This story, as with several others by Jack London, really had an affect on me as a boy. http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html

I prefer a Coleman white gas one burner stove in really cold weather. I carry fire paste to put on the generator to get it to fire up. I do have an Esbit stove and a pot to melt snow in my trunk, but Esbit smells bad. Bic lighters are problematic in the cold, so matches and a ferro rod are a must.