I have no problems lighting a wide variety of tinders with only a spark, however it certainly does need to be dry. I can collect dry tinder in almost any conditions with a knife however it is often difficult to do and would be more difficult when Im a cold, wet, tired Texan up to my a$$ in snow so your point is very well taken. Just the same, I could carry a Sparklite, Firesteel, 6 lighters, 200 matches, a bow dril and a flame thrower and also increase my chances of firestarting, but ya have to draw the line somewhere dont ya? For this particular situation I'm drawing it at a lighter and a sparker, but that's just me and I am the first to admit that this is not my area of expertise. I have hiked in the snow plenty of times but still 90% of my outdoor activities take place in subtropical or hot arid climates where hyperthermia is a lot more likely than hypothermia so needless to say that is where my expertise is.

The question remains... small MFS or large Army model Firesteel?