Lighters in high altitude

Well as most of you know I went elk hunt in Colorado this last week we camped and as always I had my Zippo lighter on me and noticed that it did not like to light and when it did it would go out at first I thought low on fuel I refilled and it would do the same thing is this because of the altitude.

 

Electric or arc lighters are best at high altitudes! You can tune a Zippo to burn at high up, but they go through the fuel quick!

 

Ha, Try a Bic disposable at 1000/2000 ft. Looks like a crack lighter!

 

I use zippos and the best luck I have with them is to lengthen the wick a bit. Just below the top of the wheel. Make sure you don't overfill so that you get a wet wick. Blow on the wick before striking so as to lean out the air/fuel mixture a bit. Make sure you keep a good(fresh)flint in it. I have also had decent luck with white gas rather than zippo or ronson fuel But if you're in a propane/iso propane camp you probably won't have any.

 

Anything above 2000/2500 feet a Bic or Matches is about as good as it going to get. Mountains hate Zippos I did find when I used to travel higher elevations that fuzzing the wic up a bit helped.

 

When my buddies and I were at the summit of Haleakala, about 10,000 feet, we noticed several things. First, it was freaking cold waiting for the sun rise. But we had to do it. Haleakala means house of the rising sun. Gorgeous!!

Second thing we noticed was we got winded more quickly going up the hill.

Third, on guy was a smoker. And when he lit a match, there was barely a flame.

So lack of oxygen. Also, high altitude and smoking don't go well together. Think he was getting light headed trying to smoke his cigarette.

If you ever go to watch the sunrise, pack winter clothes. Our light clothes, even layered and with a hotel blanket really did not cut it.

 

Altitude sickness is a real thing for some people.
I spent a significant portion of my growing up at 7k feet and high energy at that, except that when I came down for sporting events the smog really got to me . my kryptonite= smog .
Cooking you have to allow more time because water boils at a lower temperature .
In the boating industry we typically drop 5 pitches in the prop for engines to perform as best they can at 7000 feet.
Airplanes (anfibs) that land on the lake have a rough time getting off the water ,so much so we would drive our fastest boats to break up the water in the early morning ahead of the plane so it can break loose .
Usually air filters on our vehicles are restructured to breathe better buy altering to allow larger elements , it gets tricky when trying to accommodate certain cars with limited space under the hood . It made a difference, marginal but noticeable . Shorter or lesser diameter wheels are almost essential in some situations because like boats dropping the pitch makes a big difference .
So far as sleeping in the cold it's no different than any where else except that at altitude it is usually dryer which means the cold you feel is more genuine . After about 20 degrees F all the humidity drops and freezes which is why your skin dries out faster . Maintaining hydration is important.

 

I bought a few of the flamesless lighters. I am not impressed. They are bulky, heavier then a regular lighter plus you have to recharge them. It is not as easy to start a fire with an flameless lighter.

I get real tired when I go into the flat lands. I always feel drained my first day or two when I go back East.

 

You know that smoking reduces your oxygen intake ?

 

I've been living between 5400 to 7100 feet the last 30 years and I've never noticed anyone having issues with butane lighters or matches, campfires and wildfires seem to burn just fine also.

 

That's right, this kind of lighter is the right choice for survival. I usually bring a bic without any difficulties. I found it very important that its activation mechanism is not accidentally triggered. The design of this lighter has a very strong seal so I can feel comfortable with it in my pocket or backpack. I will use this as my main lighter in future backpacking trips.

 

The "flint" in lighters is made of ferrocerium. Spark that onto char, punkwoods, piths, etc then you'll have an ember. Embers are easily brought to flame. If you're prepared, all this takes maybe ten seconds longer than flicking a Bic.