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23 Posts
I am constantly amazed by the number of seemingly intelligent people who insist on touting the usefulness of things like firesteel, piston fire-starters, "waterproof" matches (chuckle), and the like to the exclusion of the cheapest, most effective, and most reliable of firestarters: the disposable lighter.
There is a significant distinction between bushcraft and survival. Bushcraft is almost a sport. It challenges the practitioner to emulate the craft, wit, and wisdom of technologically primitive people. Almost a form of reinactment. Bushcrafters all have a line which, when crossed, constitutes "cheating".
It is an excellent hobby, and for some lifestyle, and puts one leagues ahead of the average person in a survival situation.
Survival, on the other hand, is a situation that is thrust upon you (mostly) unwanted. Along with being raised in a familywith a long tradition in the outdoors, I was also a Boy Scout. The bulk of the material on this site is predicated on the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared
If you are putting together a kit to have handy in case of an emergency, you want items which are reliable, cheap (as it is likely going to sit in a bag and not see regular use), and easy to operate under adverse conditions.
I have started literally thousands of fires in my life in all kinds of conditions and using several, if not all, of the methods you'll find in a survival resource, discussion, or situation. I also smoke. Yes yes, I know, I should quit. Switching to a pipe soon .. the reason I mention this is to illustrate that I have quite a bit of experience with lighters and an addict's need to make fire happen RIGHT NOW! Hahahahaha
What is a Bic lighter? It's a flint and steel with a fuel source. So, it makes the spark AND the flame. I am smoking as I write this and I am using a Bic lighter I found in a backpack in a trunk in my cabin that I seem to have left there about 3 years ago, and which I carried before stowing there.
Many people say that one of the drawbacks to a bic lighter is that they have a finite supply of fuel. That is true. I am too busy to do a proper scientific test, but I know that I have been using this lighter now for over 3 months, so we'll just call it 3. I smoke, on average, 20 cigarrettes a day. That means that I have created a flame with this particular 79 cent lighter at LEAST 1800 times and that's AFTER it sat for several years. I smoke outside mostly, so that means many of those 1800+ flics of my bic have been in wind ( like on a boat on the Atlantic). I can see through this lighter and note that it's a little under half full. Do the math. If you plan to abandon "civilization" for years, buy a handful (unless you smoke AND intend to grow your own tobacco, then buy about 40)
I just realized that my wordcount is rather high, so I'm going to do this in chunks. WAKE UP! This part's continued in the next post.... you can go back to sleep half-way through that one
There is a significant distinction between bushcraft and survival. Bushcraft is almost a sport. It challenges the practitioner to emulate the craft, wit, and wisdom of technologically primitive people. Almost a form of reinactment. Bushcrafters all have a line which, when crossed, constitutes "cheating".
It is an excellent hobby, and for some lifestyle, and puts one leagues ahead of the average person in a survival situation.
Survival, on the other hand, is a situation that is thrust upon you (mostly) unwanted. Along with being raised in a familywith a long tradition in the outdoors, I was also a Boy Scout. The bulk of the material on this site is predicated on the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared
If you are putting together a kit to have handy in case of an emergency, you want items which are reliable, cheap (as it is likely going to sit in a bag and not see regular use), and easy to operate under adverse conditions.
I have started literally thousands of fires in my life in all kinds of conditions and using several, if not all, of the methods you'll find in a survival resource, discussion, or situation. I also smoke. Yes yes, I know, I should quit. Switching to a pipe soon .. the reason I mention this is to illustrate that I have quite a bit of experience with lighters and an addict's need to make fire happen RIGHT NOW! Hahahahaha
What is a Bic lighter? It's a flint and steel with a fuel source. So, it makes the spark AND the flame. I am smoking as I write this and I am using a Bic lighter I found in a backpack in a trunk in my cabin that I seem to have left there about 3 years ago, and which I carried before stowing there.
Many people say that one of the drawbacks to a bic lighter is that they have a finite supply of fuel. That is true. I am too busy to do a proper scientific test, but I know that I have been using this lighter now for over 3 months, so we'll just call it 3. I smoke, on average, 20 cigarrettes a day. That means that I have created a flame with this particular 79 cent lighter at LEAST 1800 times and that's AFTER it sat for several years. I smoke outside mostly, so that means many of those 1800+ flics of my bic have been in wind ( like on a boat on the Atlantic). I can see through this lighter and note that it's a little under half full. Do the math. If you plan to abandon "civilization" for years, buy a handful (unless you smoke AND intend to grow your own tobacco, then buy about 40)
I just realized that my wordcount is rather high, so I'm going to do this in chunks. WAKE UP! This part's continued in the next post.... you can go back to sleep half-way through that one
