Brian, great info. Much as I suspected.. (I help out in a pipe and cigar shop which sells and sometimes repairs lighters... I've logged my opinions and experience here on ETS several times)

A warning to all butane lighter users: IMHO you should steer clear of Ronson brand fuel. We see so many lighters fueled with Ronson become gunked up and gradually failing that we recommend many other brands of fuel (which reportedly are better filtered for impurities..e.g. Colibri brand). For a survival situation, why get too frugal.

Another warning about "bleeding" the air out of the lighter:
Valve pointing DOWN, not up. Bleed EVERYTHING.. until no more fuel/air excapes. Then Fill - Valve UP, Can pointed DOWN. We suggest that you completely bleed and refill your lighter when you first receive it (even if it appears to be fueled). Factories fuel from bulk tanks, and we find the pressure variances to be a problem. Fully clear your lighter, then fuel from your own can. And you will STILL have to bleed the lighter occasionally.

Finally: With a piezoelectric sparker.. your best friend is a can of compressed air (Radio Shack, computer store, etc.). Frequently blow out the lint and dust from the burner/sparker area. That's the most frequent "repair" we need to do.

Then, get a zippo and aux. fuel tank.