Do you carry a backup fire starter? What and Why or Why Not?

(Does anyone use the Spark-Lite Firestarter? With the firestarter weighing 0.19 oz and the Tinder Quick tabs at 0.024 oz each it would seem like the lightest "emergency" firestarter not to mention I could use it with a broken hand if needed. At the same time, my fall could have broken my leg as well making it possible to get wood to light it with – smile.)

Spark-lite with Tinder quick Tabs are the best!!!!!!

some videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ms8hY4z4aY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qgUZyWQSho (I make fire with one hand)

OK, the video with the razor blade gets my vote as the worlds lightest firestarter, but I know I'd fillet my finger wide open if I tried that lol

1 book paper matches and couple of vaselined cotton balls in a snack ziplock.

I can do without the food if needed, more for fire starting ability.

Ive said it many times, only about 600 out of my 3500 cal per day requires boiling water. I think I can survive without it if need be.

Tony Ronco,
I like those match and tinder combos! I think I'll have to make a few and try 'em out.
Ya know, back in my Boy Scout days we called those matches with sulfur halfway down the stick "Mother F___kers" ( I'm sure you can fill in the blanks) because when we lit one we always stupidly held it up vertical and the molten sulfur would invariably run down onto our fingers and burn the heck outta us, causing us to toss the match away. So we' have to light another one…

One thing I thought I'd pass along – My wife and I just got back from our first ever backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. Had a wonderful time, but it was quite unlike any trip we've ever been on before because of all the people!

I mean normally it is not unusual for us to never see another soul on a five day trip, and here we were hiking with a "crowd"!

So it was my first opportunity to really talk to other hikers for a bit.
We started on the South Kaibab trail, and you have to get bussed to that trail head, so there was a whole gaggle of hikers going down, and most of us stopped at the first latrine site to shed insulating layers and take a break.

We all started talking and sharing stories. I mentioned that I'd like to thru hike the AT some day and that got 'em going, because several hikers present had done just that. Then the subject of pack weight came up as one hiker mentioned that he'd gotten down to a base weight of "only" 17 pounds on the AT.

Then they stated bad mouthing UL hikers, because "They are always borrowing things!"

You know what the very first item mentioned was?

"You got a lighter I can borrow?"

I'm not making this up, it was the first thing mentioned. The guys reeled off a whole list rapid fire – " Do you know what time it is?, Do you have a map I can see? Can I borrow your cell phone? Do you have any extra cord? Do you have any food you can spare? And on and on.

I was shocked. I didn't know ULers had such a bad rep. And here in this thread several folks have mentioned having to do just this, borrow lighters from other hikers!

I felt rather sheepish to mention to those fellers ( who all had 45-ish pound packs ) that my base weight that morning was 10.30 pounds, and my wifes backpack was 16. My total weight was 26 and dropping rapidly as we drank water, and my wifes was only 20.

We're not really UL, but close enough for suspicion…

I have to ask… Was the context of the slander directed more at UL in general, or did it have an "AT" feel to it? The only thru hiking I've ever seen is on a movie or in a book, but compared to other major trails, the AT seems to carry a common thread of a "coming of age" theme to many of the hikers I've heard about. I hope I don't offend anybody, but it's just a stage of life that seems to go hand in hand with general unpreparedness. Maybe it's the popularity of the AT that only makes it seem more prevalent there, I don't know. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the "social" aspect of the AT. Seems so counterintuitive to me.

Glenn,
The stories were all about unprepared ULers encountered on the AT.
I guess the AT is the most popular long trail and easiest to do from a logistics standpoint anyway, and it probably draws plenty of not-quite-ready hikers, both UL and Traditional. We too are trying to get our brains around more “social” hiking. As I wrote, this Grand Canyon trip was our first ever, in twenty years of backpacking with my wife and twenty more myself solo before that, that we encountered so many folks on the trail. My wife in particular doesn’t know how to deal with it and feels rather uncomfortable among so many people. So the popular trails may not be for us. But that’s OK, plenty empty places to explore! And if we die because we can’t light a fire, at least we won’t be giving ULers a bad name…

"I guess the AT is the most popular long trail and easiest to do from a logistics standpoint anyway, and it probably draws plenty of not-quite-ready hikers, both UL and Traditional."

Exactly. I spend a lot of time on the southern portions of the AT and see A LOT of folks that are inexperienced. This means 60+ lbs loads where they have two of everything and also 15lbs loads where someone doesn't bring everything they need. The traditional hikers far outnumber the UL hikers. I've only seen 2-3 UL hikers in about 500mi of AT hiking.

It just so happens most people out there frown on the inexperienced UL crowd even though it seems just as ludicrous to carry two gallons of water on a trail with a spring or creek every 3 miles.

Ryan

The AT needs a nice desert at the start like the PCT to whip people into shape or filter them out.

I've always thought of the AT as being the catch-all for the Eastern big city dreamers who want to "get back to nature." Nice filter for the PCT at that :)

It's like all the day hikers I see without a shred of gear, cotton sweats, flip flops. "Where's the bathroom? What?! Got any toilet paper?" I reach out and pull some leaves off a vine maple… "Ewwwww!"

The cities have bred us to a dangerous level of stupidity I fear. And you can't fix 'stupid.'

