A regular lighter is cheap and it’s a great way to start a fire. However, there are a number of reasons a regular lighter is not practical to take camping with you. A regular lighter is not very reliable. When brand new, they may work fine, but the lighter fluid can deplete quite quickly. The mechanism that produces the flame can corrode making the lighter useless and if you’re lighter gets wet, you can pretty much throw it away. A fire starter can produce sparks in wind and rain and they are usually water-resistant and windproof making them more reliable in leaps and bounds over a regular lighter.\r