Simple, lightweight backpacking fire stuff

Thanks Teacher! Great little kit. I'm stealing the ideas for the wrap around the bic and the ferro rod. Getting a good grip on the bic can be tough in the cold and I've got the same falling out problem with the ferro rod I keep in my LM sheath.

We share similar thoughts on fire starting, except I have a LMF ferro rod in the #2 spot. I might have to get some of those stormproof matches after watching that video, which is a little scary.

You should consider carrying two Bic Minis, instead of a Bic and that sparky. As you said, the sparky is basically a Bic without the Butane. So, why not just carry another Bic? The sparky is really NOT like a different type of device. The sparky is more like a similar, yet inferior, device. With your sparky and that tinder, you have maybe 10 chances to make a fire. In contrast, I have lit one of my Bic minis over 200 times. It still has fuel in it. Plus, we already know whatever Bic is doing in the manufacturing process is top-notch. I don't have the same confidence in a sparky.

exactly my kit, only I don't bother with the matches and always carry a ferro rod.

I always carry the ferro rod and some of the stormproof matches. They will light and are great items. The Bic is fine when it works. The bike tube bands are a good idea, they are good for lighting difficlt fires and also keep the Bic from slipping out of your pocket. I have had problems with Bic and other butane lighters over the years. I do carry one occasionally but they can't be relied upon. I have had brand new Bics that would not light and they also break easily.

I normally carry a Zippo, freshly filled with a backup fill from a Zippo keychain tank. A ferro rod, and the stormproof matches. I keep two small containers full of cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly for instant fire. Never fails. I also always carry a light, fixed blade knife, in case I need to whittle my way into some dry wood.

Your kit will work fine too

Just for the record, I have found Zippo's to be unreliable (when it'll be empty, who knows?). I have found Bics to be extraordinarily reliable. That's consistent with most other people's experiences. I have some Bic minis that have been sitting on the shelf for years, and they still are to the top with fuel. I personally have not had a Bic randomly fail. I think I'd have to be abusing it, but I wouldn't know. I think the low price of a Bic throws people off.

I learned a valuable lesson when I bought a new bic a few weeks ago. Try it out in the store before you buy it. I didn't. I amde sure it had lots of fuel but I got one with a sparking wheel that wouldn't turn.

I have given up and by them by the box of 50 now!

You could have always lit it with a ferro rod ... if you had one.

I EDC the tiny Boy Scout Hot Spark ferro rod ever since I saw that Tom Hanks movie (the name's escaping me ... getting old!).

When out & about I carry a ferro rod (a bigger one in my day pack), two lighters - typically one Bic and another one, and a baggie filled with Vasoline-covered cotton balls (careful not to soak the centers). With those fire starters I KNOW my ferro rod will work just fine.

The only reason I carry matches these days is to light my Coleman lantern, which is tough to light with just about anything else.

We think alike, Kent. I always have a ferro rod with me. A bic is (usually) easy to work with but my ferro rod has never let me down. I prefer to carry both, with matches and/or a mag bar as back-up for those, and PJ cotton balls, at the very least, for tinder.