Gear

Fire-lighting kit — lighters and matches

A lighter and matches.

Lighter or matches, and why both should be in your pack. Waterproof variants, windproof models, and how a lighter behaves in the cold.

Being able to light a fire on a trip is safety equipment on a par with the bothy bag — you rarely need it, but when you do, you really do. The standard is to carry both a lighter and matches, each in a separate waterproof bag, so that one works if the other fails.

Lighter

A Bic lighter (or an equivalent disposable plastic one) is the most common choice. Cheap, light (~12 g), reliable — as long as it is dry and warm.

Limitations:

  • A cold lighter does not work — below about 5 °C a Bic lighter often fails. Keep it in a pocket close to your body in the cold.
  • A wet flint does not work — check that the lighter is dry before you leave
  • Out of gas — check the weight, or the fluid level in a transparent model, before each trip

A storm lighter (a Zippo or a piezoelectric one) handles wind and cold better, but it is heavier, more expensive, and needs maintenance (a Zippo uses petrol that evaporates over weeks).

For most trips a Bic lighter plus matches as a backup is enough.

Matches

Waterproof matches (safety matches dipped in wax or paraffin) are the classic backup choice. They withstand rain, work in the cold, and last for years in dry packaging.

Classic types:

  • UCO Stormproof — burns for 15 seconds, works underwater
  • REI / Coghlan’s Waterproof — standard waterproof matches, burn for 5–10 seconds
  • Ordinary safety matches in a plastic tube — the cheapest option, works if the tube stays sealed

Pack the matches in a waterproof bag with a snap closure together with the striking surface (the striker strip from the box).

Flint and ferro rod (ferro)

For anyone who wants to master fire-lighting as a skill:

A ferrocerium rod (‘ferro rod’) throws sparks when scraped with steel. It takes practice, but it works wet, cold, and lasts for 5,000+ lightings. Price: 100–300 kr.

It is often used together with birch bark, twig shavings, or dry moss as tinder.

For a backup on a trip a ferro rod is not necessary — matches are simpler and quicker. For building skills it is a good tool.

Packing and placement

Fire-lighting kit should be easy to reach, not at the bottom of the pack. The classic placement:

  • One lighter in a jacket pocket (warm, dry)
  • One lighter plus matches in the top of the pack (backup)
  • In winter: always something in an inside pocket, warmed by body heat

Maintenance

Check the lighter for a gas leak (smell) before each trip. Replace dipped matches after 5 years (the wax can dry out).

Keep the lighter clean — sand in the valve ruins the mechanism.

Cooking over a campfire → · Finding firewood and a suitable fire site →

Text: Snuitide (2026).