For whatever it's worth, a lot of my fire building has been in Eastern (or Ozark) heavy woods. I only remember battening once in the Adirondacks when another guy and I felt obliged to prove we could start a fire in a driving rain that had continued for about five hours. There was some real mocha loose on that trail, and there were two cold women with us! It worked, and I rarely ever build fires anymore, but when I did, I could always find another way to do it (like pitch or birchbark).

I carry a tiny SAK and use mostly the toothpick and tweezers. I sometimes think pliers (as, multitool) would be handy, but never enough to add mine to my weight. I have a small one, and use it around the house once in a while, and I've taken it on canoe trips but quit when I never used it.

best, jcp