Thread: Good Survival Lighter

What survival style lighters do you guys use, and like? I'm looking for something good quality to keep in my kit. I know of the basic BIC lighters and Zippos. I had one, and lost, one I really liked that started with a "C"... I found the Windmill brand lighters online.

I carry 3 of the cheap ones,3 Fresnel magnifying glasses, magnesium bar and striker,matches and triox bars in my packs. In different places and in zip lock bags. The bags keep things dry and I can use them for other stuff also.

2 sticks, just make sure they are the right sticks!
Once you can make fire with flint or "sticks" your entire outlook on life changes!

I actually was just considering this the other day, as I had a family friend ask me to put together a survival kit for his family.

I finally decided to go with a Zippo style lighter. The deciding factor was that with a Zippo you can light it and leave it lit without having to hold a button down. You can actually light it and use it as a small lantern to help in the dark in the event that your batteries are out on flashlight. Zippos are extremely reliable if kept dry. So I put it in a ziploc bag.

I also include a firestarter. The one I use come from a guy selling them at the Saturday Market in Portland. Why? The one he sells not only have magnesium and flint, but also uses a wooden handle that you can shave to get that little bit of important dry tinder. I actually keep one of these in each car, my tent trailer, my hunting pack, and my survival pack. They are great. I've never found one in a retail store that has the wood handle to use.

Thats not always an option in the Northwest. What do you do after 20 days of rain and everything is so wet that you will freeze to death before those 2 sticks dry enough to get embers you need onto the tinder that wont light becasue even though there not wet they are damp even thought you had them next to your cold body that is going hypothermia becasue your temp got to low becasue your still waiting for the tinder to dry enough to light. Especially since you are drenched and your so cold you can hardly move your hands much less start a fire from 2 sticks that you still have not found the right sticks. No thanks I keep my 4 or 5 other ways that I can start a fire in a minute and not worry about it. And yes I use to teach people how to start fires with 2 sticks but I'll tell you what. Even for us who have done it hundreds of times would I want to have to depend on doing it like that with our weather up here. Not a chance.

I'd use two sticks as a last chance effort, but in a survival situation, I'm not trying to look cool, I'm trying to start a fire ASAP. Thanks for the other ideas, but this post was about "Survival Lighters", not cigarette lighters. I have a few BICs also, but they aren't the greatest thing. I also would NEVER cheap out and buy Walmart lighters if I may have to rely on them. The difference is a couple bucks. You might as well sell your Glock and buy a Hi-Point and sell your LMT and buy an Olympic AR. They both make fire come out and both shoot the same bullet, untill you really need it.

Well I have spent the money on good lighters and never really noticed a difference. But thats why I take the other stuff. With a Fresnel lens I can start a fire in under a min as long as I have sun. I keep a 8.5x11" in my pack takes up no room at all weighs less then an once and I can even set it up and boil water with it in no time at all. I have packed all around the Northwest and use regular lighters the lens and magnesium sticks all the time. But I never liked using sticks. They are way to much work. The only reason I do it is to teach others and to prove it can be done. Its like sharpening knifes on coffee cups or things like that its a little trick to show people to think outside of the box.

Learns the methods and skills of yesterday, but carry a lighter, Mike on Man, Woman Survival who grew up in the Mountians of TN, says during almost every show while he is rubbing sticks together how important it is to carry a lighter with you always.

I do not smoke, but everyone who knows me, knows I almost always have a cheap Calico lighter in my pants pocket, a couple in my truck, backpack, day pack, etc......

Fuel tablets and a lighter will go long way in getting a fire going in almost any weather.

I would recommend a cheap lighter like a BIC lighter over a Zippo.

The reason why is it doesn't take long for the fluid in a Zippo lighter to dry out and evaporate. The lighter fluid in a Zippo lighter is held in a sponge like material that is exposed to air, wheras a cheap BIC lighter stores the fluid in a mostly sealed plastic chamber.

So if you have a Zippo lighter stored in a vehicle, bug out bag etc., it will dry out and be useless when you go to use it.

For regular daily use, a chrome plated Zippo looks a lot nicer than a plastic BIC, but a BIC lighter will serve you better in storage as part of your survival gear.

Brunton Firestorm Stormproof lighter


episode27 - Review Brunton firestorm lighter - YouTube

Mine has been working great for years now.

