Paper matches are more reliable than the green tips etc now that the formula for strike anywhere matches has been changed.

Bic lighters leak and fail once in a while. Seems backups are needed for any method of fire starting.

I like paper matches for most things since you can light them and toss them a short ways at white gas stoves, BBQ starter fluid etc.

Bic's and/or Ferro Rods with tinder make good backups to the paper matches.

When I was a kid, my mom would wrap our sandwich in waxed paper for hunting trips. The waxed paper made a great starter for a lunchtime warming fire. We had a long white cotton sack for the sandwich and an apple, which we tied to the back of our belt for carrying. At the time we didn't worry about wearing a "White Tail" when looking for deer. Now I have a blaze orange pack and nothing white. Don't know how I survived a day in the woods without a pack full of gear when I was 14.


Edited by clearwater (12/12/19 08:26 PM)