I always appreciate when instructors also promote carrying a simple and easy instant fire source, like a good lighter. Every fire doesn’t have to be lit with a ferro rod or friction. Oftentimes, using a simple lighter just makes good sense. Thanks, Dan! 👍 BTW, awesome Coalcracker lighter!
Backups on backups. Always carry a lighter, but having a ferro rod and having the skills to make fire with less is the best. I don't get some 'survivalists' that act like only soft people use lighters to start fires. Learn the skills, practice the skills, use the most efficient method when you need it.
I like to look at my gear and think what would a cave man consider “useful” magic 🔥🧙♂️… a lighter absolutely meats this criteria 👍 Steal Blade, Flashlight, Boom Stick, Rain Poncho, Duct Tape, Metal Pot…
I almost never use a lighter, flint and steel, ferrord, and magnification make 99% of my fires. That said, I carry several bic lighters on me / in the pack. Each fire you start is a training opportunity. Not when you're on the verge of hypothermia, though 😅@blackhawkbushcraft
so adding to what you have said, get two ziplock bags, go to your dryer, pull out the lint trap and fill the ziploc bag, throw in a lighter an put the whole thing into the second ziploc bag. dryer lint is as flamable as gasoline but burns longer, and a lighter with no fuel left can still strike on a bt of dryer lint and catct flame easy. if the dryer lint gets wet just dry it out and it will still be usable later. and a single ziploc quart bag can hold enough dryer lint to start fires every day for 6 months stight. just sayin. and ziplocs full of dryer lint can be used for insulation tll they are needed to start fires with. store them indefinitly. and people throw the stuff away all the time. yall stay safe the last word
@@stephenbarabas6286 agree. I’ve seen many people recommend tying cord beneath the plunger and, while it may be preventative, it hasn’t made any sense to me. I’ve EDC’d a lighter, hiked with, packed, and carried one for years, too, and have never had any issue plunging away fuel and expending a lighter while in my pocket.
@@blackhawkbushcraft Give it some more time. Every time you squat with a lighter in your pocket, with the "Child Safety" taken off, you risk losing gas. If you practice "Survival", think about falling through the ice, and while chattering your teeth to the gums, you find your lighter is empty. Hence the need for the cord under the lever. It's your Bushcraft/Survival Lighter, not your cigarette lighter. It's not a one size fits all scenario. If you do smoke, carry dedicated lighters. I'm 75, and have had more than one go empty. Js
@@ahayseed654give what more time? Trying to squat and intentionally expend a lighter through practice???? 😂 Apparently, I must be a pro at squatting without compromising a lighter. Hey, maybe I can teach you my method and how to squat without expending a lighter.😀 It’s pretty simple. Maybe I’ll make a video and offer it to the world! And thanks for that amazing, sensationalized, hypothetical survival situation of falling through the ice, only to crawl half-frozen to an expended lighter, and all because of lighter plunger neglect-better suited for Dual Survival than actual reality. Learn to improve your situational awareness of your surroundings and you’ll have no worries. 👍
I’ve always just ran the lighter across my jeans or pants until the flint would start sparking. Just make sure you’re going the right direction. Blowing out first helps like your video suggests.
Thanks for the info about removing the child safety guard ?) from the top. I will definitely dig out an old lighter and try this out. Thanks for the vid! Keep up the good work!
I bought a pack ,6 I think of Bic lighters probably 7 or 8 years ago and still have three of them left . I did learn to start a fire from nature , but see no need to .
I’ve got one lighter hack that’s useful as well. If you have a low light almost out; take the whole metal cover off and hold the fuel down then give a spark. Works 💯 of the time. Givin it’s not soaking wet. It’s a very tiny flame but you can get one from a seemingly dead lighter.
