I carry 3 lighters, an emergency flare, rags and a tampon to dip in gas or oil. There are tons of ways to start a fire even without a lighter or flare. Short out a battery from a flashlight or phone or sled with a wire to get spark. The survival shows on tv are fantastic. Haha! Ive been bored and tried to make fire with 2 sticks, its hard. I prefer a lighter, lol I carry lots of stuff with me and i dont venture off trail too much. But its nice to always be prepared if not for yourself then For someone else.
Yep, a battery with some steel wool will do the trick, too. I've experimented with it short of actually starting a fire and man does it get hot FAST!
And speaking from a firefighter's point of view.....by all means ya gotta do what ya gotta do in an emergency, but please -- if you have to use gasoline to get a fire going, keep it to a minimum and use extreme caution. It's nasty stuff. But I'm pretty sure I'm preaching to the choir.