why carry a lighter or a fire starting kit in the city?

i live in the urban core. and there's a lot of "wilderness" here. ride my bicycle most days to most places i frequent. always carry several ways of making fire on me always. couple lighters here and there. at least two firesteels in the bag. part of my psk has both a firesteel and a lighter. simply dont leave home without that kit. have made fires down by the river with pals and cooked or heated water for coffee, whatever. nice, even on an urban ride in winter, to be able to pull off outta the way somewhere and heat some food or drink. there are also numerous off road riding opportunities right within the city. once again, like on a hike, sometimes nice to be able to stop n heat some food or drink. regain some energy before moving on. probably some of you have seen pix posted here of the firepit in the backyard. have numerous friends with firepits also. many an impromptu fire after a ride. not always other materials around to get a fire going. after all these yrs of doing so. now most of my cycler pals carry extra water, food and a cup so they can easily partake when the time for a fire arises. tho its been sometime since ive done so alone(theres lots more folks living in those woods these days-so prefer having others with). its nice to have the gear on ya, ifn ya decide on the spur of the moment to take off along the river for a s24on(sub 24 overniter)not have to run home and gather gear. also known amongst cyclers as a under-ride. where ya ride on even tho you might not have the optimum gear for the job. but good enuf. personally like living in the world most days where i feel like im relatively prepared for just about anything thrown at me.
 
A knife or similar cutting tool is one of man's earliest tools, fire is another. I EDC the means to create fire, light my way in the dark and cut stuff. I often have no need for what I carry everyday, but when I do have the need I am not caught short.

Why do I carry a lighter? Just in case!

BTW
My lighter is very small and light - it really isn't much trouble to carry it.
 
I still pack a Bic even though I don't smoke.

Worth the weight and space, a very powerful tool.
 
I carry a LMF Mini in my SAK belt holster with Tinder Quick Tabs & jute, and a Bic Mini & another LMF Mini in my resource kit in my backpack, along with jute, Tinder Quick Tabs and Wet Fire.

The same kit is on me in urban and other environments as I'm usually in both, and urban can turn to wilderness pretty quick...
 
I was wondering about a bit different thing.
I see a lot of people pack firesteel (or two), all kinds of tinder etc for outdoor use... but no simple Bic lighter?
 
The only time and place on the planet I do not carry a knife and a lighter is on a commercial aircraft , and that's because I'm not allowed to :grumpy:

I might as well wear no clothes either , because that's how naked I feel without them :o
 
I used to carry a LMF on my key chain since I would just clip it to the outside of my pants, but being in the Academy we can't have anything showing outside of our pockets. So I had to lighten my keys so they would actually fit in my pockets :o Now I just have a mini bic for those "ya never know" moments. Sometimes a quick light helps with burning frayed ends of a rope or string, light a friends cigarette, or for a light source in a dark room.
 
effer said:
I was wondering about a bit different thing.
I see a lot of people pack firesteel (or two), all kinds of tinder etc for outdoor use... but no simple Bic lighter?
Click to expand...

I guess because the Bic can fail when needed, whereas a firesteel will work.

Its no coincidence that the folks whom developed the firesteel as an emergency survival tool simply didn't pop a Bic lighter into the military PSK's...
 
Just out of curiosity, where are you and what are you doing when a Bic lighter doesn't work? Most, if not all, of my time is spent at 5400-9000 feet in elevation, and the Bics are the only things that really do work reliably for me. (OK, yeah, firesteels work too.)
 
I carry a peanut lighter attached to my wallet. Very small, no reason to not carry it given the capability it presents. It's mostly used for melting nylon, and shrinking heatwrap. In all honesty It is rarely used, but being one of mans basic tools I think it deserves to be carried. The ability to create fire easily is useful in many situations
 
AeroNautiCal said:
I guess because the Bic can fail when needed, whereas a firesteel will work.

Its no coincidence that the folks whom developed the firesteel as an emergency survival tool simply didn't pop a Bic lighter into the military PSK's...
Click to expand...

I totally agree, Firesteel is a great Emergency Survival tool. I'm not saying "carry a Bic lighter instead".
What I see is that some people pack a huge kit of fire making stuff. One firesteel on a knife sheath, one on a keychain, one in the PSK. Then there is a tin of shavings, bag of cotton balls, couple of fatwood sticks, char cloth ... and NO lighter? If one is so freaked about having fire, why not carry a simple lighter? It is small, light and provides open fire instantly on demand. It is good to be prepared and have a firesteel for an emergency, but on a usual camping trip lighter can provide an easy way of making fire and requires very simple skills.
 
I think its been a few years now since i have even used a lighter to make a fire. I use my firesteels for everything, BBQ lighting, fires, candles, cigars, pipes, etc tc
 
A couple weeks ago on our way home from my parents. We had a flat tire. First flat in that car the issued scissor jack wouldn't lift the chassis high enough to get the inflated spare on. While waiting for the AA to turn up. Being in a semi industrial area beside a large creek. The mozzies were huge. Neither of us smoke I used the Helios from my edc bag to light some of the anti-mozzie sticks I carry in the back. while they waited on the old wool blanket. Fortunately AA ( or more correctly RACQ) was only 10mins but is push had come there is a summer bag the boy( he's 4) could have slept in and we could have had a hot drink. Cups canteen, stove stand Hexi ( OZ equiv to Trioxoline). bottled water coffee tea and drinking choclate all in the BOB. Not a major emergency really barley a inconvenience but that is what BOB is for.
Carl
 
I've had a Bic fail on me. It had gotten wet. It wasn't currently wet, but had previously got wet with river water earlier in the season on a day trip and I didn't know it. When I went to use it to start a fire on a camping trip the wheel was all jammed, I believe with rust, and it was worthless. My buddy had a lighter on him so no big deal and I did have some matches also. To be honest, it wasn't a "Bic" brand because I remember it had the translucent colored fluid case, but same thing, that little wheel breaks and your SOL. A firesteel obviously has no mechanical parts to break on you.
 
I have had to use a lighter on a few occasions when my car door lock had frozen... usually after using a car wash in the winter, or if there has been rain during the day and freezing at night.

Heat the key up nice and hot and let it sit in the lock for a couple of minutes... usually does the trick.
 
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