As outdoors-people, we are obsessed with fire. We carry around dryer lint, stack our snacks like kindling, and smear Vaseline on cotton balls, all in search of the prestigious one-match fire. We’ll pay upwards of $20 for a magnesium or ferrocerium rod-and-scrapper assembly so we can throw sparks at a pile of leaves and sticks while channeling Meriwether Lewis. The question is, why? For more than 40 years we have had the greatest fire starter ever invented.
If the Bic lighter were invented today and marketed as a survival tool–rather than in 1973 as a means to spark up a Virginia Slim–we would all marvel at this remarkable piece of technology. A simple flint-and-steel sparker, a self-contained fuel source, and a regulator that produces a consistent flame, all packaged in a lightweight, ergonomic design that fits perfectly in pocket or palm, and can be operated one-handed. It’s brilliant.
And yet for some reason we keep going about trying to reinvent the spark. True, a ferrocerium stick, such as the Gerber Bear Grylls Fire Starter, can strike up to 20,000 times. Factoring in my prowess with the tool, that predictably amounts to approximately zero (0) fires. The classic Bic lighter is good for 3,000 flames and weighs half as much as the Grylls fire starter, so you can carry a spare. If your tinder is a little damp, hold the flame on it a little longer until it dries enough to light. You can’t do that with molten flakes of magnesium.
And yes, with good tinder (or a number of messy, DIY hacks) and a properly built cone, you should be able to start a campfire with a single match. If you figure a campfire each day, with a few miscues and nothing else to light, a standard box of 40 matches should be all you need for more than a month in the backcountry. Or you could bring a Bic and, all other things being equal, make campfires for the next 8 years.
It works when it’s wet (spin the striker for a minute or two to dry the flint). It functions as a sparker if you’re lighting volatile fuels such as a propane or white gas stove. At 28 grams full, it’s lightweight. It’s economical. At Cabelas you can buy a stormproof match kit with 25 waterproof matches, strikers (aka sandpaper), in a case that floats for $8. For that price, you can get four Bic lighters at the local Circle K.
There are pitfalls to the Bic, for sure. Some forums will tell you that Bics don’t work above 12,000 feet when it’s below freezing. For a practical test, hike the peak of Crested Butte (12,162 feet) on a cold day when it’s open, and hang out for a while. I’ll bet my paycheck you see at least one fully functioning Bic lighter being passed around. The biggest downside, of course, is that they are plastic, disposable, and surprisingly difficult to recycle. The last thing we need is more plastic bits floating in the ocean. If this is your motivation, by all means, use matches.
Survivalists will tell you that two is one; one is none. By this logic, you should carry all three: a lighter, matches, and a fire starter. The fire starter is particularly useful because they usually come with paper instructions which, when combined with your Bic lighter, is your best bet for getting a fire going.
The reality is, with a few exceptions, fire stones and fire starters are more about aesthetics than function. They are about fueling inner childhood fantasies that when the world comes crumbling down I’ll be the one everyone turns to–provided I have a pyrophoric stick and some cotton cord soaked in paraffin wax. For what most of us are doing most of the time, a Bic lighter is the best tool ever created. Bring backups to be cautious. Take minis if you want to go light. Save the magnesium stick for reality shows.
(This applies only to Bic brand lighters. When the zombie apocalypse comes, anyone carrying a Cricket or Scripto will be eaten first.)
You need something to read? We have something to read!
Adventure Journal’s print stories are only available in print. They are deeper, longer, and more nuanced than what you find online. Find out why 99% of subscribers renew every single year.
Order a subscription and current issue you today and most U.S. address will have their copy in three days. West Coast addresses it’s 1-2 days.
While not foolproof, this should help with the Bic’s fragility. You also get a few extra (but I wouldn’t rely on them!) tools. https://lighterbro.com/
I don’t work for the company.
Or one of those faux turquoise and chrome covers available at your local truck stop. Unfortunately then you wouldn’t have your awl/screwdriver to clean out clogs or the micro scissors to avoid them before your Bic cooled down from body heat at the 12000 ft circle.
Have to say awesome article and so true, but best backup lighter; Dad’s old Zippo with fresh juice. Flint, steel, and if you tear out a bit of the wet fuel wick inside guaranteed flame start for tinder even in a downpour
My problem with Zippos is that they always dry out on me and I forget to refill them. Apart from that, they’re great, but a disposable butane lighter can live in my pack for years and still work great.
