Open fires aren’t always an option, especially in large parts of the western US. We are regularly under fire bans where the only option is a stove with regulated fuel delivery. During those bans not only are wood fires banned but even pop can stoves are banned...and with good reason.



There are reasons for spending more. The Soto I referred to two years ago () works far better at altitude then most everything else I have tired. It’s very difficult to ignite even a fuel stove at 11,000 feet.



Although it’s a whole other discussion, if I had to leave home with a Sawyer, I wouldn’t leave home. The first time I used mine, it worked well. The second time I used it (about a year later), it took 8 hours to filter a liter of water. I have a heavier MSR Sweetwater but it has never let me down.



Yes, you could start a fire with a 9 volt battery and steel wool but you have to have the 9 volt battery and the steel wool. It’s cool but not practical.

Rather than dryer lint, I use cotton balls that I have rubbed with Vaseline. 8 to 10 of them can be crammed into an old film canister and they burn for longer and hotter than dry cotton balls. One strike with a firestarter is usually enough to ignite them.



I would agree that the waterproof matches are useless. But butane lighters can be useless in some situations as well. As noted above if the flint gets contaminated, they don’t work. Additionally they suffer from altitude problems as many lighters do. Above about 9000 feet, the gas comes out too fast so the air/fuel mixture is too rich. They simply won’t ignite. I bought expensive wind proof lighters only to discover that they simply won’t work at altitude. That’s why I carry cotton balls with Vaseline and a striker for emergency fire starting. It just works more reliably for here in the high west.