Re the lighter--how cold was it? I've discovered that when it's down around freezing or below, my lighter (like the canister for my stove) has to spend some time against my body inside my insulating jacket in order to work properly. For the canister--20-30 minutes. For the lighter, about 5.

Being old enough to remember what kitchen matches were like 50 years ago, I can tell you that the deterioration has been significant! I do like the REI emergency matches, but they are definitely not for lighting the stove, since it's impossible to extinguish them and they burn for quite a while.