This is the Zippo Emergency Fire Kit, it’s an all-in-one solution for starting fires rapidly when needed, and it contains highly-flammable cotton tinder rings as well as a flint spark wheel that’s good for 1,700+ uses.
Being able to start a fire when you find yourself out in the wilderness can be a matter of life and death, as fires provide heat, a way to cook food and boil water, they can help keep predators at bay, and a good fire can help rescuers find you, even in dense forest.
The Zippo Emergency Fire Kit contains five cotton tinder rings, each capable of starting a fire once it’s showered with sparks from the flint wheel.
The Zippo Manufacturing Company
Zippo Manufacturing Company was established by George G. Blaisdell in 1932, after he was inspired by an unusual windproof lighter from Austria. In 1933, he introduced the first Zippo lighter, featuring a windproof design with a hinged lid and a distinctive rectangular case. It was priced at $1.95 with a lifetime guarantee, the equivalent to approximately $47 USD today.
During World War II, Zippo focused on producing lighters for the U.S. military, establishing the company’s brand awareness in the minds of millions of young Americans. The wartime demand helped popularize Zippo lighters, and returning soldiers further spread their popularity, embedding the brand in mid-century American culture.
After the war, Zippo resumed consumer production, expanding its product line and becoming a cultural icon in the process. The brand’s lighters featured prominently in movies and TV shows, and custom engravings made them popular collectibles. This period solidified Zippo’s status as a symbol of America in the eyes of many.
The fundamental design of the Zippo lighter has changed little over the decades. Each lighter has a flip-open stainless steel case with a removable inner section that includes the flint, roller striker, the lighter fuel reservoir, and the windproof top around the wick.
The Zippo Emergency Fire Kit
The Zippo Emergency Fire Kit consists of three major parts, the waterproof container, the cotton tinder rings, and the flint striker wheel. It’s designed to be small enough to slip into a pocket or backpack and forgotten about until it’s needed.
You push a small stick through the cotton tinder ring to stretch it out, then ignite it to get your fire going.
To start a fire you simply gather some small sticks and/or grass, push a small stick up through the cotton tinder ring (see the pictures above and below), and then shower it with sparks to get it alight. The kit comes with five tinder rings and you can order more from Zippo when you need them, the flint rod is also replaceable once you’ve used it up, and as mentioned above it’s good for 1,700+ strikes.
The kit is also waterproof, saving you the hassle of dealing with wet tinder, and it floats on water so it’s recoverable if it gets loose when boating or rafting. It’s now retailing for $11.63 USD on the official Zippo Store on Amazon, and you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Zippo
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