Originally Posted by
charlie brown
I have never tried a disposable lighter at high elevations, but it does make sense they won't work as well. Usually when I start a fire, I will put the carbons in "birds nest" and have a couple cottonballs handy. As soon as the carbon takes off, I throw in a couple cotton balls, and then the small tinder, etc.
As for making the carbons.
I guess it depends on your definition of "high elevation" but at 11,000 ft and less I have never had an issue with a disposable lighter not working at all.
I do carry wax tipped matches in a waterproof container and I carry a magnesium kit as well. But I gotta tell you it always cracks me up when we prepare for our backpack trips and my friends are saying how GPS's are overrated and there is no need to carry a two way radio and disposable lighter only to find when we are 4 miles from the nearest road they are asking me to borrow the lighter to start the fire, they ask me to turn on the radio for weather forecasts, and after hiking all afternoon hunting they want me to guide them back to camp or mark the site of a kill. I've evern used the GPS to track a wounded animal, I would mark last blood. Never ceases to amaze me.
Just because you are in a survival situation doesn't mean the GPS suddenly doesn't work. In the RARE case that it doesn't then you can turn to the map that you also have.