What do you want for less than a buck ?!!!!!!!

O.K.
The Bic will not light when wet. Agree
The Bic is not a cool as a Zippo. Agree
If you tear apart a $1 Bic it will not work as well as an $8 Strike-Lite. (Duh)

I can buy a three pack of mini Bics for about $2 at the local grocery store. What else do you have in your kit that is that functional for less than a dollar?

A few days ago I got back from a tip to the Rockies and Yellowstone Park. I did some light day hiking. I had to fly out so I went to the TSA webpage and made sure I was following regs. TSA, to protect me, prohibits me from having a lighter in my checked or carry-on bags.

I put my Spark-Lite along with knife and other non-PC stuff in with my hiking boots in checked bagage. Could not take my match safe with strike-anywhere matches on the plane. Did include a book of matches in the carry-on as per TSA guidelines. Anyhow, after the flight and before the hikes I stopped at Wally World and bought a Bic and real matches along with other supplies.

As I was hiking the Bic was in my pocket and the matches and a Strike-Lite with tender were in my day pack. These were short, easy day hikes and I had no intention of building a fire. On this particular trip, rain gear, water bottle, insect repellent and chap stick turned out to be the most important gear I carried, but you never know.

The good thing about a Bic is that it is cheap, light weight and it will work 95+% of the time. If it does not work, plan B is the matches. Plan B fails, Plan C is the Strike-Lite.

The Bic is so cheap that tossing it before I got back on the plane was not a big concern. I flew back two days after the London Bombings, and I cannot report in truth that throwing my lighter away before the flight made me feel any safer.

Major points I am trying to make:

The Bic is cheap and light. For that reason you can aford to buy a half dozen and throw one each of your kits.

The Bic is not perfect (nothing is). If used, it should be one of multiple methods of fire starting. Of course, I would say the same about any other fire starter.

What do you want for less than a dollar?