lighting a fire-fail [learning from your mistakes+turbo lighter?

[johnnythefox]

well i am posting this even though i failed,its not all success stories out there.
maybe others can learn from my mistake.
i would appreciate your views and observations.
also what do you think of the turbo lighter i was all set to buy one then i read amazons unfavourable revues.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEgS54bbqsA

[ashes1627]

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/jet-1300-c-butane-lighter-1320 are a great buy, with free postage too (although it can take a while to arrive). For the price they are you could order 2 or 3, I have 2 and they both work beautifully :)

Don't be put off by the mixed reviews that can be found on these; They do what they say on the tin and in my experience work really well, they light hexamine in seconds!

P.S No connection to seller, other than being a happy customer!

[johnnythefox]

i was wondering about this wenger but can find no revues

http://www.heinnie.com/product.asp?CAT_ID=102&P_ID=6436

on the plus side Ive just found a big bag of Brit rations in my cupboard....

[mountainm]

I have an IMCO petrol lighter that converts into a handy candle - it's not turbo, but it's useful and cheap as chips.

[ashes1627]

i was wondering about this wenger but can find no revues

http://www.heinnie.com/product.asp?CAT_ID=102&P_ID=6436

on the plus side Ive just found a big bag of Brit rations in my cupboard....

I'm not sure, it seems expensive for what it is. I would suspect you could be paying for the brand.

And finding those rations is always a big plus! Us common folk (including me) have to pay good money for them!

[tommy the cat]

I dont get turbo lighters.... I had a cheapo pound shop jobbie but prefer a proper flame if im using a lighter.
Whats the deal?
Better in wind?
Rain?
Just seem no better than a clipper
Dave

[Badger90]

go to the pound shop and by 7 disposable lighters for a quid, they'll light anything in all weathers if they're protected from wind, i don't see the point of buying a brand as daft as a turbo lighter for nearly a £10

[johnnythefox]

your missing the point they would not of worked today in the wind

[Shewie]

go to the pound shop and by 7 disposable lighters for a quid, they'll light anything in all weathers if they're protected from wind, i don't see the point of buying a brand as daft as a turbo lighter for nearly a £10

That's the the way to do it, adding a couple of strips of inner tube too guarantees a fire in the soggiest of weather. Stick a cheapo lighter in every pack, jacket or trousers you own so there's always one to hand.

I had a turbo lighter once, it was okay until it needed refilling and then it was never the same again, it was sporadic at best of times and usually refused to work at all.

Zippos are the most reliable but they just don't hang onto their fuel for long enough, okay for weekends in the woods but for longer trips they become dead weight after four or five days. I've tried the inner tube round the opening but it didn't really help that much.

[Shewie]

your missing the point they would not of worked today in the wind

I'd have gathered a big bundle of that dry grass which was lying about and then lit that with one of the matches, once that was away you could've dropped the esbits on top, they should've caught then. There are times when wind will blow lighters or matches out but you can light something inside your jacket or just try and create a but of a wind break until your tinder has caught.

Maybe the esbits have gone off ? I've never used them so not sure how long they should last ?

[johnnythefox]

the cheapo lighter gave up the matches would hardly strike [and i ran out]
i added dried grass etc. but i didn't have a flame.
when i say it was windy i mean it was WINDY

[ashes1627]

the cheapo lighter gave up the matches would hardly strike [and i ran out]
i added dried grass etc. but i didn't have a flame.
when i say it was windy i mean it was WINDY

It was awfully windy here too, I still think that a dealextreme jet flame lighter or 2 are your best bet for a cheap way of making fire.

[johnnythefox]

i have packed another cheapo lighter [after testing it],rat pack matches and a firesteel. :eek:

if i can find a turbo lighter with a good rep i will buy it.
when the winds that bad and there is no shelter its always going to be a struggle to get a :campfire:

[johnnythefox]

thanks found this link and ordered from the USA £3.50 for 2

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/windproof-jet-1300-c-butane-lighter-torch-1-73-delivered-dealextreme/910687

[ashes1627]

thanks found this link and ordered from the USA £3.50 for 2

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/windproof-jet-1300-c-butane-lighter-torch-1-73-delivered-dealextreme/910687



Same one I linked to; They are a great for the money!

[charleslockerbie]

ashes1627
Thanks you just cost me £10

[johnnythefox]

how many did you buy?

[charleslockerbie]

2 + other "stuff" nearly got a lot more too.

[ashes1627]

Your welcome :) What other stuff did you get?

