Lighting stove in winter/high winds: What do you carry?

Hi All,
I was wondering what people used to light their camping stove during the winter or when conditions aren't exactly perfect (wind / rain / whatever)? I recently lost my butane lighter and wanted to replace it. I find that butane lighters don't operate that well when it's very cold outside (simple physics, alas). I'm currently looking at these two options:

Butane Lighter

Firesteel Fire starter

Or do you use simple matches (kinda booooring if you ask me and might not be ideal in high winds)

Fish

How about a windproof lighter?

Of just your two choices, I'd take the butane.

Just clicked your butane link after posting.

I clicked on those links and -- GAG -- choked on the price tags.

I carry three regular old Djeep lighters (mostly quite reliable) and a couple boxes of heavy matches. Each of these of course is bagged separately.

The real thing, though, for this application, is the combination of a lighter and one of those super-thick fire-starter matches. Stick a piece of one of those under the tank of your Optimus and you'll be good to go in about five minutes.

I've had no problem with the cold when it's a lighter under consideration. You can also keep it in your pants pocket for an hour, too.

Also, you must be rigorously religious about keeping dry things dry.

==============

Since you brought it up, I'll also offer this tidbit: We were firing up the 8R at one of the tentsites at the Perch, and it was quite breezy. I pulled out the heavy aluminum foil and set up a windscreen. Turns out you can easily over-insulate the 8R and it wasn't long before a two-foot jet of burning fuel came shooting out the relief valve on the gas tank and announced itself by burning through the aluminum foil. I cranked down the throttle and tapped out the flame, let it cool off (depressurize) and started up again without incident, but the lesson of exploding gas tanks was imprinted on my imagination, if not my skull. Caveat flamor.

I use a butane "Solo Camping Lighter" http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Camping-Lighter/dp/B000KI07QO

Other sources: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="solo+camping+lighter"&btnG=Google+Search

I bought mine at EMS in Burlington, MA. I don't see it on the EMS website right now.

The flame head extends on a 2-3inch tube which can be stuck inside the burner assembly before igniting the lighter (and stove...).

No butane lighter will work well if cold. Carry the lighter in your pocket to warm it up.

Doug

How about just putting up the wind screen around your stove? I use regular matches with no problem at all.

I generally do fine with Bic disposable lighters. I keep a couple in different pockest to keep them warm and dry. I've got backups (windproof/waterproof matches and more lighters in my pack in zip-locks, but haven't had to break into them.

Oldsmores said:

I generally do fine with Bic disposable lighters. I keep a couple in different pockest to keep them warm and dry. I've got backups (windproof/waterproof matches and more lighters in my pack in zip-locks, but haven't had to break into them.

Click to expand...

Never had a problem, but I carry the same stuff - I also have candles and esbit cubes, which will keep a flame going for a while, assuming you block the wind - should give you time to get the stove going...

Oldsmores said:

I generally do fine with Bic disposable lighters. I keep a couple in different pockest to keep them warm and dry. I've got backups (windproof/waterproof matches and more lighters in my pack in zip-locks, but haven't had to break into them.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Windscreen and warm, dry lighter has never not worked. I 'hide' lighters in various locations (kitchen, stove, pocket, bottom of my pack) in case I drop one or whatever.

Bic with Life Boat Matches as a backup

I always carry life boat matches as a back up. The Bic works 99% of the time if kept warm in an inside pocket. The Life Boat matches are indistructable, and produce a steady, long lasting flame in high winds. Having said that, I use the aluminum wind break that came with my old MSR.

The two times I HAD to use the Life Boat matches, they paid for themselves many times over.

Oldsmores said:

I generally do fine with Bic disposable lighters. I keep a couple in different pockest to keep them warm and dry. I've got backups (windproof/waterproof matches and more lighters in my pack in zip-locks, but haven't had to break into them.

Click to expand...

Same here... bunch of regular lighters around and some waterproof matches just in case.

--M. said:

The real thing, though, for this application, is the combination of a lighter and one of those super-thick fire-starter matches. Stick a piece of one of those under the tank of your Optimus and you'll be good to go in about five minutes.

Click to expand...

