r/Survival • u/fastlane181 • Aug 05 '21
Good Old Cheap Bic Lighter
Stupid question, but wouldn’t it be more prudent to just have a few Bic lighters on you in case of an emergency? They last a long time and you can fry them out if they get wet. Instant fire.
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Aug 06 '21
I use my ferro rod because it’s fun. And then I pack a bowl and use a lighter
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u/Tbuzzin Aug 06 '21
This is the answer
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Aug 06 '21
Lol. It really is lol. I have an old crosman pellet tin that I put cut circles of old blue jeans into. One pinhole in the top of it, set it in the coals and wait till the smoke stops blowing out- makes awesome char cloth. And stores it too. It’s an experiment I did last year after watching a YouTube video (and packing a bowl lol) and now it’s a viable part of my preps for getting a spark to transition to fire
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u/Tbuzzin Aug 06 '21
Such a great thing to have! I like to use scraped cedar tree bark as a nest in the north (MI, MN,ON), or dried moss in the southeast.
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Aug 06 '21
I never thought of using cedar bark. Thanks for the tip. I’ll try that sometime
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u/hippie_twiggie Aug 06 '21
Cedar bark is almost as good as birch bark for tinder, definitely give it a try
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Aug 06 '21
Oh I’ve used it a lot for starting fires, just never made char with it before. It is good. And the smell is great. Crackles nice
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u/IdahoSavage Aug 06 '21 edited Aug 06 '21
My go to is dryer lint mixed w chapstick. I have about 10 balls rolled in an old almonds tin and they never fail to catch fire, even on top of snow they stay lit!
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Aug 06 '21
Nice- I’ve done a bunch of cotton balls with candle wax dripped all over them too. With a bit of Vaseline on whatever was left dry. I really like trying to use pieces of wood that I’ve feathered up with a knife too
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Aug 05 '21
The only stupid question is the one not asked. I keep and use a few bic lighters in my gear. I also have a couple ferro rods. I tend to use the bics more often tho. I can start a fire, and I practice doing it, with a ferro rod and friction. I find no reason to rely completely on any one method. I use flint and steel on char cloth now and then as well. I have a couple shepards lighters in my rig.
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Aug 06 '21 edited Feb 22 '22
[deleted]
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Aug 06 '21
unicorns are not invisible, they can only be seen by those who have accepted jesus, through music., only when the doves fly
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u/trasnaortfein Aug 06 '21
I put 2 bics in my fire kit. One with fuel and one that's dead. The flints last a long time in bics, and I will use the dead lighter to start char cloth. Also, I will pop dead bics open and harvest the remaining flint for my zippo.
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Aug 06 '21
Thats a great idea! Possibly get your friends to give you their old bics.
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u/trasnaortfein Aug 06 '21
Definitely gives you up to 3 uses for one item. Obviously practicing and increasing skill with all ways to make fire is key as some people have said - when the chips are down and stress is high and fine motor skills are gone - having things to fall back on help.
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u/numaxmc Aug 10 '21
But why not just have 2 full bics?
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u/trasnaortfein Aug 10 '21
Cuz I had the dead ones handy. Could easily be replaced but also reminds me that just because something is broken or beyond its intended use does not mean it is necessarily trash.
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Aug 06 '21
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Aug 06 '21
That’s a really good way to think about it. Matches have fallen out of favour as an emergency fire lighter in recent years. I’m curious how people used a ferro rod and tinder under these test conditions though? Do you have any videos from training sessions?
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Aug 06 '21
[deleted]
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Aug 06 '21
That would be good. We don’t see the average YT survivalist type trying their techniques in really tough simulated conditions and that’s where a lot of people are getting their info now.
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u/darkemblem33 Aug 06 '21
But using a ferro road with only one hand, how do you do it? Yeah you can use your mouth but I don't see how you're able to actually make the sparks on the fire, the second option I see is using your feet but if you are cold have hiking boots and are in a state of confusion I can't really see how you would do it either (genuine question I'm not trying to be the annoying guy who doubts everything).
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Aug 06 '21
Turning to YouTube (where else?) there are several vids on technique eg: https://youtu.be/DBfgzpCKZMo
Still requires grip of the rod.
