Very true. While a good firesteel will make a shower of 5,500 degree sparks, those sparks are relatively small and don't carry a lot of heat. Typically they won't ignite a sheet of notebook paper, unless you tear/feather it up. Although it doesn't sound very macho or Ray Mears-y, I do carry cotton or chemical tinder. I'd rate my ability to make fire with a ferro rod and a cottonball about as good as my ability to do it with just a ligher or match. A flame extender like PJ makes it even easier. Sometimes I also use Weber grill starting cubes. Lighting a fire with a steel and natural tinder is also very doable, even in the wet. But- that's neither easy nor quick. I'd hate to bet my life on getting a fire going after a bad fall in deep snow, with night falling. That applies to a lighter, too.

That's one thing I think you have to be aware of with more primative methods. A bow drill is great in that you can make the entire set in the wilderness, but how good will your luck be if everything is wet? How fast can you carve a bearing block, spindle and hearth board?




Carried in pairs you have some more security. And a Bic is small enought that you might was well carry it. The worse the conditions the more redundancy you should have. They say 2 is 1 and 1 is none. In the mountains in deep snow and biting cold I'd probably tell myself that 3 is 2.