While we're throwing out wild scenarios, let me give you another advantage steels have over lighters- they won't go off on their own. Many years ago, probably 20 or so, when I was dating my now-ex-wife, I stayed over at her parents house after dinner. As they were the religious type I slept on the couch. After a while I saw an orange glow. I tried to ignore it but it got brigher, then I could smell smoke. The couch I was sleeping on was on fire! After an agonizing and awkward moment of refection I woke the family and we hurriedly doused the sofa with a fire extinguisher and carried it outside. The cause of the blaze? Either my ex or her little sister, both covert smokers, had dropped a lighter down in the couch cushions. My movement, just tossing and turning, somehow was enough to strike it. You could tell that's precisely where the burn was on the couch.

A fluke? I may be the only guy to ever light one by sitting or laying on one, I dunno. But I've never heard of anyone impaled on their firesteel.

As for the durability of lighters, that seems hit and miss. Since I don't smoke, the only time I ever carry a lighter is when I specifically plan to make fire. So I haven't broken many. But I have had and have seen the button depressed while the lighter was packed, letting most of the gas out. And I've seen them broken just from being sat on. True- I'm not talking shattering the whole body. You don't need to do that to render one inoperable.

As lighters go, I think the peanut ones from CountyComm.com would be more durable. I think I'll order a couple for camping and survival use.

As for the fire starter derailing of this thread: I did post the "carry two" suggestion in a somewhat humorous way, but seriously: Bics break occationally (Most likely, they are empty, or you break the flint). Not very often, but it happens. So if you rely on bics, then carry two. The likelyhood of TWO dedicated emergency-only lighters failing at the same time is low enough to keep me happy. (I also have the one handed spark thingy in Doug Ritters PSK. On backcountry trips I'll usually also a fire steel.)


Although they never break, fire steels aren't magical "let-there-be-fire" talismans either. You need something that will catch fire from that spark, and relying on finding THAT in nature during adverse conditions seems rather naive to me. Enter those petroleum jelly cotton balls or whatever fire starter of your choosing. (You should have those anyway as it makes fire sooo much more easy).


Sometimes, you just really want that naked flame... that's why I love bics. Reliable enough to be trusted (somewhat) when in pairs, better than matches and cheap enough that you can have a bunch of them and rotate half-old lighters from "front end" duty to every day purposes without any financial worries.

Very true. While a good firesteel will make a shower of 5,500 degree sparks, those sparks are relatively small and don't carry a lot of heat. Typically they won't ignite a sheet of notebook paper, unless you tear/feather it up. Although it doesn't sound very macho or Ray Mears-y, I do carry cotton or chemical tinder. I'd rate my ability to make fire with a ferro rod and a cottonball about as good as my ability to do it with just a ligher or match. A flame extender like PJ makes it even easier. Sometimes I also use Weber grill starting cubes. Lighting a fire with a steel and natural tinder is also very doable, even in the wet. But- that's neither easy nor quick. I'd hate to bet my life on getting a fire going after a bad fall in deep snow, with night falling. That applies to a lighter, too.

That's one thing I think you have to be aware of with more primative methods. A bow drill is great in that you can make the entire set in the wilderness, but how good will your luck be if everything is wet? How fast can you carve a bearing block, spindle and hearth board?




Carried in pairs you have some more security. And a Bic is small enought that you might was well carry it. The worse the conditions the more redundancy you should have. They say 2 is 1 and 1 is none. In the mountains in deep snow and biting cold I'd probably tell myself that 3 is 2.