>>>>We were told - but maybe this was just the instructors defending their setup - that flashlights could run out of batteries, but that with their carburo system, just by having a lighter you were sure of a light all the time. just by having a lighter you were sure of a light all the time.

They had a really odd way of justifying it. You can pretty much say the same thing about a flashlight; just by having a battery, you're sure of a light all the time too.

Lighters run out, as does carbide. If you can think about bringing one thing, you can think about others.