I had an issue with a Spark-Lite yesterday that I wanted to share. We just put our boat up for the winter, and I took out the emergency kit for a quick once-over before next season. The kit is kept in a large pelican box under a seat.

Upon opening it, I found some mildew on certain items, so I decided to redo the kit, with more individualized heavy zip-loc bags. I had a spark lite kit and some wet fire in a small zip loc already, so I almost skipped the step of individually inspecting it. Luckily, I did, because when I tried the spark-lite, it looked like the flint had somehow gotten wet and disintegrated. The wheel spun freely, and just a little dust came out.

I'm posting this because I always counted the spark lites among my "safety net" gear -- planning on using them as backups in case my waterproof matches didn't work, etc. I like their size, convenience, and ease of use, among other features. I am a little concerned now, though, since my rock solid backup isn't so rock solid any more -- at least where moisture may be present. I am considering switching to another item, and am looking for input on a comparable choice, in terms of cost, size, ease of use, etc. This would necessitate a switch in probably 6 or 8 kits that I have in various locations, so I want to make a good choice.

FWIW, this experience also reaffirmed my belief in the value of checking EVERY ITEM in my kits on a periodic basis.

Hope others find this experience at least somewhat useful, and I look forward to suggestions from the group.

Merry Christmas

Rod