Originally Posted by cyccommute

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.