ILBob,

Don't be amazed, it just means that Hikermor has spent a lot of time in the woods.

I a completely with Hikermor, the many (I haven't counted) times I have NEEDED a fire (for myself or others) a kitchen match was sufficient. For tinder I have used (and still carry) a 3" square of old t-shirt cotton soaked in wax. It has worked many times (summer and winter) in the Rockies as well as a few times in Coastal and interior Alaska. In western Canada I lit one at 35 below that way (a dog sled driver with hypothermia). Glock-A-Roo is right though, keeping it going is the tough part. It takes practice, but it does work. A saw and axe (or just the axe and more work) are often needed to make burnable wood in those conditions, but it is usually available, even in the worst of conditions (except of course on the tundra and the other treeless regions of the world.

Like Hikermor I have upgraded my carry gear, but I still rely on matches as the start of it all.

Respectfully,

Jerry