Brad Cooper is one lucky guy…
Several years ago, Brad came upon a man in his backyard who had attempted to burglarize Brad’s home. When confronted, the thief pointed a gun at Brad and yelled at him to stop moving.
But Brad continued to approach the thief, who then shot him in the leg near his groin. (Getting shot in the groin can be very deadly. The femoral artery is one of your main arteries — if it’s punctured, you’ll quickly bleed out.)
Later, Brad said he had felt something hit his leg, but he kept moving toward the thief. Then the criminal pointed the gun at Brad’s head and asked if he wanted “another one.” At that point, Brad stopped and the thief took off.
Got a Light?
While waiting for the police to arrive, Brad decided to smoke a cigarette. When he pulled out his Zippo lighter, he realized that’s what the bullet had struck. In fact, the lighter completely stopped the bullet, which Brad also found in his pocket.
To add to the happy ending, police were able to get fingerprints off a TV the thief attempted to steal and he was arrested shortly thereafter.
Even though this wasn’t your typical outdoor survival situation, the lighter in Brad’s pocket literally saved his life. This story probably would have had a different ending if Brad had purchased a $0.99 lighter from the gas station. Instead, he had invested in a quality Zippo lighter made from metal — and it’s a good thing he did.
That being said, today I want to go over different types of survival lighters, plus a few that I recommend purchasing.
Zippo Lighter
Zippo is one of the most popular brands of lighters made in the U.S. They have been sold all over the world and described as “a legendary and distinct symbol of Americana.”
Zippo lighters have gained popularity because most models are windproof and designed to stay lit in harsh weather conditions. Zippos are incredibly durable and come with a lifetime warranty.
One drawback is they aren’t waterproof. However, if you let them dry out completely, they will typically work just fine.
One of my favorite things about Zippos is that you don’t have to hold the button down for the flame to work. If you need a continual flame, you can light the Zippo and do what you need to do without having to hold the igniter.
Zippos sell for around $30, so they’re a good option for a dependable, refillable lighter.
Windmill Delta Stormproof Lighter
This lighter weighs only two ounces and can withstand up to 80 mph winds. It has a watertight seal so it can be utilized in even the worst weather conditions.
The Windmill Delta Stormproof Lighter is made of stainless steel, so it’s extremely durable. In addition, the armor on the outer body of the lighter provides strong impact resistance.
It has an electric ignition system, which is good for over 30,000 uses. For the best flame results, the manufacturer recommends using quadruple-refined fluid, but you can use standard butane fluid.
The Windmill Delta Stormproof Lighter is useful in many different situations such as camping, hiking, boating or any survival situation. It has a two-year warranty and sells for about $30 on Amazon.
Tesla Coil Lighter
Arc lighters are becoming increasingly popular. However, they do have one major drawback — they need to be charged on a regular basis.
If you use your lighter regularly, this may not be an issue for you. But this isn’t the type of lighter you can throw in your bug-out bag and depend on to work months down the road.
Tesla’s rechargeable lighter doesn’t have a flame and doesn’t require any fuel to work. Simply push the button on the lighter and it creates a single windproof arc.
This lighter only weighs three ounces. A full charge will last up to 300 uses — or about one week. The single-arc Tesla Coil Lighter sells for $20 on Amazon.
The reality is in a survival situation, one of the most critical things you need to be able to do is start a fire. Fire makes it possible to purify water, cook, avoid hypothermia, dry clothing, keep away predators and see at night while trying to survive.
When choosing a survival lighter, there are several factors to consider, such as ease of use, refill capability, type of fuel, performance in the wind and water resistance. Depending on your needs, any one of these lighters would be a great addition to your survival gear.
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
