In the face of hypothermia, the difference between life and death could come down to a single match. Or, in more common conditions, a good fire-starter will get your campfire blazing in no time flat.
Match, lighter, or spark-creating ferro-rod? The question of the best fire-starting device for outdoors use is complex and rife with personal opinion. We put a bunch of fire starters head to head to find the strengths and weaknesses of each.
We tested several readily-available matches, lighters, and fire strikers. Read on below for a summary of each specific model.
Whatever you choose to pack for your fire kit, be redundant, with more than one fire-starting tool, especially if you will rely on a blaze for heat or cooking. Be sure to store fire-starting materials in a waterproof container, and consider packing them with additional fire-accelerating tools like tinder, petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls, or candles.
Methodology: We tested each lighting implement in three scenarios: Dry and no wind, wetted and allowed to partially dry to simulate dew or rain, and in high wind (from a fan) with tough-to-light damp paper.
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What We Learned: Best Fire Starter Or Camp Match
- We will continue to carry a Bic lighter for our fire-starting needs. Most of the time, a Bic is all you need.
- Our emergency fire starter will be the UCO Stormproof Match Kit ($8). It had the best mix of weather resistance and convenience of tested products.
- Cheap matches degrade quickly and are unreliable in bad weather. Don’t count on them.
- For car camping, consider a blow torch (really)! The Bernzomatic model we tested is a foolproof fire starter and works with the same propane tanks used for many car camping stoves.
- Fire rods and other devices that create sparks, while fun, are very hard to use in wind, or any other non-ideal situation. Use them for entertainment, but carry other means of fire starting for emergency use.
Paper Matches (free) Grade: D-
Strike Anywhere Wood Matches ($2.50) Grade: D
Coghlan’s Magnesium Fire Starter ($8), Grade: D
UST Sparkie ($10) Grade: C
Bic Lighter ($2) Grade: C+
Coghlan’s Storm Matches ($4) Grade: B+
Zippo Lighter ($15+) Grade: B
UCO Stormproof Match Kit ($8) Grade: Best Camp Match
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