Originally Posted by HenryJ

Brunton Firestorm Stormproof lighter


episode27 - Review Brunton firestorm lighter - YouTube

Mine has been working great for years now.

Ya know I have one of these and it does work for a long time on a large can of gas.
But I think I am going to get myself a Zippo and a can of fluid also.

First what Rascals Said Wet damp and everything cold makes hard lighting. Best lighter anyone that works you have. I have many strewn through my tool bags truck van homes and general stuff many cheep love them Walmart Calico brand "I had to look" yet after that the jet refuelable ones crack addicts apparently like. Has a snap cap over the flame port and a button to ignite it burns blue to white hot the Brunton Firestorm above being the refined version. Many small gas station mini marts at least in the Pacific Northwest have a basic version for $5-8 water proof and all right next to the register. They stay on once started like a zippo and solder 1/2" copper pipe in a pinch to show heat output.

On the other sub topic of fire starters For emergency not politically correct fire starting I go back to lighting slash fires in my youth cut strips of plastic out of the side of used oil bottles. We used to use the oil bottles/cans to light tires that we buried in the slash piles. a stack of strips a inch wide by a 2/3 inches long cut out of quart or gallon oil bottles weighs almost nothing costs less and one will ignite almost any wet kindling. Feathering the edge with a knife before trying to light one makes it even easier to get them going. Downside they stink

Last but not least if anyone wants to consider two sticks I recommend starting a fire 5 times with two sticks or any improvised method in a row. First it seems to lock in what worked and made it happen for you giving you a much better chance of success if you have to use your improvised method. And as a Bonus It will make you very good and thoughtful about having dry matches/functioning lighters in your life.

Originally Posted by Guns

I would recommend a cheap lighter like a BIC lighter over a Zippo.

The reason why is it doesn't take long for the fluid in a Zippo lighter to dry out and evaporate. The lighter fluid in a Zippo lighter is held in a sponge like material that is exposed to air, wheras a cheap BIC lighter stores the fluid in a mostly sealed plastic chamber.

So if you have a Zippo lighter stored in a vehicle, bug out bag etc., it will dry out and be useless when you go to use it.

For regular daily use, a chrome plated Zippo looks a lot nicer than a plastic BIC, but a BIC lighter will serve you better in storage as part of your survival gear.

Man, aint that the truth. I will grab one of my Zippos every now and then at my work bench to use and low and behold. Darn fuel evaporated...again! STINK!!!!

I recently bought a couple of the IMCO lighters when Sportsman's Guide had them on sale.

2 Imco Triplex Super Lighters, Government Surplus, Brand Not Specified at Sportsman's Guide

So far, they work fine on lighter fluid. From the reference to "petrol lighter" and the various things I've read, I want to try them on unleaded gasoline - carefully. I figured they might be good to carry in the woods. But like the Zippo, they hold fuel in a bit of spongy cotton waste, so it will evaporate. I always carry a cheap Bic butane, myself; I don't smoke, but always want to have a source of fire.

Actually, brands other than Bic are often made of transparent plastic, so you can see the fuel level. When it starts getting low, I carry a second lighter.

A little sealed container of wateproof matches and/or a good (there are many bad ones out there) striker type fire starter can be good things to carry. But carry some sort of tinder, maybe a little trioxane fuel, too.

Maybe I'll find time soon to test an IMCO on gasoline. A true multi-fuel lighter could be an asset.

I think a Bic would work fine - they're cheap; buy a bunch of them.

I have a Windmill and like it a lot, but it's very expensive compared to other options.

Another option is a peanut lighter - County Comm has these. They store their fuel in a sponge-like material, but because they are normally sealed shut, you don't get fuel loss like with a Zippo. There's a titanium version too, if you want to be the coolest person after the apocalypse. I don't own a peanut lighter, but have played around with them & know people who use them - they're pretty good considering how simple they are.

Learning ways to start fire w/o a lighter is a good skill to have - friction fires, flint & steel, fire pistons, etc.

I believe in over-kill.

bic, flint and steel, and a couple road flares in case all else fails

I carry a Brunton Helios and am a fan of 'strikes anywhere matches' in a waterproof case.

Bic lighter, a Ferrocerium rod, and a road flare. If the Bic does not work, I use the fire starting rod, if it is still to wet for that (or I really need a fire) I use a road flare.
I love a Zippo, but don't smoke cigars anymore so it is normally dried out when I need it.