If you're lighter appears to be out of fuel, remove the guard around the flame, press the red tab first and quickly use your other hand to strike the wheel . You'll get a small usable flame it off it a few times
All good (though I've never had a wet lighter fail to light). One thing I would add is a thick O-ring that's snug enough to keep the fuel lever from being depressed but not so tight that it'll deform it or prevent me from rolling it down so I can light it. It's happened a few times over the years where the lever has been inadvertently depressed to some degree and has vented all the fuel. Always carry two (they're light).
@@stephenbarabas6286 yeah, it's happened to me a couple of times. Always when it got stuck in a fold in a pack or when something else in my pocket has depressed the lever. I had it happen once on a brand new lighter. I carry one everyday (I don't even smoke) and have only had it happen a couple of times, but it turns out that Murphy will always make sure it's when you need it most. I still don't carry one that's been o-ringed in my pocket, but for my packs or when I'm headed out, I will.
@@dangerpudge1922 🙄 a couple of times? I've had them in every conceivable situation.. stuffed in pockets,bags,packs,saddle bags on motorcycles, luggage, dropped in a camping box,sat on them,had them in my ladies purse etc and never even heard of that ever happening.... My father carried a lighter (smoker) for 30 years as a cop on his belt,vest,bag etc and never had that happen.
@@stephenbarabas6286 weird, as a combat veteran who's been all over the globe in the harshest environments on earth it's happened plenty of times to plenty of folks. You're being intentionally obtuse. How easy is it to depress the lever? Does it require any more than a couple of grams to depress? Are you suggesting that it could never happen? If so, that's some absolute clown nonsense right there.
I wrapped my lighters with hunter safety orange duct tape for my Appalachian Trail thruhike attempt last year (many other small items, too). Anything that I could tie some reflective cordage to got a loop of that, too. Nothing got lost except for a rusty paper clip that helped secure the titanium foil windscreen for my ultralight titanium twig stove and alcohol burner. I have a titanium knee now, too. DNF, like most who begin the challenge. Tinker, halfway, '23.
been doing this mod forever...common sense to not fight more effort when your cold and tired, also the piezo units never have that problem, and the ferrocerium never can break in them. IMHO just a better long store unit, seen too many of these striker style lighters go south when the flints turned into powder.
👍👍👍 True .. BICs rank amongst the greatest inventions since bubble gum .. and I have enough of them around. I've even seen You Tubers demonstrating how to make fire using the flint mechanism of an empty BIC (no gas) .. a good to know. Although, I haven't got there yet as I very rarely use my BIC lighters .. and I do not smoke. Currently, my GoTo's are the humble Wooden Match and a refillable Butane Lighter with a short extension (easier to get into those hard-to-reach places and not have to go upside-down, possible burning one's hand). Matches .. I'm a Boomer (YOB 1950) .. habit, I suppose 😏. Anyway, a match lights a Trangia in sub-freezing temperatures better than anything I know of. Strike, chuck into the Fuel and leave. Remove the carbonised bit when finished cooking. I found a battered discarded BIC on one of my walks. It's almost empty and I'm using it whenever so I can try out the BIC Flint trick. A good share. I find your posts to be informative as well as entertaining .. thanks.
Hi Dan Wowak!! Another outstanding video!! Thank you so much for the tutorial!! Liking the orange lighter, I’ve been using the cooking irons and the repair kit, brother they’re awesome!! I did sent a video to coalcrackers via email sure hope you were able to see it!! Loving your videos!! STAYING IN THE WOODS!!!👍🏿💯🇺🇸❤️
never seen any difference with or without safety, I tap the lighter on my hand blow on the dial several times and then make it work on my pant and it works! french lighter the best!
Just put your lighter and dry tinder in a zip-lok baggie.... Also, you are lucky if your lighter is 50% full too. No longer does a BIC last 1,000 lights. You might get 200-300 now. Best to have several spares.
@@Mike-yl6hs Maybe that's when they started coming out but I've never seen them till around 96 -98. The stores where I lived always sold me ones without the child proof. But now that I think about it, there was another design that was also put at the time, but lost the safe wars to this one.
