Thanks for the additional information. I haven't done much yet, except go shopping. I've read that cotton balls with a dab of petroleum jelly make good firestarters, so I bought a big bag of one and jar of the other at Big Lots for a total of $3. I also bought some cheap hacksaw blades at Harbor Freight tools to use for strikers (50 blades for $4). I'll need to use those to develop a bit of practical experience.

I'll probably also buy some used 35mm film canisters on eBay to carry a bit of dry tinder with me. I know, real men don't need to carry tinder, but it sounds like some prepared dry tinder makes this a lot easier to learn.