Being from the northern climes, I obsess about firemaking in the winter. I went out to my unheated shed recently to test a couple of cheap butane lighters that I had left out there for a few weeks. I thought that maybe a 6 inch pillar candle could provide fume free all-night heat in a car stuck on a rural road in a snowbank, a situation I have had the pleasure of being in. It was about 5 degrees below zero, and as expected the lighters did not light. I slid them into my gloves for 5 minutes while I puttered around in the shed, and they worked just fine. I lit the frozen pillar candle and within 10 minutes, the top half cracked into pieces, split right through. Back to the drawing board there. Anyway, here are my questions:

1. Looking at the SHOT show gadgets, I see that Zippo makes a fire starting kit in a metal Zippo-sized case...Why not just carry a Zippo?

2. If a $1 butane lighter works well wet or dry in any weather (as my personal test seems to indicate) why wouldn't a person's backup be another $1 butane lighter?

3. Why (for the love of Pete) would anyone carry a fire piston???

1. Zippo lighter fuel tends to evaporate. The spark maker and the sticks that it lights don't. I think it's a marketing tool more than anythng.

2. Very good point. Works for me. I carry several cheap small lighters in my gear. I test them every few months and replace those that don't work. Even if the gas is gone, they still throw sparks.

3. The main reason people carry fire pistons is they were dropped on their heads as infants. Hey, maybe some people like spending hours to get a fire going. Beats me.

1. Just like most other companies, the folks at Zippo are trying to sell as much product as possible while making customers happy/excited. I applaud their creativity, but wonder if their resources would be better spent creating Zippo lights that DON'T EVAPORATE so easily. My guess is that such a lighter would be too expensive to compete with the Bic lighters and similar - or they would have already done it.

2. Both sparkers and low-pressure lighters can be real tough to deal with in moderate-to-high wind. Of course it typically wouldn't be too hard to make a wind break for lighting the fire IF you're equipped. Low pressure lighters may take a while to dry out and spark if they get wet. I've dunked Bics and find it doesn't take all that long to dry enough for a spark.

3. Fire piston = man toy -- something I understand completely. My wife doesn't understand completely, but lovingly tolerates it.

I will admit I am intrigued by it. You might say it has sparked my curiosity. I think it would be fun to try when camping at a state park. It's just too big to pack.

If the scenario includes the availability of a car, I would rely on a sleeping bag for warmth, rather than any kind of flame. For that nice cup of tea in the morning, toss in a stove, fuel, and matches, including windproofs, besides a Bic or two.

With a vehicle involved, weight is not an issue.

that's way i always include matches in any fire making kit.my trust level for a lighter is sort of low.

Have you tried using a butane lighter under windy conditions? It's impossible, at least in a sail boat. I'd rather have a zippo with a small fuel canister. You can light a Zippo in a twenty knot wind.

That makes sense. I travel three states for my job. I always carry insulated coveralls, boots, wool socks, hat, scarf, choppers, a snowmobile coat, and a wool blanket in a military duffle bag, but I can see using some type of small stove in a car PSK. There are some really nice ones out there, but I would want to go cheap on this one, like a folding sterno stove. Has anyone tried keeping sterno cans in a car trunk or SUV for a long period of time?

In defense of the fire piston (disclaimer: don't own one) - it works great for sparking tinder, its very reliable for that. Fire Piston + sticks, not so much.

Candle cracking from cold - consider packing a contained heat source, like this emergency candle http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E...rgency%20Candle better yet imho a sterno type can, that's what I have in my car kit.

Well, regarding the firepiston I can tell you it is a very reliable fire starter with an infinite number of lights.
That should be a consideration.
Granted, the technique must be learned (still easy enough for anyone to master in very little time, though).
But then again, everything must be learned, no excuse to knock firepistons for that. But still, many people have opinions based on nothing whatsoever. Was any of us born riding a bicycle, or did we have to learn how to do this at some point ?
Not really a reason to dismiss bicycles as not usefull now, is it? See what I mean ? I carry a mini firepiston as well as a few other fire starting options. I can have a coal in seconds on the first or second try, guaranteed.
Also a coal is longer lived than a spark and doesn't blow out in wind or draft. Wind only makes it stronger. I carry my FP loaded with tinder so it's always ready to go (this is a waterproof setup too!).
It will light numerous natural tinders and you can char cotton or any other natural fibre and even tiny pieces of wood in an altoids-tin in your campfire (thus creating charcoal for FP tinder). By doing so you can endlessly replenish your tinder supply in the field.
So, there's a few reasons for the FP.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Pharaoh