I want to try everything at least once. My first stager was an old Centauri Long Tom, which was also my only baffle system to date. They called theirs the passport system, and it worked like a champ. I'll be rolling my own and probably trying Jim's (FlisKits) too, as everything else he's offered has looked really good to me.
Based on advice here, I bought a bale of the loose cellulose ("dog barf") attic insulation early this year. It's everything that's been said here about it. It's flame resistant in the same way as the wadding sheets, and it's compressed in the bale. I have it in the attic, and I fill a couple of large Zip-Loc bags every once in a while. I've flown several times so far, given away about 3 times as much as I've used, and the bale is hardly touched, all for the price of 2 or 3 of those little Estes packets.
"Dog Barf" has another nice side effect too. It helps in seeing the ejection at altitude. The stuff spews out in a little cloud. If tracking powder is mixed in, the barf takes on some of the color (though with gray mixed in), and the powder doesn't get all over everything quite as much as usual.
In another thread, we got quite creative in wadding ideas. Search on "Jell-O".
I had the idea of using thick Jell-O (think Jigglers) as wadding. It would need to be used in a coated or plastic body tube though. Plastic is probably best, as it can just be rinsed if it gets sticky. Mix the Jell-O powder with less than the specified water so it's thick and rubbery, let it set in a body tube sized mold (Possibly a peice of tubing with plastic wrap spray glued to the inside surface), keep it cold until launch time, and use a slug of Jell-O as wadding. It is flameproof and biodegradable. Heck, it'll melt on its own. If a critter eats it, no problem. I've never tried it, so I can't certify that it'll quench all the sparks as it blows out or blows through, but I think it has potential. Also, it will tend to be heavy, possibly needing nose weight for stability, but that's offset by the coolness factor, IMHO. It could be placed near the center of gravity in most rockets, but it might need a centering ring or some such to sit on so it doesn't shift backward at launch. It might even disintegrate on launch, so proceed with great caution the first few times if you try it. The idea may well be worth what you paid for it (i.e. nothing), so if you do it, do so at your own risk.
Use your imagination! Try everything! Have fun! Report back here what you discover! Never neglect the safety codes though. They protect rockteers, bystanders, equipment, and the hobby.
