Super Cedars, frugality, & JIT?

xman23 said:

My biggest issue is these crap stick lighters. Piles of them with fuel and none of them light. Can someone make one that works.

Thanks for putting up with my rant.

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Yep - pile of dead stick lighters inside, pile of broken axe handles outside. Poor quality control combined with operator error / fat fingers.

Those butane cigar torches are no better. Enjoying a ciger from time to time, I have had loads of high priced ones that last a few week. But I did find a a $10 one that works every time.

I don't think you can buy the strike on anything wood stick matches any more. I could be wrong about this, but I recall this story. Animals would chew on them, lighting them, and starting house fires. Sounds believable.

They were way too easy to pack up in a match safe and carry in a canoe. I have no idea how you would use one of those with the new matches but in a canoe everything not sealed ends up wet.

Oldman47 said:

They were way too easy to pack up in a match safe and carry in a canoe. I have no idea how you would use one of those with the new matches but in a canoe everything not sealed ends up wet.

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Agreed.
You CAN cut the striker & pack that in the match safe, but easier to carry a couple lighters. BICs are still good & the minis are small enough to throw a few in "just in case".

Got a few boxes of the strike anywhere still laying around (one in the sauna, couple full boxes in the cupboard in the camp) from years ago when I did lots of camping, fishing, etc. Walmart and Canadian Tire sell the same Redbird brand today. Box looks the same but maybe quality has changed...? I used to take a few of the plastic cases that 35mm camera film was packaged in and fill them with these matches - kept them everywhere - in the canoe pack, one in the jacket or vest pocket , one in my hunting fanny pack, etc. I like the bic lighters too but they have let me down at times. The film tubes kept the stick matches 100% dry, never had a problem lighting.

I don't buy anything to use for starting fires. We use birch bark, dry pine scraps, pine stump cookies split into pitch strips, and whatever else works well. All free stuff. Why pay for it when it is free. Junk mail would probably work, but we burn that once the fire is going so it won't smother it. Paper has a hard time putting out btu's to get it going hot right away. I like to cook in 5 minutes once the fire is lit. I just lit the queen and the pipe was up to 700° F and the top was HOT in a few minutes. I love this stove.

I just bought a 3 box pack of Diamond brand strike anywhere greenlight matches at the grocery store this week.
They work great. I thru what was left of the old matches in the stove.
I also have a pile of those bar-b-q lighters. Sometimes you can hold two of them (nozzles together) and get them to light.

Well the first of the Costco lighters bit the dust today while melting the end of a rope. It was "windproof", but apparently not fireproof. Maybe the remaining 4 will get me through next season.