I have seen very very few real UL hikers on the AT. Quite a few lightwt packs like the jam or circuit, but very few persons actually under 10 lb base wt. Quite a few overloaded Jams that people bought because they were cheap. The average AT hiker probably has 15-20 lb base wt after about Damascus. By then they have had several chances to get rid of crap gear and buy lighter more serviceable items.

There is some UL bashing that goes on, but from what Ive seen, its mostly just piling on due to hearsay. Ive never encountered a UL hiker that was freezing, starving, or asking to borrow maps, etc. Im sure they exist, but they are rarer than the heavyweight hikers that would be asking for the same stuff.

+1 MB. Same thing where I hike (PNW and intermountain west): I hardly ever see UL hikers, let alone have them trying to borrow stuff. What I do see is overloaded folks, about 3 1/2 miles from the trailhead, asking if I know where the closest campsite is.

Alright, alright… Let's not stoop to their level of bashing ;-)

Back on topic, after having the spark-lite in my Amazon cart more times than I can count, I finally pulled the trigger. If nothing else, having a few tinder-quicks strategically scattered throughout my pack will be nice. A couple in my pocket ziplock, a couple in my medical ziplock, etc. Might even give up the emergency PJCB's. Might…

I don't get the Spark-lite. It's cold and wet, I have a pile of marginal tinder and wet wood in front of me. For whatever reason, a butane lighter or matches aren't an option and I'm feeling the onset of hypothermia.

Now I'm going to rely on what amounts to the spark wheel from my lighter to start a fire? I'm going to trust my life on that working? It's time for something robust and foolproof, not a wussy little shower of sparks and some treated cotton. Please.

Oh don't get me wrong. The striker doesn't appear to be more than a bic that's run out of gas… I'm more interested in the chemically treated cotton thingies. I'd also like to explore pieces of braided cotton rope, as well as tampons. I read that they're a pretty dense source of tinder as well!

I carry Tinder Quick tabs myself. They are the most compact cleanest off the shelf option I've found. That's what I have in the red spy capsule in the photo.

What you have to keep in mind with tinder like this or dryer lint or petroleum jellied cotton balls is that you are just getting an extended match, or a candle flame, not a blowtorch. They will burn long enough for you to carefully pile some larger fuel around and hopefully get that going.

Oh, I realize it. I guess I've never tried getting a fire going in a thunderstorm, but a break in the weather of a 2 day rain is nothing new. I think in this brave new world of spreadsheets, numbers, and the internet, people tend to theorize a bit too much. I guess I view firemaking the same way I do being a machine operator. It's more of an art than a science.

That may sound a bit esoteric, but I guess that's why they make canister stoves. (Insert politically correct disclaimer here.)

I've found most backup fire starters to be pretty much near-useless in real life situations. I've simulated a few of these 'real-life' scenarios specifically to see if they would actually work for me.

I've never been able to get firesteel to work reliably. Most storm-proof and strike-anywhere matches are anything but, some proving to fail catastrophically. For example, the generic storm proofs (or was it strike-anywheres?) at REI – the red phosphorus tips broke off almost every time when trying to light them!

The best I've found are the UCO storm matches. I can run them under the sink, go outside into heavy winds, fully exposed, and still light them, and they last for a decent amount of time. When the proverbial sh hits the fan, I want something stupid easy to use and hassle-free. They might weigh a gram or two more, but it's worth it for how well they work.

EDIT: I use Esbit for cooking and bring an extra tab. The tab acts as my fuel to get a fire going in emergency situations. I use UCO matches as a backup/emergency fire starter to get the Esbit going.

UCO matches are my favorite. I use a K&M match case with a compass in the cap. Regardless of the type of matches you use, they need to be fresh. I replace mine every Spring.

"I don't get the Spark-lite. "

While I still have the box and the tinder, the flint broke off the only one I ever had (bought in fact on BPL back in day) almost immediately. Definitely NOT the secure backup you want, if and when you really need it in an emergency situation.

Over the years I sort of worked out a system where I bring those little white REI fire starter nuggets and pair one or two (depending on conditions) with a storm match.

Works 95% of the time on the first match.

Here is what I carry,
mini bic
stormproof matches
small pill bottle of tinder, usually fill it up with pine resin in the field
2 esbits as an emergency, get a fire started no matter what sort of thing.

I utilize fire more than most backpackers.

I have insurance to protect my family and others. BICs as so light, it makes no sense not to carry two. Fire is essential. Matches work inconsistently. BICs are usually reliable. Take two.

If the weather is cold, then the butane in both lighters may be too cold to work.

When most people apply a backup system, they choose an item with a different technology. For example, matches to back up a lighter, or a firesteel to back up matches. The same weakness is unlikely to affect both.

–B.G.–

In a recent deluge, with six hypothermic (Stage 1) hikers, a mini-flare got the wet wood roaring.

My system is a storm match set next to a little white fire starter nugget (REI).

My back up is the piezo ignited stove/blow torch.

Your backup fire starter needs to be in your pocket. One major reason for the need to make a fire is when separated from your gear by accident or theft. Stream crossings top my list. Having a bear drag your away pack is possible.

If you have your shelter, sleeping bag and dry clothing, there's little need for fires. Lose that level of protection and you're in trouble. If your fire starter is in the pack, you had all your eggs in one basket. Poor logistics there.