Exactly. A bic lighter is just not macho. Or is it matcho. Matcho, matcho, man....I wanna be a matcho man.Originally Posted by Mags
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
I feel closer to a higher spirit when I'm out in the woods than I do in any building built by man....
But that's just me...
Whilst I'm here, I used your explanation of building a fire screen back in 2010 and it worked great for me so thanks!
I heard if you remove the child protector off a Micro Bic - ya might be a Gram Weenie.....
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
of course theres nothing wrong with a cheap bic lighter. who would ever by an expensive bic lighter?
A Bic is my every day lighter. My backup is a Storm refillable butane lighter. It weighs about the same as a Bic, and it provides a windproof, turbo flame. On those cold, windy, wet days when your hands and the Bic aren't working well, it never fails. The reason I don't use it every day is the fuel doesn't last as long as a Bic, but it lasts plenty long to pick up another Bic at some point along the way.
I don't use a "Bic" lighter, standard or mini. I use the cheap generic ones in the multi-pack found at the check-out at Wal-Mart. Am I still cool?
Mini-Bic w/ the lightest firesteel setup I can find as a backup.
Observation #1: Murphy's Law happens a lot.
Observation #2: Sometimes, Murphy is an optimist.
It's OK but you need to realize its limitations. If it gets wet in won't work. I guess smokers have the advantage of how to use a BIC.
Fire is a important resource and could be critical in some situations. I sometimes carry 2 lighters, as I have made the mistake of allowing one to get wet while I try to ignite something, the backup I am much more careful with after realizing that I need to be. Though since switching to a Jetboil, electronic ignition has become my primary source of fire with the BIC a secondary.
Peace
I reluctantly retired my Storm Proof Zippo about ten years back. Now I use a Bic with clear sides to see how much fuel is left.
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
Not cool. Not cool at all. You're in hike our hike dammit land. Get with the pro(gram). Get a bic. Mini bic at least.I don't use a "Bic" lighter, standard or mini. I use the cheap generic ones in the multi-pack found at the check-out at Wal-Mart. Am I still cool?
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
This has bugged me as well. I'm fairly clumsy and disorganized on the trail, so I usually have two or three mini-bics with me when hiking, just so I can find one when I need it. Aside from misplacing them, I've never had one fail. As others have said, keep them in your inside pocket when the temperatures are much below freezing.
It is funny, I've never figured out who it was that started this rumor that magnesium/fire steel sticks are always necessary. Over the years I've had several non-hikers tell me that I'm a fool for not carrying them.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
magnesium sticks are a great way to dull your knife edge.
Fixed that for you!
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
A whole lot of hellish truth right there.... !
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
The fire-steel is about indestructible, thats the only thing going for it.
I can carry several mini bic lighters, and waterproof matches backup for less than the wt of 1 firesteel.
It amazes me how often I find good lighters while stopping for lunch at Shelters. Bic or generic brand , doesn't matter.
Getting lost is a way to find yourself.
As a nonsmoker I only ever need any kind of lighter when hiking.
As I use alcohol stove I've found the standard cheap lighters are less than wonderful getting a flame into the bottom of the stove where the alcohol is.
I use a refilleable "blow torch" style lighter that I can point down into the stove. No idea the brand but it is still a light plastic lighter.
I do carry a firestick as backup (I do NOT want to find myself unable to light my stove) but the lighter is first choice for it's excellent results.
Both firestick and lighter live in my cookset stuff.
As I duplicate I will never be U/L but I will always have a hot drink.
See my comment about how I am absent minded and have to carry multiple backup lighters because of how often I lose them. Odds are you have found one of my lighters in you travels
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
reliability, versatility, and possibly longevity. Consider the context in which these recommendations are made and the context of the shows. Not everyone always has access to a working mini bic lighter in survival situations. The ability to light a fire under various scenarios can be one of the top priorities in order to survive in some situations. As such, it's good practice knowing and having several different ways to light one. The AT isn't typically thought of as a place that requires hard core survivalist's skills either.
Or you might just want to make it easier to use, esp with forefinger when lighting an alcohol stove. Since they were made to be used vertically, when you turn sideways to light a stove, has a tendency to burn big wide thumbs.I heard if you remove the child protector off a Micro Bic - ya might be a Gram Weenie.....
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