High-Altitude Cigarette Lighter

Samael

Samael

Joined
Sep 30, 2007
Messages
20,235
I own about 10 different lighters - Zippos, butane torch lighters, fancy-schmancy electronic ignition lighters - and none of them works reliably at the altitudes I spend most of my time at (5500-9000 feet). The cheap Bic lighters work perfectly for some reason, but I'd rather use something a little nicer. Any suggestions?
 
Do you know of the reason they don't work? that seems odd. As long as everything is present in the fire triangle you should have flame. Are you dealing with cold temps?

From my experience, fancy lighiters are nice but nothing beats a bic or matches.
 
Oh, it's not an uncommon thing. A lot of lighters (particularly the butane torch lighters) even have warnings that they're not recommended for use above 5500'. The air's too thin.

Yeah, I can get by just fine with matches or the Bic lighters (as I said), I'm just looking for something a little more classy.
 
Makes sence, you would probably need to find a different fuel that that will burn in the thin air. You might even be able to find something that works in the zippos. The lighter is not so much the problem as the fuel.
 
Carry strike anywhere's in a fancy Ti match case.
 
There are 2 issues at play

1. The higher you go the less oxygen there is around (lower air pressure). The gas jet is designed to mix a specific amount of air and gas to get sufficient oxygen to achieve good combustion. If the air pressure is lower the mixture will need to be different to achieve optimal combustion. A normal lighter isnt designed to handle this variability.

2. If the temperature is low this will affect the vapourisation of the butane in the lighter

I've seen a Windmill lighter that has an adjuster to change the gas/air mixture for higher altitudes, I dont have one though so cant comment on its effectiveness.

The other option is to use matches as they shouldnt be affected as much
 
hey, when you're at altitude be very happy that bic's fire up consistently...i got lots of nice torches that peter out at altitude all the time; sea level only for them...when in the mountains skiing or fishing or camping, i just want my cigar lit by any means necessary...
 
Well, considering that I live at those altitudes, it would kind of be a real bummer if nothing worked.
 
+2 on the rope lighter. With a side benefit of burning hotter in a hiogh wind. Which is another problem at high altitude.
 
Samael said:
Oh, it's not an uncommon thing. A lot of lighters (particularly the butane torch lighters) even have warnings that they're not recommended for use above 5500'. The air's too thin.

Yeah, I can get by just fine with matches or the Bic lighters (as I said), I'm just looking for something a little more classy.
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I think the old type flint and steels are pretty classy and work very well even in a wind. But you also have to carry char cloth, tow, tinder or such as PJ cotton balls or milkweed fluff (which is dynamite stuff:thumbup:)

Bics are extremely light and reliable, you can carry a mess of them for backup.
 
Well thanks, guys. I guess I'll keep using my Bic lighters (and be happy I have at least that). Have a great new year.
 
Well, if nothing else, Samael, there are fancy slip-on cases for Bic lighters. Not quite as fancy as a Gold Dunhill's, but at least they no longer look like cheap plastic.
 
dawsonbob said:
Well, if nothing else, Samael, there are fancy slip-on cases for Bic lighters. Not quite as fancy as a Gold Dunhill's, but at least they no longer look like cheap plastic.
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Good idea! Now all I have to do is figure out where I can get one.
 
Samael said:
Good idea! Now all I have to do is figure out where I can get one.
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Well, they used to be all over the place at liquor stores, smoke shops, drug stores, etc. Nowadays, they may be slightly harder to find. I think I would do a search on Google or Amazon for something like "Bic lighter skins," or "Bic lighter cases." I'm not sure which would turn up the most hits, but you're bound to come up with something.

The reason I thought of them, was that my former girlfriend had one. After that, I noticed them several places. If I remember correctly, they ranged from cheap aluminum things, on up to some pretty fancy silver ones.

Good luck.
 
Yep, searching for "Bic lighter case" did the trick. Thanks again for the suggestion. :thumbup:
 
Samael said:
Yep, searching for "Bic lighter case" did the trick. Thanks again for the suggestion. :thumbup:
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Happy to be able to help. When you get one, take some pics and let us see what you come up with. May do it myself.
 
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