I always like to poke into the cold ashes of the past for these questions. Waaay back some brave soul picked up a burning stick from a natural fire, probably after scavenging a burned animal that tasted a bit better than the raw stuff they grabbed from a lion kill. The advantages for warmth, illumination, hunting and protection were and remain obvious. The methods have expanded from sparking stones and friction devises to flint and steel, the chemical age of matches, P/P and TNT <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> . Everything has elements of the older system; friction, flint and steel, fuel. It's ironic, but that old standby the match is almost obsolescent! With tobacco smoking and wood fires disappearing from our urban lifestyle they may soon join knives as social suspects! I carry and am more or less competant in using all these strategies. My primary tool is a cheap old bic lighter. When your wet, cold and shaking the others take a steadier hand. My fantasy kit is to stand on the highest peak, draw down the powers of Heavens like Mickey Mouse as The Sorcerer's Apprentice sending fireballs on the day's frustrations. Makes me all warm and fuzzy just imagining it <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />