So called BARTER-TRADE items for Post-SHTF.

[Cabin Fever]

No offense intended here, but why would anyone want something like that? Back when I was heavy into hiking and backpacking, I made several "pocket survival kits" out of little metal tins holding bare minimum survival essentials. One of those things was always a Bic lighter. I mention this because sometime back in the 90's (or maybe it was the 80's?) I bought a six-pack of Bic lighters. Probably cost about $1.59 for the six-pack. Used two of them in my kits. The others ended up in the junk drawer in my kitchen. I just now pulled two of those 25 - 30 - 35 (?) year old lighters out of the back of that drawer. They both lit up perfectly on the first try. As if they were brand new. Zero maintenance over the years. No refilling every week. They had just sat there for several decades, untouched, except for maybe lighting a birthday candle here and there over the years. And they still worked perfectly.

FWIW, the Bic lighters in my survival kits were what I called my "convenience fire starters". I knew they wouldn't work in all outdoor conditions (high winds, after getting soaked in water, in the freezing cold, etc.) But when they work, they are super convenient. My kits always included a ferrocerium rod for starting fires in super adverse conditions. And of all things, one or two of those "can't blow 'em out" trick birthday candles. If you could manage to get one of those puppies lit, you were in like Flint for starting a fire - even in a significant wind or rain storm.

Yeah but, Bic lighters down make that awesome sounding "click" like a Zippo lighter does when you shut it's lid. I won a prize off a radio program once by knowing that sound. Every morning the station would play a different sound. Listeners would call in with an answer for the sound. The correct answer won a gift certificate. I won the Zippo lighter sound. On another day, I was out-phoned by a caller who recognized the double "cricket chirp" from the movie, "The Longest Day."

 

[Cabin Fever]

This thread about lighting fire reminds me of something that happened back when my wife was working for a dentist. I believe I told this story before. At any rate, one day the dentist was trying to light a torch to so some silver soldering on a dental bridge or some such thing. The dentist was trying to light that torch over and over again using matches. He finally ran out of matches. The gas in the torch kept blowing the match out. My wife said, "Let me try." She reached into her purse and pulled out her magnesium fire starter. She threw a spark at the torch and it lit! The somewhat shocked dentist asked her why she had the fire starter in her purse. She said. "For emergencies. And, you don't want to know what else I have in my purse."

 

[12icemaker]

I always have a small strong magnifying glass along with the high pitch pine scrapings in a 22cal pellet tin and the fire sparker kit.

I do have a few propane lighters a few are bics even a WW1 trench lighter.

I also have electronic ceramic lighters for easy no flash fuse lighting.