DBAGuy,
The ability to start a fire with just sparks can be a great skill to have. It teaches proper fire building which if ever required to build a fire with a bow drill or fire saw because your kit got lost/busted/ect it will make things a bit easier on you. Right now I try as much as I can to practice "one blade survival" meaning all you can use is a knife and what you find. It is great practice for incase in a real situation you end up with nothing. I have read a lot of material in which the kit was lost, washed away, ect. I want to make sure I still have a good chance if this ever happens. Now, with commercial airplanes pretty much not letting you carry anything metal on you it seems like that situation is becoming even more likely for the average traveler.