Doug;

Bearing in mind that these instructions may be read for the first time by someone with no prior survival training, possibly in inclement weather, I think the instructions for starting a fire should be idiot-proof.

1. It is possible to start a fire with the Sparklite using toilet paper, for example, but you need to know that it will require repeatedly striking the Sparklite in the same location to build up heat. If the tinder doesn't catch the first time, there's a tendency for beginners to move the lighter to a different spot and try again; after this fails a couple of times, they may give up in frustration.

2. Foolproof instructions for starting a survival fire - others know more about this than me, but I was never able to get a good, sustainable campfire going until Mors Kochanski gave me some simple advice:

1. Lay two logs parallel to each other;
2. Lay two logs on top of these at a slight angle;
3. Put a large twig bundle (i.e. easily ignited kindling) on top of this and light it.

The coals from the kindling bundle will drop down between the logs and generate enough heat to ignite the main fire; once the main fire is burning, you can line up the logs into a parallel fire.

It took Mors less than a minute to explain this to me; the next day, I built a self-sustaining campfire that burned untended (not unattended,tho <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) for over an hour. I later modified the technique slightly (to get the fire into one of those circular metal fire pits in a National Park campsite) and built a fire that burned well into the night with only minor adjustments.

Even in the US Southwest, hypothermia is a major killer in survival situations; IMHO, somebody who has never before built a campfire must be able to read the instructions and get a sustainable fire going in a matter of minutes.