A lighter is fine until it's wet, cold or empty — which is exactly when you most need fire. The two standard backups are waterproof matches and a fire steel, and while both are built for the same job, they suit different people and different situations. Here's how they actually compare, and why many kits carry both rather than choosing one.
Waterproof matches: familiar and fast
A proper set of waterproof (often called stormproof) matches is treated so the match itself resists damp and, once struck, burns hot enough to keep going briefly even in light wind or drizzle. They work exactly like a match you already know how to use — strike, and you have a flame in under a second, no technique to learn and nothing to practise beforehand. That makes them the easier option for anyone who's never used a fire steel, or for a kit that might get used by someone other than you in an emergency. The trade-off is that each match is single-use, the quantity in a tin is fixed, and a soaked or damaged striking strip can leave you without a reliable way to light them at all.
Fire steel: near-unlimited strikes, more skill required
A fire steel — a ferrocerium rod scraped with a striker to throw hot sparks — doesn't produce a flame on its own; it throws sparks onto tinder, which you then have to coax into a flame. Properly used, a single rod is good for thousands of strikes and works when wet, in the cold, and at altitude, which makes it far more durable than a finite box of matches. The real cost is skill: using one well takes practice, and good tinder (dry grass, processed wood shavings, a cotton ball, or a dedicated fire-starting aid) makes a huge difference to how quickly it catches. For someone who hasn't practised, a fire steel in a genuine emergency can be a frustrating way to discover you needed to practise first.
Which to actually carry
If you want something that works immediately, with no learning curve, under real pressure, waterproof matches are the more forgiving choice — keep a decent quantity, since each one is used once. If you want a backup that effectively never runs out and you're willing to practise beforehand, a fire steel is the better long-term tool, especially for a kit you might rely on repeatedly rather than just once. Many experienced campers carry both: matches as the quick, reliable primary method, and a fire steel as the backup that can't run out — a sensible approach for anyone who isn't certain which they'd reach for under stress.
Whichever you choose, pair it with something that actually catches easily — solid fuel tablets or firelighters give a fire steel's spark, or a damp match, something reliable to ignite before you're relying on finding dry tinder in the field.
Keeping either one usable
Store waterproof matches in a sealed tin or container even though they're treated to resist damp — a striking strip left loose in a wet pocket won't work when you need it. A fire steel needs almost no maintenance, but keep the striker and rod accessible rather than buried, and practise with it at home in good conditions so you're not learning the technique for the first time in the rain.
A third option: a lighter, used sensibly
Neither matches nor a fire steel are meant to replace a normal lighter as your everyday fire source — they're the backup for when a lighter fails, runs out of fuel, or gets wet. A cheap lighter is still the fastest, easiest way to light a fire in good conditions, so the sensible setup for most people is a lighter as the primary method, with waterproof matches or a fire steel carried specifically as the backup that still works when the lighter doesn't.
Why cordage belongs in the same kit
Getting a spark or flame going is only half the job — you still need dry tinder to catch it, and a length of paracord has an inner core that, when teased apart, makes genuinely good tinder in a pinch, on top of its usual uses for shelter and repairs. Keeping a small amount of dry tinder material or a dedicated fire-starting aid alongside whichever backup fire-starter you choose closes the gap between making a spark and actually having a fire.
The short version
Waterproof matches are the faster, no-skill-required option — strike and you have a flame — but they're finite and depend on a dry striking surface. A fire steel effectively never runs out and works wet or cold, but it takes practice and good tinder to use well. If you're not sure which to pick, carry both: matches as your quick primary, a fire steel as the backup that can't run out.