I don't remember reading that one in the manual, but I doubt the match generates enough heat to be a safety concern.

I used to carry fire starter paste for my 8R's in the winter. It burns longer than fuel in the priming cup and does not flare up. It does leave a sooty residue, but you can control the priming process much easier.

With my Primus I just pump, prime and light a water-proof match. If I'm concerned about where I'll be setting up in the winter I can make a wire lattice and add a square of ensolite under foil to set the stove on to keep it from sinking in snow.

Thanks all for your replies. I guess the big problem here might be my matches...they are el-cheapo matches that will go out in a blink of a eye when there's a tinniest bit of wind. I'll go hunting for better quality matches and then I won't have to depend on a lighter. Although I might still get the firestarter stick as a backup.

Cheers!

Fish

The wind / waterproof matches work great , kind of like a mini sparkler . I keep an assortment of matches in an old medicine bottle with a cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly and a few strikers .


A good trick to use with an 8R Optimus is to keep a few cotton swabs ( Q tips ) with it . Dip one in the tank , or a few if it's really cold ,then light 'em up to preheat the tube .

hikingfish said:

Thanks all for your replies. I guess the big problem here might be my matches...they are el-cheapo matches that will go out in a blink of a eye when there's a tinniest bit of wind. I'll go hunting for better quality matches and then I won't have to depend on a lighter. Although I might still get the firestarter stick as a backup.

Click to expand...

REI and EMS carry waterproof or lifeboat matches. Worth getting.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I carry such matches as a backup, but I've never had to use them. Butane lighters have always worked for me and are more convenient than matches.

Doug

I've also seen these. They could probably be refilled with white gas if you had nothing elseto use . But I would rather a mini butane or mini torch if my life depended on it .

Chip said:

I don't remember reading that one in the manual, but I doubt the match generates enough heat to be a safety concern.

Click to expand...

About half of one of these (http://store.everestgear.com/159008.html) will warm up the fuel enough to vaporize the gas. I light it, futz with something else for five minutes, get its ashes out, and fire up the stove. The stove looks like this: http://stovecollector.tripod.com/br_optimus.htm.

[I had to Google these photos; they're not my work and were the first photos I could find of the items in question.]

I carry waterproof matches in a match safe. Just started carrying 2 cotton balls in a plastic film container. They are each soaked in petroleum jelly and when lit, burn like napalm. The matches are for starting a fire or lighting gas, the cotton balls for igniting an emergency fire.

Bic type lighters will work if kept warm. The safety engineers for a company I used to work for used to caution people from carrying lighters in shirt pockets. These small lighters carry the exposive force of 1/2 stick of TNT if set off at once. There are instances of a spark or small metal shard hitting these and seriously burning or killing the people whose shirt pocket they rode in.
I first became alerted to the potential danger of Bics suddenly igniting by a friend who represented the relatives of the person immolated in his car when the flick part stuck and then ignited around his head burning him and everything inside the car to a crisp. Never felt comfortable carrying one directly on me ever since.

Peakbagr said:

...Bic type lighters will work if kept warm. The safety engineers for a company I used to work for used to caution people from carrying lighters in shirt pockets. These small lighters carry the exposive force of 1/2 stick of TNT if set off at once. There are instances of a spark or small metal shard hitting these and seriously burning or killing the people whose shirt pocket they rode in.
I first became alerted to the potential danger of Bics suddenly igniting by a friend who represented the relatives of the person immolated in his car when the flick part stuck and then ignited around his head burning him and everything inside the car to a crisp. Never felt comfortable carrying one directly on me ever since.

Click to expand...

I'll probably continue to take that risk. I'm guessing that you've got a better chance of freezing to death than self-immolation by bic. Not to say it couldn't happen ( Urban Legends ), but you've got to go somehow...

I could introduce you to the attorney who represented the guy who burned to death if you'd like.

I learned long ago that waterproof matches aren't important..but windproof ones are. I put some of that coughlans fire ribbon on the top of my coleman peak one on the burner, below the generator tube. then i light it with lighter or windproof match, that way it heats up the generator tube, and I have a flame going and can use both hands to open the fuel valve and then pump the stove, no need to hold a match.