I never got the point of the steel/spark thing, whats wrong with a bic lighter? And a spare if you're a worrier.
Strips of car inner tube rubber works well, put a bunch of cut up strips in your bag, burn well even if wet. If its raining or snowing start the fire inside a plastic supermarket bag, you know the ones you use to put your other stuff in your pack inside of. Then just let the bag burn up as well.
Like the posters said earlier, keeping a fire going properly is the main problem in wet difficult conditions, there is usually a lot of whittling going before a fire gets big enough to dry other sticks/wood.
