Every now and then I surprise myself when it turns out I am lacking in having something on hand that could rightly be considered a ‘must have’. As it turns out, I don’t have near enough paracord.

Military guys can attest that paracord (or 550 cord) is some pretty handy stuff. Unfortunately, like many bits of cool gear, there are always inferior knockoffs out there that will try to catch the poor fool whose only consideration is price.

Real paracord is, usually, seven strands, each strand comprised of three smaller, within a sheath of olive material. Knockoffs are often a couple strands or even just some thin poly twine. Amazon has no shortage of suppliers of paracord in various colors, so read carefully. I went with this.

I usually just wind my paracord up like a ball of yarn, throw a ‘ranger rubber band”* around it to keep it together, and leave it in my Bag O’ Tricks ™. You never know when a hank of the stuff is going to come in handy. For knocking around in the boonies, you definitely want a bunch of this stuff with you for making shelters, repairing gear, replacing shoelaces, etc. The craftier among us will use their grunts-n-crafts skills to make slings, belts, bracelets, handle covers, and anything else that gives them a convenient way to keep a good bit of paracord handy. Go Google ‘paracord project’ and see the amazing things people can do with an unlimited amount of paracord and time.

It’s a little silly to list all the suggested use for paracord because they are pretty much infinite and situation-dependent. Its accurate to say that your imagination and creativity is about the only limit to the use of the stuff. BUT….you gotta have it to begin with. So, if you’re not already roaming the realm with some of this stuff in your gear, its definitely a worthy addition.

* = Ranger rubber bands are cross sections cut from innertubes to make incredibly tough and cheap rubber bands.

About a zillion years ago I used to teach hunter safety. It made sense that if there were going to be 12-year-olds wandering the woods with 7mm Remington Magnums perhaps I’d have a little self-interest in making sure they knew what not to shoot at since I’d be out there as well.

One part of the course was about helping them put together their little survival kits in case they got lost or had to spend the night out there. Of course, one of the big things was that they needed to have a way to start a fire. Now, these are twelve-year-olds…they’ve never heard of Occams Razor. Invariably, the majority of them would show up with a flint/steel or some other type of striker firestarter. And I would reach into my pocket and pull out a Bic lighter and a book of matches and ask why no one brought those.

Why make things harder than they have to be?

When I go out in the sticks, I carry one of those little scrape-the-rod firestarters and tinder with me. But I also carry at least two or three match safes, and a cigarette lighter. Yes, I know that cigarette lighters don’t always work in the numbing cold, at high altitudes, or when wet. Thats why I carry other methods of creating fire. But when its time to ignite something, I start with the lighter and work my way down the list.

One of the problems with a lighter like the ubiquitous Bic (uBicuitous?) is that if you don’t pack it right the thumb switch can be depressed and you lose all your fuel. Or the sparker gets wet  and the whole thing is useless. Which is where this comes in:

EXOTAC – fireSLEEVE Waterproof Lighter Holder Case. It’s a protective cover for your Bic. Keeps it dry and protects from inadvertently hitting the red button. A clever idea and one that sits in my Bag O’ Tricks ™. Also sits in my hunting pack and any other bag that I take with me into the woods.

In addition to protecting the lighter and keeping it dry, you also have a lanyard attachment point which is always nice when you want to keep a piece of critical gear from walking away.

Also, the lip of the case doubles as a strap to hold down the gas button on the lighter so you can keep it lit without having to use your finger to hold down the switch.

Nice to have? Absolutely. But, as I said, I don’t like to keep all my eggs in one basket. The lighter is the handiest and easiest thing to use in terms of having instant fire at your fingertips. But it’s also the most delicate and sensitive….this is why I never, ever rely on just carrying a lighter. I also carry math safes full of lifeboat matches and a couple other fire starting methods.

I know someone is going to chime in about their Zippo. Yeah, the Zippo is a fine lighter. It’s got a protective cover, which is nice, and runs on liquid fuel which makes it a better choice at altitudes. It also costs more, doesn’t have a lanyard attachment point, leaks in your pocket, and is heavy. Not saying it doesn’t work for you, just saying I see a lighter, cheaper, equally useful alternative that works for me.

And as I said, the lighter is the most convenient, handy, and lazy way to ignite something…but I always have a few others as well. Suspenders and a belt, m’friends.