Lighters

A flick of your thumb and you have instant fire - can't get much easier than that. Cigarette lighters work well for starting campfires. But, keep in mind some of the cautions and shortcomings of liquid fuel lighters.

• Fuel Leaks - if you drop, step on, or overheat your lighter, it may crack and all the fuel will evaporate or spill into your other gear.
• High Altitude - liquid fuel lighters may not work well at higher elevations.
• Cold Temperature - liquid fuel won't vaporize as well and may not light.
• Lack of Fuel - you may run out of fuel. The flint mechanism can still be useful, but not very.
• Water - drop the lighter in water and it may take a long time to dry out enough to use again.

There are some high altitude, shock-resistant, leak-proof, butane lighters that are pretty high-tech. But, they cost $20 or more instead of 50 cents or so for a cheapo cigarette lighter.