I ended up with one of those old school steel horseshoe steel flint thing-a-giggys as a gift. Really hard to use on a good day let alone when the weather is not playing along. In the old days, I am assuming people were so darned good at it because there just wasn't any other option.

I am willing to bet if I could travel back in time and trade my lighter with one of the early pioneers they wouldn't refuse. After all, the reason no one uses bowdrills, steels and the like anymore is because we invented something a hell of a lot better. Lighters, matches and the like are just to easy to acquire and use to not have some on hand, plus a modern type firesteel JIC everything else gets wet.

But, that being said. There are some who still do it for fun, nostalgia, hobby or other reasons (althought I am willing to bet anyone who takes a bowdrill into the woods still has a ligter stashed away somewhere)

Ray Mears has a lot of good watching/reading with the more primitave arts. A lot can be found on youtube.