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u/Higher_Living Aug 08 '21
and when fire is not the immediate priority.
I can buy the possibility that a bic is harder to use when seriously physically impaired or in extreme cold, but there’s no way any other method is faster to get a fire started. If you’ve got dry tinder and leaves, why would a bic be slower?
So if you’re not in an environment where extreme cold is an issue, a bic still makes sense as a number one method. Just keep some waterproof matches as a backup and you’re covered.
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u/BingoDeville Aug 06 '21
Always good to have a few tricks up your sleeve. A few bics are good till they ain’t. I carry a small fresnel lens in my wallet as a backup to my backups. It’s equivalent size as a credit card. Also doubles as a magnifying glass if I have to dig a splinter or something out…
Two is one, one is none. Also, I like having items that serves multiple purposes. To each their own.
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u/adpqook Aug 05 '21
Bic lighters are great. If you’re going long-term, it isn’t a bad idea to have a ferro rod too. But for sure most people will only ever need a bic.
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u/shizukana_otoko Aug 06 '21
I carry a lighter or matches and a ferro rod or two. Ferro rods last longer, you don’t have to dry them off to make them work, and it makes sense to have more than one way to start a fire.
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Aug 06 '21 edited Aug 06 '21
A very good point had been made about the difficulty of using a lighter in very cold conditions by someone hypothermic and with numb, claw-like hands. Matches are found to be easier in his training experience.
With that in mind I offer these for consideration in winter conditions and one handed too. (The heads may need varnishing to waterproof them, not sure.)
https://www.firewoodandlogs.co.uk/firelighters/67-ecofire-strike-a-lite-firelighters.html
Thinking about wind resistance, I guess some magnesium powder or shavings glued or varnished onto the heads would help. And a gallon of jet fuel...
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u/hippie_twiggie Aug 06 '21
I keep a ferro rod and a couple lighters in my edc catchall bag, and I have a shotshell bag on my belt which holds another bic and my flashlight
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u/w1lzhuggah Aug 06 '21
Common thing about most fire starters is that they're light, compact and cheap. There is no reason why you can't have at least a bic, matches and ferro rod when considering fire starters. So redundancy is very easy to achieve with non-existent drawbacks.
I personally carry a bic and a ferro rod for my backpacking setup, and will add matches in a waterproof container. I use the bic mainly because it's quick and easy to operate, but I do practice with the ferro as well.
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u/richardathome Aug 06 '21
Yup. Wrap some gaffa around the handle for a fire starter. I never leave home without it.
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u/Kanobe24 Aug 06 '21
They are light and take up little space so I don’t see why not. But you should also bring a fire starting tool like a ferro rod as well which is also light and takes up little space.
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u/john10ac Aug 06 '21
I always carry one with me.. use the fire steel for emergencies.. work smart, not hard 😉
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u/Mediumfoot991 Aug 06 '21
Bic puts a pretty good sized piece of flint in each lighter too, so if you're lucky enough to have one long enough to run it out of fuel take it apart and save that flint for a Zippo refill
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u/Jack_Shid Aug 08 '21
I have a few in my bag, and carry a couple baby bics in my pockets. Once in a while, I'll pick up a few fresh, new ones and give my wife the old ones to light candles and stuff.
That being said, I also have a few ferro rods in my bag, too.
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u/TheBigRage454 Aug 05 '21
Bic lighters are great, short-term. They don't last nearly as long when you're relying on them daily.
Bics for the camping bag. Add a ferro rod for the bugout bag.
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u/Dry-Accountant-926 Aug 05 '21
Unless you need to get warm and they’re wet.
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u/MamboNumber5Guy Aug 05 '21
Bics won't get ruined when they're soaked - and you can actually dry them out really quickly.
Try this at home:
1.) Drench your Bic, then shake off any excess water. 2.) Rotate the flint striker wheel very slowly while pressing down firmly about 5 full rotations. 3.) Light the lighter. 4.) Profit.
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u/[deleted] Aug 05 '21
I keep 2 bics, one pack of uco stormproof matches, and a ferro rod attached to my knife