plenty od tinder and wood first

Fat wood, work great, smell even better.

I like the cotton balls and vaseline, because the vaseline as multiple other uses. Lips, o-rings on water filter etc.

flint steel on wool with cotton balls and vaseline