Can You Use A Swiss Army Knife To Start A Campfire?

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A Swiss Army Knife is one of the best multitools for camping, as it offers several implements that are invaluable in the wilderness, like a can opener, wood saw, and — of course — a knife blade. But, can you use a Swiss Army Knife for one of the most important tasks at a campsite: starting a campfire? That depends on which kind of SAK you're using, so you'll need to know which model Swiss Army Knife you own to get your answer. The most useful implement an SAK can have for starting a fire is, naturally, a lighter, and throughout the long, storied history of the Swiss Army Knife, only three models to date have included one.

The bad news is that all three of these models are discontinued, so you won't be able to purchase a new one directly from Victorinox, the manufacturer of the Swiss Army Knife. The worse news is that, despite the SAK being around for well over a century, these three models were only produced over the course of three years — from 2002 to 2005. That means that even pre-owned Swiss Army Knives equipped with a lighter are pretty rare and hard to come by.

But, they do exist, and if you do come across one, you can use an integrated butane lighter to start your campfires, as well as at home to light candles, barbecues, cigars, and more. If you do decide to get yourself a Swiss Army Knife with this function, which of the three available models you opt for may depend on why you want a lighter in the first place.

The three SAKs made in the early 2000s that included a lighter are the CampFlame, SwissFlame, and SwissChamp XXLT. None of the three models were sold in the U.S., as they lacked required child-safety features. The butane lighter is the same in all three SAKs and uses a standard piezoelectric ignition system that quickly and easily sparks a flame. It's refillable, so you won't need to toss out your entire multi-tool when you run out of fuel, and a transparent window allows you to constantly keep an eye on your fuel level.

Victorinox recommends using a hard protective case for the SAK to prevent accidental fires. The lighter implement allows you to adjust the flame height and is designed to operate up to 1,500 meters above sea level, so you can use it when camping in the mountains. It also works well in windy conditions as it can operate continuously for up to 10 minutes.

The CampFlame Swiss Army Knife is, as its name implies, built for campsites, as it also includes a wood saw and two knife blades for creating kindling and firewood. It also includes a can opener and bottle opener, among other camping-friendly tools. The SwissFlame is more suited for home use and comes with a screwdriver, scissors, and a versatile sewing awl, along with other implements. It's pretty much the same design as the Victorinox Climber — one of the top-rated Swiss Army Knife tools — but with the added lighter. These are the two practical SAKs with fire starters to use — the SwissChamp XXLT is packed with one of the largest Swiss Army Knives with 71 other implements. It's more of a collector's item than a functional tool, and its lighter makes it even more rare and valuable.

Since these three Swiss Army Knife models were only produced for a few years and were never sold in the U.S., they're not nearly as available as many of Victorinox's other SAK variants. Even the two more practical models are seen more as collector's items, given how rare the butane lighter feature is. However, there are still ways you can produce a campfire with a Swiss Army Knife that doesn't include an integrated lighter. In fact, starting a fire is one of the many alternative uses for a Swiss Army Knife that you may have never considered.

As previously mentioned, the wood saw and blades on the CampFlame are useful for cutting branches and twigs to use as kindling and firewood. Blades are, obviously, on most SAKs, and while the standard number of tools on a Swiss Army Knife can vary, the wood saw is an integrated implement on several different models. This includes the Victorinox Handyman and the Victorinox Hiker, which is a useful survival saw for camping trips.

Alternatively, you can utilize the magnifying glass function on models like the Victorinox Explorer and Victorinox SwissChamp to use sunlight to start your campfire. In a pinch, you can also employ any Swiss Army Knife as a solid, blunt object to strike a ferro rod with to spark a fire. You may want to do this with one of the implements you don't use often, though, in case it dulls or breaks. Of course, if you've got room in your pack, it might be easiest to just use something other than a Swiss Army Knife, and instead bring one of the more useful tools you need to start and maintain a campfire.