Keeping matches or lighters in a car?

kamagong

kamagong

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2001
Messages
10,874
I'm think of keeping either matches or a lighter in my car. I don't smoke, but I think it's a good idea to keep a fire starting method in the vehicle. What do you recommend? I think it would be better to keep a Bic in the car, but does anyone know if they dry out? Also, is there any chance, however small, of the matches or the lighter spontaneously combusting?

Thanks.
 
A firestarting kit is a good place to start for preparing a vehicle. Non-smokers do need to think and plan a ahead to make fire.

If you're worried about getting stuck in some remote place (I'm just supposing here) you really should pack more than a fire kit. You should have winter coats, hats, mittens and a sleeping bag in the trunk.

Fire is good in iteself for warmth and signalling but you really should also pack some way to melt snow/ice and boil water. That would be a net bag (net laundry bag) for hanging up snow next to the fire and an aluminum pot to catch the drippings from the bag and eventually boil your water or cook.

You can make a pretty good heater out of a regular canteen if you fill it with boiling water, apply where needed, usually the hands and feet.

Of course all this stuff will take up a little more room in the trunk than a pack of matches and a lighter. Given the recent news reports of people getting stuck and dying it could be just the thing to avoid another tragedy. Mac
 
Long burning candles (I favor a candle lantern/w spare candles) are often recommended as a part of potential winter/blizzard vehicle kit/preps. They would do no good without a means to ignite them. The vehicle kit should include some matches (in an air tight, moisture proof container) and a BIC, IMO. All may degrade after exposed to summer heat and/or vehicle vibration and should be replaced or at least carefully examined each fall.
I have never heard of a BIC spontaneously igniting (if they do it is incredibly rare as the lawyers would destroy the company) and matches in a metal match box would most likely not harm the vehicle even if they should some how self ignite.
Enjoy!
 
Definitely carry both matches and a lighter for in the car, aswell as on your person. Most of the time emergency survival situations happen away from the vehicle which is why I carry a light as well as a knife, even though these items are used regularly day by day.
 
The only disposable lighter that has survived a Southern California Summer is a Bic. All the others has the gas evaporate within a day or two
 
I keep various lighters and matchbooks in the center console of my car (crown vic with 2000 lincoln towncar front seats) and have for as long as I can remember... She has yet to errupt into flames!
 
definetly, Also like Joe said, keep one or two even, big candles in your car. The ones that burn for like 12 hours are great. There really big and white. Also keeping extra cloths, and tools are a must have I think.
 
Lamplight Farms makes small sealed oil lamps that will store for a long time. I keep a couple in my car kit with a few Bic lighters. Can't go wrong with the "Flick your Bic".
 
kamkazmoto said:
The only disposable lighter that has survived a Southern California Summer is a Bic. All the others has the gas evaporate within a day or two
Click to expand...

This is a good point - is there a way to stop the fuel from evaporating so quick in a Zippo lighter? You guys have such good ideas I thought you may know.

Sorry if this is a hijack...let me know and I'll start a thread.
Cheers!
 
One thing to consider for vehicle storage of anything susceptible to high or low temps is to use an insulated cooler.
 
I've had a Bic (the same one) in my center console of my car for a while, still works fine. I doubt I'll need it for survival purposes since my Cadillac won't be going off road anytime soon, but it's great to warm your hands and fingers after scraping ice and snow off of the car.
 
Rigson said:
This is a good point - is there a way to stop the fuel from evaporating so quick in a Zippo lighter? You guys have such good ideas I thought you may know.

Sorry if this is a hijack...let me know and I'll start a thread.
Cheers!
Click to expand...

Hey Rigson,

Somebody mentioned in an earlier post about putting a ranger band around it (short section of bicycle tube). Sounds like it should work, but I haven't tried it yet.

Doc
 
Rigson said:
This is a good point - is there a way to stop the fuel from evaporating so quick in a Zippo lighter?
Click to expand...

I don't use them, but keeping the zippo UNfilled is something to consider. I mean, keeping the fuel in its original container. then filling the zippo when needed.

zippofuelxu3.jpg
 
I mentioned it just after Christmas, but I'll mention it here again. Just before the holiday, I retrieved several sealed plastic crates that had been in non-temperature controlled storage for ten years (packed before January 1996). In a ziploc in one crate were two large cans of lighter fluid with refill packs of flints taped on, several zippo lighters and a spare insert complete (all dry). All of this is still in perfect shape. Besides the ziploc, the only real care that was taken in storage was to insure that the factory cans remained upright (so that fluid could not leak when the contents expanded with temperature changes), and the crates were kept out of direct sunlight.

Codger
 
Happy Joe said:
Long burning candles (I favor a candle lantern/w spare candles) are often recommended as a part of potential winter/blizzard vehicle kit/preps. They would do no good without a means to ignite them. The vehicle kit should include some matches (in an air tight, moisture proof container) and a BIC, IMO. All may degrade after exposed to summer heat and/or vehicle vibration and should be replaced or at least carefully examined each fall.
I have never heard of a BIC spontaneously igniting (if they do it is incredibly rare as the lawyers would destroy the company) and matches in a metal match box would most likely not harm the vehicle even if they should some how self ignite.
Enjoy!
Click to expand...

I wonder if it would be useful to dip wooden matches into liquid candle wax, say to about half way down a matches body. I would think that this would waterproof them and stop the head from absorbing moisture, thus crumbling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top