fireSLEEVE™

The basic disposable lighter is still the easiest fire source to use, and it has barely changed in decades. It also has three serious weaknesses: it fails when wet, it empties itself if the button gets pressed in your pack, and if you lose it you are out of luck. The fireSLEEVE is a fortress built around a BIC Classic lighter that fixes all three without giving up the simplicity that makes a BIC worth carrying.

The body is molded from a flexible TPE, similar to silicone. Because it flexes, it acts as a gasket around the full circumference of the lighter, sealing it against moisture intrusion, and the high-grip surface keeps the lighter in your hand when it is wet. Capped, the fireSLEEVE floats and is waterproof to not less than three feet, so a lighter that goes in the water is recoverable and still works. The cap itself is molded from super-tough glass-filled nylon and doubles as protection for the red gas button so it cannot be depressed accidentally; during use it stores on the base of the body.

The molded gas-lock strap is the feature people keep it for. It holds the button down so the flame stays lit until you slide the strap off with your thumb, which is exactly what you want when you are reaching a flame into a stove or a tight fire lay. Two separate lashing points let you tie the whole thing into a kit.

The included lighter is an ordinary BIC Classic available at any convenience store worldwide; when it runs out you pull it and slide a new one in, with a dab of silicone grease if needed. The fireSLEEVE is made in the USA, covered by U.S. Patent No. 10,222,063 and Exotac's lifetime warranty, and offered in Black, Orange, and Glow-in-the-Dark. It is the ideal cheap, reliable backup to a titanLIGHT.