@@Mike-yl6hs Maybe that's when they started coming out but I've never seen them till around 96 -98. The stores where I lived always sold me ones without the child proof. But now that I think about it, there was another design that was also put at the time, but lost the safe wars to this one.
What an interesting comment. Of course a standard BIC lighter is not as wind proof as a torch lighter, nor did he say a torch lighter isn’t an option. That wasn’t the point of this video, my friend. Your comment infers that quite possibly you’ve got bigger issues to worry about than using any lighter. There are several reasons why many prefer NOT to carry a torch lighter. Do your homework and you might learn why. FYI, there are many things you can do to mitigate wind, unless you have inadequate gear and/or are fully exposed with zero natural coverage of any kind (e.g., while atop a fully exposed mountain ridge or peak, or a fully exposed grassland/prairie, etc.). I don’t believe Dan’s video suggested a lighter as wind proof and the most effective tool in such extreme conditions. If those are the scenarios you frequently find yourself in without adequate coverage and the ability to mitigate wind, you’ve got more important things you should be thinking about at that moment than navigating a lighter in strong wind. And in such scenarios where wind mitigation isn’t feasible, it’s probably best not to attempt any open fire and instead use a fuel-based mountaineering burner.
I agree, I bought one 6 years ago and still going strong - I gave it to a friend because they were expecting a scheduled brownout within the hour and needed to light candles. I just bought 2 more, $5 for 2 Chinese stuff, online. These things are rugged and small enough to fit comfortable in the trouser pocket; the push button design prevents accidental venting of the gas. The angled nozzle enables you to hold a flame to your tinder and kindling until it catches and you won't burn your thumb. 2 top tips for refilling refillable BICs, or any gas lighter - gently depress the fill valve while the lighter is upside down, to vent any air that's accumulated, and shake the gas canister well, before filling the lighter in short bursts, again upside down. This method is bullet-proof and you will never get a misfire or bad flame.
litterally craft that can use bushes, like laying limbs of a bush along the same drection wth leaves down and luimbs tward the tallest point along a frame tomake a roof that keeps rain off. things likethat are bushcraft friend. knowi that moss grows mst times on the north side of a tree so no need for a compass, that water is in vines, greenbriar is edible, all kinds of things are bushcraft. using flint on the steel of your axe to send a spark . plceing a fire bundle in a square to provide better air flow. digging a hole and building the fire in the hole to keep it from being seen from far away, bushcraft is litterally an endless survival theory that will mean the difference between life and death in many situations. keep safe.
What a way to start my day before work with a video from Coalcracker Bushcraft! Those lighters are awesome, I ordered a few,1 for my pocket,1 for my belt pouch passing some out to friends. Absolutely love representing my favorite instructor and company 💯. Only thing is I don't want to cover the logo with duct tape wrap lol. Another awesome video as always brother 💪 👍
@@lauriewilliams8221 haven't you got anything better to complain about, it was a typo. Even Oxford professors hit the wrong buttons occasionally when the button is small and their fingers are big.
Also if the are too cold to work put it flat between your hands and briskly rub them together to make friction.. ( like if your lighter is in you car overnight and you need your morning butt) ask me how I know Hahahha
Very odd comment. What situation have you dreamt up where you and the lighter would be so wet that you wouldn’t have success striking the lighter? Scuba diving? Swimming in a lake? Standing beneath a waterfall?
I dunno how sad you have to be to get excited over a freaken lighter ...... Yea, I'm gonna go out of my way to BUY one from him for what $30 bucks? Instead of at a 7-11 for $1.49. Get real dude, yer shilling WAY to much for what the channel offers.
@casondave, Then go to 7-11 and buy your damn lighter, dude. If you’ve got time to be a douchebag troll, then mosey on up to 7-11, fork over your $1.49, and shove off!!!
what the hell they still sell bics with safety strips in the US? i haven't seen one of those in a bic in like 10 years around here, children have no issue bypassing that anyways