I’m a clippers lighter man myself but I’ve never carried a striker (I do carry a few spare stormproof matches) had the same one for about a decade now. New flints, refill it when it empty lighter than a zippo hardier than a bic
I 2nd that. Clipper fan myself too and I also have it in a LighterBro.
If the only downside is its single use, you can find refillable plastic lighters. I’ve had a can of fuel for the thing for 10 years.
Great article and so true! I always carry a disposable lighter in my pocket… when skiing, hiking, camping, backpacking. like most people i also have the hurricane matches in a bright orange waterproof bottle stashed in my pack. they’ve been there for about 20 years. never needed them. the bic seems to get it done 🙂
I carry a striker and a lighter. Use the lighter for everything from making a fire to lighting a camp stove. When I’ve used the striker, it’s definitely to stoke my Survivor credentials so that I can win at least one reality challenge if I ever appear on the show
Also try using roadeavour steel and flint. very quick and reliable.
I usually carry a lighter when hiking, but don’t rely on one. They usually don’t work when wet, and in cold you have to put them in your armpit for awhile before striking them to be able to get a flame that doesn’t quickly go out. They also get lost or broken easily.
My late grandad’s two 1960s Zippos have had a place in my toolbox for years… and glove compartment, backback, bike toolpack, wherever. (I never smoke.) They’ve saved my ass quite a few times.
Now think about that, when this article was written they were already close to or not that far over 50 years old and had daily use until 2009. You don’t get that kid of longevity out of a modern throwaways like a Bic.
You can refill Bic lighters. Just use a thumbtack to punch the sealing bead out of the hole in the center of the bottom. Refill with ordinary butane. Use a thumbtack to reseal the hole at the bottom after refilling.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
I don’t backpack anymore so I personally use a propane torch to start all my fires these days.
Much faster and easier than the whole kindling thing.
Be safe out there kids!
I need to write an ode to my butane torch.
Add another one to the list of backcountry blowtorch users.
Self-lighting Bernz-o-Matic plumber’s torch. About $12 at most reasonably-stocked hardware stores, weighs about six ounces and connects to any ordinary threaded BoM or Coleman cylinder, which if you’re camping/backpacking you’re probably already carrying at least one of. It makes very quick work of lighting a camp fire. If nothing else, you can still at least roast marshmallows over it in the backcountry when there’s a countywide burn ban on (be careful, kids!).
But it still can never be a legacy item like the Zippos I mentioned earlier. Oh well, nothing’s perfect.
Well, Bic is disposable plastic, so that’s a no-go for me.
Unless I find one on the ground somewhere, which proves my point and kinda happens every time I finish one up.
I used a Bic for 10 years of NOLS work, in every condition (and elevation), and never once had one fail me. It’s an unsung hero/workhorse of the camp kitchen.
Yes, they are plastic and non-recyclable, but if you mind your gear well and don’t lose it, that one lighter – by this author’s math – will last 1500 camp days (morning and evening Whisperlite starts/3000 lights). That’s a long time to last in your stove bag…
I loved reading this; a well-written parody review. Feels like a Semi-Rad post. Well done.
love this column and the comments! this made me laugh.
I also have an orange waterproof container with the same matches in it going on 30 years now. the bic lighter is a no brainer for those on a budget but I agree with the disposable plastic issues.
i have refillable butane lighter that is waterproof and windproof up to 40mph. It wasn’t cheap but it’s fun to hold out the window of the car at 35mph and tell the kids for the hundredth time, “check it out kids this thing is awesome!” :–)
If Daniel Boone had a Bic he would have used it. I started carrying one as a paratrooper for everyday chores. Jungle school in Panama taught me the value of a few pieces of bike inner tube wrapped around my bic to start a fire when things get wet. Stinky, environmentally questionable, but a lifesaver.
I did take a dunking once In Ontario, just 2 weeks after ice out and my fingers had a hard time holding and manipulating the bic. That incident led me to carrying an SOL Sparkie and a heat tab as a backup. One hand use ferro-sparkler that you press down onto your tinder. I could use it even if I fell into Lake Tahoe following an absinthe binge. I keep this setup in my PFD all the time.
As for the straight ferro rods, 2 hand use is a no go for me in back country (lawsuit from the goat?), so I use the beautiful elk-handled rodnI received as a gift to light the BBQ.
right on! I bought my first Bic as soon as I saw it, carried one ever since, even now when I no longer smoke. I am a + 70 year old; canoe tripper, hunter, farmer, guide, etc. etc. I sort of smirk at these fancy fire sticks. There is one in my pocket right now, sitting in my house.