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Fire starting ~ Good old Zippo

14K views 64 replies 32 participants last post by  teddyearp 
#1 ·
Yeah, we've got fatwood, char, striking sticks, bows, etc.

Who has and uses a good old Zippo? If you don't know this, they will last almost forever. I've had some that my grandfather used. What is survival about them?

I spent the $4 for a bottle of Rosonol about twenty years ago. I've never paid for flints. You can get those from old Bic lighters, usually found discarded on the ground, everywhere. Most times, you have to cut them in half to fit and they last gosh, I lost count; maybe a month, two? For each half. The fluid? Go to your local hardware store and buy some pure Naptha and refill that Rosonol bottle for convenience. Maybe $3-4/quart. I had a partial gallon I found in my dad's stuff that he bought probably thirty+ years before (I didn't start using it until he had been dead for over twenty years) last me years and years, my last quart has lasted me maybe four five years.

As long as you never let it go dry, the wick lasts, well for me, forever; all this time at the very least.

So, just sayin', don't discount the good ole Zippo from your preps.
 
#40 ·
I have a zippo, a dispenser of flints and a bottle of lighter fluid in a ziplock bag in my main pack. The lighter came with extra wick material under the cotton flap. When I smoked a bottle would last more than a year and that was lighting 20-30 cigarettes a day.
I figure what’s in my pack will last longer than a person would likely survive if things ever got so bad you couldn’t get another bottle.

I think sometimes people overthink things. Zippos still exist because they’re durable and reliable, it’s one of the few products that was 98% perfect from the day it was first made.
 
#41 ·
I just "improved" the Star that I carry. Found that the packing that they use now is rayon, and not very flammable. By replacing the packing with cotton ball, you can fluff it out a bit and still light it up, with the spark wheel, even if your fuel has run dry.

Couldn't find petroleum jelly in the house; I was going to put a little around the edge of the insert to slow evaporation, but I did melt some wax around it. Cleaned it a little, trimmed the wick and pulled it out a bit more. Thought about getting a spare, but the wick is long enough to be trimmed several more times. Changed the flint, while I was fooling around with it, didn't tighten the screw up too much, so it's easy to do if needed again, and put the old flint plus 2 new ones under the flap for spares.

Also put a small wad of cotton in the top corner of the lid, with a drop of hand sanitizer. I've taken to carrying a little pitch and some homemade fire starter, and added a couple birthday candles to my watch pocket. I usually carry a small vial of lighter fluid about half the size of a regular sized Star, or Zippo as well.

Couple small additions really makes for a very reliable fire starting system IMO.
 
#44 ·
hey bunkerbuster, i know it hasn't had much time for testing, but how's evaporation so far? most people i talk to say the standard zippo lasts maybe 2-3 weeks before dry. do we have any experiences or knowledge of how long these aftermarket shells are making it last?
 
#47 ·
So after having one of those covers that bunkerbuster linked to for a couple of months, I've got to say that my Zippo is really much better. It has four wheel drive switchable to AWD when needed. It will help me sustain an off and on running gun battle for months at a time. It is accurate out to 600 yards. Adjustable to flame thrower and hand warmer.

Nope. With one of those covers, the Zippo is all one needs now for wilderness survival.:thumb:;);):D:








Seriously though, they are pretty neat. Fuel lasts a month or more now. It does make it harder to light sometimes and the fit is really tight, making it difficult to remove the lighter to refuel it.
 
#49 ·
I still can't find my trusty Zippo that I carried in the army and through college. I know it's here somewhere for I am not known to toss anything. It may be boxed with my tobacco pipes which I also can't find. I wanted to experiment with methods to seal it, in particular adding a thin fitted seal in the bottom of the case.

My permanent match from China hasn't arrived either.
 
#52 ·
It's tough for me to say, I don't really use my lighter daily, it's more of a backup. When I carried it daily I filled it about once a month.
Now I pack a mini Bic on my key chain.
I wrapped the lower half of the mini with a couple turns of duct tape and smooshed the inch of tape that hung off the bottom of the mini. I then used a hole punch to make a hole so I could put the mini on my key chain. I've been doing that for 3yrs now. When I go camping I also pack my waterproof zippo with the inner tube seal.
 
#54 ·
The reason I believe it’s a viable choice is because it’s not affected by altitude or cold!

Yeah it does evaporate over time, but as a non sealed system altitude doesn’t mess it up! Probably not a big deal if you live in Florida, but start playing with altitude and that changes!

Ok so it evaporates! If you’re a church goer fill it up each week before you drop it in the pocket of your dress pants! If not find some other weekly reminder for a top off! Pulling it apart and filling it through the hole in the felt truly takes seconds and you’re good to go. Oh and as I’m sure most already know throw a flint or two under the felt and you’re likely to be making fire long after the lessor options have turned toes up!

SD
 
#55 ·
Nothing like bumping an old thread, but in this case it should be OK. After having one of the Zippo more sealed covered thingy's mentioned in this thread for a couple of years now, actually after about a year (got lazy), the lighter insert won't come out easily at all. I think I'm going to have to get a pair of pliers to do so. Wish me luck when I found the round tu it to do it, hehe.
 
#56 · (Edited)
I picked up 2 of those Zippo cases when bunkerbuster first talked about them,I have let one sit filled for over 4 months and it still lit,my plan was to light it the first and 15th of month,I believe it was 4th month I just spaced it off and when I checked 2 or 3 months later it was bone dry, I believe a fella could safely figure on 3 months between refills if like me and just burn trash every week or two,and maybe a brushpile or two a month,I like Zippos they work in wind and cold,you can also use as a candle in a jam when you need a little light for few minutes,I carry a Zippo in one of those cases in colder weather when I'm hunting,Hiking,camping,in warmer months I carry a mini bic.



Just something else to mention,if you purchase one of those Zippo cases,I'd say dont get camouflage,I thought camouflage would be cool LOL,I lost one in tall grass and knew within 5 foot where I dropped it,I found just the lighter part several months later where a cow had stepped on it and busted the case off,never did find any part of case. Dont know what I was thinking I always buy bright colored disposable lighters so I can find them if dropped .
 
#57 ·
Yup! The camo fad has went a bit too far. Camo knives, and black flashlights! I don't know who thought that one up, but I bet there's some repeat customers!

A friend of mine lost a range finder when we were out hunting. It was a lazy hunt, where we rode out in his sxs, glass a little, and head to another spot. Fell out somewhere just a short ride to another lookout. The last spot where we had it was probably only a mile. We could see the tracks in the grass plain as day, and rode back slow, and then back again the other way, both looking for the camo range finder. Of course never to be seen again.

I've gone so far as to spray paint a Zippo, a nice bright color.
 
#59 ·
Need to fill up a 9mm or AR once in awhile too, but funny we don't see anyone trading them in for spears!

I make it habit to top it up. But then I also carry extra fuel. And usually flint. With a small 15 ml container, I'm probably good for a month or two with 100 fires started. If that runs out, I also packed it with cotton batting, which will light off the spark wheel.

But as I also probably mentioned before, I can use gasoline, or camp fuel. Actually using a mixture of camp fuel and charcoal fluid right now.

And if all that fails, that's where back ups come in. It's pretty much guaranteed that an MSR ferro rod is on me, for hunting, camping, quading, sledding, etc. But it's certainly more time intensive, and falls behind on "fire power".
 
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