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Where almost every other lighter requires a special fuel, in a survival situation the Zippo can operate on almost any fuel which will ignite when exposed to a flame. Although not recommended by Zippo, several users have tested various alternative Zippo lighter fuels. The list below demonstrates some of the tested alternative fuels for a survival situation and ranks them from the likely best to worst.
All wick lighter fuels (Zippo, Ronsonol, etc.)
Camp Fuel (naphtha)
Some Paint Thinners (naphtha)
Rubbing Alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)
Everclear / Grain Alcohol (ethyl alcohol aka “moonshine”)
Kerosene
Cologne
Diesel Fuel
Jet Propellant (JP – 4)
Lamp Oil
Gasoline (dangerous but does work)
One of the most significant notes of his testing was validation that Camp Fuel, which many of us have already tested in Zippos, works as well as wick lighter fluids. I have noticed camp fuel typically does have a smellier burn than some of the more refined wick lighter fuels. From a disaster preparedness perspective, you should have a low tech, manual pressurized camp stove and at least a gallon of camp fuel on hand anyway. However, it is good to know that one gallon of fuel could also be used as a nearly infinite supply of Zippo lighter refills as well.
The flints on the Zippo are very good compared to most other disposable lighter flints. When using a Zippo to start tinder when the fluid is dry, simply move the wick over to the inside and loosely place your tender in the wick cage. If you have nice, dry, and light tinder it will start right up.
Beauty and survival all in one package for under $30… it even comes gift boxed.