[Tadpole]

I've had one of these windproof "twin turbo lighters" (http://www.millets.co.uk/product/111725.html?awc=1521_130164261 2_8ce6fbcf8aa8cec0f685d19c4d8b 05fc) from Millets for about 5 years, never failed me, lights everything from barbeques to birhtday candles. Refills last a hell of a long time. compass is rubbish

[Bushwhacker]

Something been missed here.

Create a windbreak, light the fire out of the wind.

[johnnythefox]

i tried with what i had on and around me.
its a open moor

[rancid badger]

Wind is a common and regular enemy to most stoves.

You need to prepare your kit and site, in order to combat the wind.

For using a hexi stove, you need to prepare a shallow hole, just slightly bigger than the stove. Remove the turf or soil and use this to form a wall or wind break around the stove. If it's really windy, as it has been lately then you will need to beef up the wind protection with what ever is to hand; logs, turf, rocks, card board or anything that will help stop the wind getting to your stove.

If none of the above is available, then move to a better site.

For lighting your stove, the issue "lifeboat" matches are often useless, even indoors! they have an erratic performance at the best of times. If you want to use these however, pack a few cotton wool balls in an air/watertight container to use when required.When you need it,fluff the cotton up a bit and light it with the match and then light the hexi; with the cotton wool.
an additional "helper" is to pop a little paraffin or kerosine on the cotton wool before putting it in your storage container. If the container is airtight, the cotton will remain moist with the paraffin but also become waterproof and will light up no bother.

Turbo flame lighters can be a better bet for lighting hexi in a windy situation but frankly; it makes no odds if you've failed to prepare a good stove set up, as the hexi will either blow out anyway, or you'll lose most of the heat due to the wind.

Honestly John, I wish you weren't as far down the country, I'd have been delighted to join you, for a day or two's "knowledge sharing";)

I might have to sort out a video, of how we used to train our recruits and later on cadets, to use hexi stoves:camping:

best wishes

Steve

PS: open moors usually have lumps of rock lying around that can be collected and built into a wall, perhaps using your rucksack to add to the windbreak.

[Badger90]

your missing the point they would not of worked today in the wind

It wasn't a dig at you Johnny or the situation you were in ( i couldn't view the vid, internet via dongle ;) ) and i'm sure you tried what you could with what you had, i just feel spending money on something shiny to do a job when something cheap will ultimately ( in my experience ) do the same job just as well.

On the same subject, i was given a chef's blanching torch once and carry it around just in case with little gas bottles that cost £1 from trago, so in a sense i have a similar item to a turbo lighter, but tbh i only ever used it once to toast me marsh mellows ;)

[ex member coconino]

Turbo lighters are astonishingly picky about the gas used to refill, and the right quality gas is three or four times the price of normal can of butane.

[Highbinder]

You don't have any wind protection. An aluminium foil windshield would help a lot and packs away to nothing. The other thing to do would be to use your jacket and your rucksack as a windbreak till it gets going - using that technique I've managed to roll cigerettes in gale winds.

What about packing those large stormproof matches?


That's the the way to do it, adding a couple of strips of inner tube too guarantees a fire in the soggiest of weather. Stick a cheapo lighter in every pack, jacket or trousers you own so there's always one to hand.

I had a turbo lighter once, it was okay until it needed refilling and then it was never the same again, it was sporadic at best of times and usually refused to work at all.

Zippos are the most reliable but they just don't hang onto their fuel for long enough, okay for weekends in the woods but for longer trips they become dead weight after four or five days. I've tried the inner tube round the opening but it didn't really help that much.

You could carry a zippo ...and a bottle of lighter fluid hehhehheh

[johnnythefox]

i had another go in another windy location petrol goes off i am convinced now that this fuel has as well.
i had to use a full packet to get anything,look how the wind is blowing flames out the back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gejwUiCt6fk

[Martyn]

i had another go in another windy location petrol goes off i am convinced now that this fuel has as well.
i had to use a full packet to get anything,look how the wind is blowing flames out the back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gejwUiCt6fk

TBH John, any stove will struggle in that kind of wind & exposure, even a petrol stove. Even if you can get the thing lit, you'll use 5x the fuel you would need otherwise. You really need to get a windbreak sorted, get the stove into some kind of shelter first, you'll light it easier, it will burn less fuel and your brew will boil quicker. With an esbit in that kind of wind, even if you can light it, you'll probably burn all your fuel before the water gets tepid. Ten minutes preparation will save you a lot of frustration.