I've been backpacking, climbing, ski-packing, bushwhacking, and snowshoeing throughout the mountains of Oregon and Washington for the last 25 years. I'm an all-season, all terrain, off-trail kind of guy, but these days (having small kids) most of my trips run on the shorter side of things, and tend to be in the temperate rainforest. While I've carried packs (with winter climbing gear) in excess of 70 pounds (32 kilos), the older I get the more minimalist I become.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Essential Gear, Inc.
Photo Courtesy of Manufacturer

Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: www.essentialgear.com/
MSRP: US $55.00
Listed Weight:
*As listed at Website: 2.5 oz (71 g)
*As listed on retail packaging: 2 oz (57 g)
Measured Weight:
*Empty: 2.4 oz (68 g)
*Filled: 2.6 oz (74 g)

Color Tested: Blaze Orange

Also available in: Clear, Matte Black, Smoke Black, and Smoke Green

Other details (From retail packaging and website):
*External Dimensions: 3.7 x 1.5 in (9.4 x 3.8 cm)
*Windproof to 70-80 mph (113-129 kph)
*Water Resistant (5 O-ring seals)
*Hi-Temp flame, controllable gas flow for use to 10,000 ft (3048 m)
*Refillable with premium butane gas
*Extra-large fuel tank, 1,000 ignitions on a single fill
*Piezo-Electric ignition system (good for over 30,000 ignitions)
*Easy grip rubberized case
*Ergonomic design fits comfortably in hand
*Includes wrist lanyard

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Essential Gear Windmill Trekker lighter arrived in its retail packaging, consisting of a plastic blister pack with a paper insert (which opened to reveal instructions). The manufacturer also included a can of premium butane fuel as shown in the photo above.

Lighter in Retail Packaging with Fuel Provided
Upon opening the package, the lighter appeared to be well constructed. The lighter's lid is kept closed by both a wire bale (referred to in the instructions as a "metal lock handle") and a small lever closure (referred to in the instructions as the "side switch"). Opening the wire bale followed by depressing the lever closure opens the spring-loaded hinged cap, revealing the business end of the lighter.

On the bottom of the lighter is the inlet valve used for filling the lighter, which is surrounded by the flame adjuster. I found I was able to turn the flame adjuster with my thumbnail, but a small screwdriver or similar device would clearly have been easier.

The case itself is a bright orange color, and is constructed of a material that is easier to grip than, for example, hard plastic. It is, nonetheless, quite firm and seemingly durable. Also, there are windows on each side of the lighter that allow me to view the fuel level.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Windmill Trekker Lighter, and was anxious to fill it up and put it to use.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions are well-illustrated and very clear. They cover basic safety information and instructions on filling, adjusting flame height, igniting, and extinguishing the burner. In addition, the instructions include ignition and operating tips and contact information for the manufacturer.

In all, the instructions seem complete and easy to follow.

TRYING IT OUT

Using the fuel provided by the manufacturer, I followed the instructions by turning the lighter upside down, inserting the filler tip of the fuel container into the inlet valve, and pressed firmly for a few seconds. The lighter was full almost instantaneously. This concerned me a bit as the instructions also said to fill with gas slowly and not to overfill. In looking at the fill window, it appeared the lighter was full, but not over-full. In the future I will press gently when filling, rather than firmly.

Next came the moment of truth . . . following the instructions, I pressed down until I heard gas flow, and then pressed further to achieve ignition. I had flame! The flame is a brilliant blue that is almost invisible in bright light. It also is extremely hot, which I confirmed by holding my hand above the flame, finding it much hotter than a normal disposable lighter. I released my thumb from the ignition lever, and the flame continued. The instructions had warned this may occur right after filling, and following the instructions I turned down the flame adjuster and it quickly extinguished.

After this initial experiment, I tried several other things, such as igniting it upside down and while blowing on it (hard), and it has always ignited first try. I have also tried just pressing the ignition lever all the way down as fast as I can, and it has always ignited. I suspect that under some conditions, like heavy wind, it might be necessary to use the two-step process of ignition (waiting for the sound of gas before pressing all the way down to ignite), and look forward to seeing if this is the case.

The only other initial observation I made is that the metal ignition lever gets very hot if you keep the flame going for about 45 seconds. It does seem to cool reasonably fast, however.

SUMMARY

All in all, I'm very impressed with the Essential Gear Windmill Trekker lighter. It appears to be a well-designed and well-constructed lighter that provides a very hot, reliable, wind resistant flame. I look forward to evaluating it under field conditions.

I would like to thank Essential Gear, Inc. and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Windmill Trekker lighter. My Field Report will be appended to this report in approximately two months. This concludes my initial report.

Test Report by Mike Curry

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