Home / Heat and cooking

Choose a windproof lighter for your kit

By the Plain Prepper editors. Updated 2026-10-18.

We research products from makers' specs, manuals and safety agencies; we do not run hands-on tests. Links to Amazon may earn us a commission at no cost to you. How this works.

Quick answer

Zippo's Classic Brushed Chrome is an all-metal, refillable fluid lighter with a windproof design and a lifetime guarantee. Zippo's butane torch inserts drop into a classic Zippo case and give an adjustable blue torch flame up to 2,300 degrees F: the single torch gives up to 100 five-second lights per fill, the double torch up to 60. Keep a lighter as a backup for starting a stove or fire, and use flashlights, not candles, for light in an outage, as USFA advises.

Why a windproof lighter belongs in a kit

A lighter is the quickest way to light a camp stove, a wood stove or a fire when the power is out. Outdoors, wind can blow out an ordinary flame. Zippo describes its classic case as all-metal with a windproof design that works virtually anywhere.

A lighter is for starting fires, not for light. USFA says to use flashlights, not candles, during a power outage, and to never use candles for emergency lighting. See our fire starter guide for stormproof matches and tinder to pair with a lighter.

Fluid lighter or butane torch

The classic Zippo burns lighter fluid on a wick. Zippo says it is refillable for a lifetime of use and recommends genuine Zippo fuel, flints and wicks; the fuel is sold separately.

Zippo's butane inserts change the flame. Zippo lists an adjustable, odorless blue torch flame up to 2,300 degrees F (1,260 degrees C) with push-button piezo ignition, refilled with butane. The choice comes down to fuel: lighter fluid and flints for the classic, or butane and a piezo spark for the inserts.

Inserts need a classic case

Zippo sells its butane inserts without a case. Zippo says they fit all classic Zippo lighter cases but not the Slim, Armor or 1935 Replica cases. To build a torch lighter, buy a classic case, remove the fluid insert and drop in the butane insert, keeping the fluid insert as a spare.

Zippo also notes the inserts ship unfilled, so buy Zippo butane at the same time.

Lights per fill

Zippo lists a 0.9 g butane capacity for both torch inserts. The single torch gives up to 100 five-second ignitions per fill, and the double torch up to 60, since two flames use fuel faster. That works out to roughly 8 minutes of flame for the single torch and 5 minutes for the double at those figures.

For a kit, that means carrying a spare fuel can and a second ignition source such as stormproof matches.

What to pack with a lighter

A lighter is one layer of a fire kit, not the whole kit. Pack the fuel it needs: Zippo lighter fluid and spare flints for the classic, or Zippo butane for the torch inserts, since the inserts ship empty. Add a second way to make fire that does not depend on fuel, such as a ferro rod or stormproof matches, and dry tinder so a small flame can catch.

Keep the kit in a sealed bag or box so the striker and tinder stay dry, and store it where you can find it in the dark, next to your flashlights.

Storage and safety

Store lighters, lighter fluid and butane where children cannot reach them, and keep fuel away from heat. Light a stove or fire only where the stove's or appliance's instructions allow; USFA's severe weather advice also warns never to use candles for emergency lighting and to keep smoke alarms on backup batteries.

Test the lighter every few months and refill it. When you replace parts on the classic case, Zippo recommends genuine Zippo fuel, flints and wicks.

What to look for when you buy

Questions people ask

Is a Zippo lighter windproof?

Zippo describes its classic lighter as all-metal with a windproof design that works virtually anywhere.

How many lights do you get from a butane insert?

Zippo lists up to 100 five-second ignitions per fill for the single torch insert and up to 60 for the double torch, from 0.9 g of butane.

Do Zippo butane inserts fit any case?

Zippo says they fit all classic Zippo cases but not Slim, Armor or 1935 Replica cases, and the case is sold separately.

Can I use a lighter and candles for light in a power outage?

USFA says to use flashlights, not candles, during a power outage. Keep the lighter for starting stoves and fires where allowed.

Sources

• Classic Brushed Chrome (zippo.com), Zippo
• Single Torch Butane Lighter Insert (zippo.com), Zippo
• Double Torch Butane Lighter Insert (zippo.com), Zippo
• Candle Fire Safety, U.S. Fire Administration (maker page: www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/candle/)
• Severe Weather Fire Safety, U.S. Fire Administration (maker page: www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prevent-fires/severe-weather/)

Sources checked 2026-10-18.