This may be the most singularly useless item one could pack, or it might come in handy to a few. You decide. Take a jar of Carmex lip balm, add a wick, and presto: the Carmex Candle.



On the plus side, it smells really nice, and besides offering a bit of light, might help take the edge off any funky odors in your tent just a bit. Enjoy!

Michael

thats a pretty good idea, I use a tealight candle to read. It weighs very little, and gives off a lot of light. How long does the carmex burn for?

Me likes! :~)>

multi-use gear!!

"multi-use gear!!"


If you can exercise both uses simultaneously, I'll be impressed. ;P

Better yet, do it on video, one handed. ;)

Very cool. Weight???

Thought about using it for cooking? If one flame isn’t enough, may two??? Depends upon how long the candle would last, but this could turn it into triple use. :)

This is an excellent idea. My compliments, Michael.

I had actually wondered in a pedestrian way about things like this before, but never tried it. Fats and waxes have a much greater heat of combustion in air than alcohol. I think Roger Caffin may have authored an article about candle-stoves that appeared on BPL a while ago.

I wonder if you could use a solid vegetable fat like coconut oil for a large candle in a lightweight container. Then it would be quadruple-purpose:

1. skin/lip protectant
2. cooking fuel
3. edible cooking oil
4. light source

I gotta try this. where can i get some wick?

Edited by wwyjedi on 12/24/2010 21:25:09 MST.

You can get wicks at most craft stores like Micheals. I've even seen it at WalMart before.

BTW: Great idea to the OP

Full article on candle stoves at
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/candle_stoves.html

Explorations into Candle Stoves
Mark Hurd and Roger Caffin

Cheers

Great idea! I'm a little concerned, though, because the little Carmex containers, which used to be made of some kind of glass, are now plastic :-(. Would the flame be hot enough to burn or melt the plastic and produce toxic fumes?

Edited by Ekdog on 12/26/2010 06:54:18 MST.