OK..this cold weather test is outside and not in my car.
we went out to the nature reserve that we monitor to make out the January report.we went in on snowshoes and found that we were just about the only one to use the park since we check last month.the temp was 24F,damp and over cast.



what i wanted to do was see if this pocket torch would light a pile of tinder without any starter material like a candle stub or dryer lint.this was a Xmas gift and i have fired it up just about every nite to see how long the disposable lighter that serves as a fuel supply would last and how many "clicks" it took to work--two or three does it--indoors..out side and carried in an outside jacket pocket it would not work,like all Gaz gizmos at below freezing.i put it in my shirt pocket and after a candy bar snack tried it again--



this time i got a blue flame in just a couple try's and got the nozzle down into the tinder pile.i used dry pine twigs because this would be the most common tinder up in canoe country..



and of course it worked.holding the flame right into the twigs they caught and burned.i could have used the dry pine needles that were around but i wanted to give it a try with as little starting material as possible and let the torch do the work.
after the wood burned for a bit and i could see the fire would have been large enough to make a real fire i put it out.

Hey CANOEDOGS, I think I have the same lighter, it is like a mini-blowtorch? I use it to thaw-out frozen padlocks at work. Being butane it does not function well in the cold and I have to heat the lighter up inside my coat. Mike

Mike..yup..a mini torch that throws out a blue flame.what i like is that to refill it all you need to do is replace the Scripto or other square shaped lighter,Bic won't fit.it would be a lot better to just have a spare lighter along than a can of butane like the other tank lighter i have.the warm up time to get it working was not too long,a few minutes in a shirt pocket under my jacket.

I've owned one of those. You need to fiddle with the gas flow lever in order to obtain the perfect flow rate for reliable ignition. This is a problem specific to all lighters of this type.
Also: The boiling point of butane is -0.5C. So it is too cold where you are for the gas, which is under pressure in the lighter to vapourise. Carrying them in an inside pocket tends to "cure" that problem. If you do that, you should get around 10 - 15 seconds of flame. That is usually more than sufficent.

I actually carry a high end "bunsen burner" light with me. It pays to buy a good quality reliable unit. Under many circumstances they are a real lifesaver.

My prefered cold weather carry (for those who are interested):

Zippo.
Full sized ferro rod and/or a DOAN block.
"Bunsen burner" lighter.
R.E.I. or Lifeboat matches(6) and Choghlans waterproof matches in a G.I. Matchsafe.
Tinder Quick.
2 or more Esbit, Wetfire or trioxane cubes.
Petrolium Jelly and cotton wool balls.

That might look like over kill. It's not. It's a kit that is surprising small and gives you a lot of firelighting options.

Very interesting, CanoeDogs. I've been thinking about getting one of those. I've got a piezo electric Windmill torch lighter, but it's unreliable at altitude.

Leigh_Ratcliffe, do you have a photo of this Bunsen burner type lighter that you're talking about? I'm not sure that I'm familiar with that type.

HJ

This is the only link that I have been able to find:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://media.firebox.com/pic/p334_big.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.firebox.com/product/334/Pocket-Blow-Torch&usg=__0_N7MdAmSzl05BaREtOFzs_FRoU=&h=700&w=700&sz=50&hl=en&start=317&zoom=1&tbnid=742XeNC-McGYiM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=140&ei=p385TYEv0ZqFB-O51KAK&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dblowtorch%2Blighter%26start%3D300%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4HPND_enGB324GB324%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1

This is the original model that every one imitates. I've had mine for over 10 years. In terms of build quality and reliability it's comparable to a zippo.

Also: On the original, the surround on the nozzle does not get hot in operation. It warms up to about 60 celcius and can infact be held with no discomfort. That is the best way to determine if it is an original. That and the build quality.

OK, thanks.