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.