Carry at least three ways to light a fire, because each fails in a different way: butane lighters are the most convenient, matches need to be kept dry, a ferrocerium rod works when wet, and a magnifying glass or lens never runs out but needs direct sun. Add petroleum jelly worked into cotton balls as a starter that burns for 3-5 minutes per ball.
Part of Tier 1: Immediate Survival Gear
Fire gives warmth, water purification, cooking, light and signalling, and every ignition source fails in a different way.
Redundancy Matters More Than The Best Single Tool
Fire is not a single tool but a chain: a spark or flame, tinder that catches, and fuel that sustains. The salvage priority is to take enough sources that one failure does not end the chain, and starters that make the middle link easy. Each source below fails differently, which is why you take several.
What To Take
- Butane lighters. Hundreds of lights per lighter. Grab every one you see.
- Strike-anywhere matches, in a waterproof container. Regular safety matches work too but need their own striker.
- Ferrocerium rod. Works when wet and good for 10,000 or more strikes. It makes sparks, not flame, so it needs fine, dry tinder. See Spark-Based Fire Starting.
- Magnifying glass or Fresnel lens. Works only in direct sunlight but never runs out.
- Petroleum jelly and cotton balls. The best improvised starter, burning 3-5 minutes per ball. Work the jelly into the cotton before you need it.
Where To Look
Convenience stores, gas stations, camping stores, kitchen and utility drawers, survival kits and welding shops.
Choosing Between Them
Step 1: Light the lighter first. A stored lighter may have leaked or run dry; test each one and take the working ones.
Step 2: Keep matches dry. Put them in a waterproof container, and keep a striker with safety matches.
Step 3: Pair the rod with tinder. A rod is only as good as the tinder it hits; carry petroleum-jelly cotton or prepare tinder as in Tinder Preparation.
Step 4: Plan the lens for sunny hours only. It is a backup for days when everything else is wet or gone.
Common Mistakes
- Carrying one lighter and no backup. A lighter that has been dropped, soaked or run dry leaves nothing.
- Using the rod without tinder. Sparks do not light logs.
- Packing accelerants as a first resort. Petroleum jelly is a starter; reaching for liquid fuel is how people burn themselves.
Safety
Accelerants burn the user as readily as the fire
Never pour liquid fuel onto a lit or smouldering fire, and never use it indoors or near stored fuel. Light the starter first, then add fuel to the fire in small pieces. Keep the lighter, matches and any fuel containers away from the burning area.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Fire Making — building a fire once you have a source
- Combine with: Shelter & Warmth — fire and insulation work together