How to Build the Perfect Campfire

Human beings are attracted to fire, since ancient times. Earlier, our ancestors used it for cooking food, protection from insects or wild animals, warmth. With the advent of all modern technology like electric bulbs, electricity, cooking facilities; fire has become a source of comfort rather than basic necessity.

Now, the question is Why still humans get fascinated by fire.

• · The basic reason is it protects us from the cold by providing us warm.
• · It protects us from insects or animals while doing camping.
• · It makes us more social because it gives us time to chit chat with our beloved ones.
• · Fire flames help us to decrease our blood pressure.
• · It helps us to keep busy as you can do many tasks on fire like cooking, drying clothes.
• · Moreover, if we get lost in the forest you can easily lit the fire using bushes, dry leaves. It not only protects you from animals but also acts as an indicator by dragging others attention.

In this modern era, we have everything from high technology gadgets to all comfy things still we are missing spark in our day to day life i.e. time for our beloved ones. Campfire gives us precious moments where we can share lovely times with our loved ones. We can share our life experiences or stories with each other, we can rely on each other shoulder by listening to music and many more things we can do.

When we have decided to go camping, the next thing is to choose the place where we can ignite the fire for camping. We can go for the following options as mentioned here.

Campgrounds -

Always ignite a fire in the designated grills, fireplaces or fire grounds. Before lighting fire always check with the campground operator whether the campfire is allowed in that area or not. If it is allowed make sure before campfire you have all safety measurements along with you.

Backcountry -

You can go for a campfire in backcountry areas where the fire is permitted. In these areas, you can use already left over fire ring. Always go for a new fire ring only in case of emergency. If possible after use of that fire ring dismantle it. If you are using the existing one, clean it properly before lighting the fire.

Apart from that always keep in mind that prevention is better than cure. Be the person with safety precautions. If you are at the designated fireplace where already fire rings are available, use that area for the campfire. If you are at the rough area where the campfire is allowed, you have to make your own place for a campfire.

Following are the things needs to take care while selecting an area for the campfire

• · Always select the area which is away from bushes, trees and other hazardous elements that can result in a fire.
  
• · Always create a fire bed or fire ring on the bare earth.
  
• · Never plan a fire ring on the grass especially the dry and dead grass. Dry branches, bark, grass can easily catch fire.
  
• · If you are unable to find the bare area, dig the area by ensuring that there is no dry plants, bushes, bark near to it.

When you are all set with the campfire location, the next need is the firewood. For smooth kindling of a fire three types of woodpiles i.e. kindling, tinder, and firewood are required.

Tinder -

In order to start a campfire, you need material that can catch fire easily. It covers material like dry bark, dry grass, dry leaves, wood shavings, small twigs, forest duff etc. While going for a campfire, it is good to carry your own tinder in the mode of homemade cloth char or dryer lint. When everything is wet outside, it is best to carry your own tinder because wet tinder never catches fire.

Kindling-

After collecting the Tinder material for a campfire, you need a material that helps to hold the fire for some time so that you can go ahead with big logs. Kindling consists of small branches and twigs which is near about one inch long or so. Always ensure its dryness before putting it into the fire. If it is wet, try to whittle away the moist bark using your pocket knife.

Fuelwood-

After Tinder and Kindling, you need some stuff that can hold fire for a long time. so, here comes the fuelwoods. While choosing fuelwood always keep in mind that it is neither huge logs as it takes time to catch fire nor too small that it gets vanishes in minimal time. Always go for branches that are wide near about your wrist or forearm.


While gathering firewood collects those woods that can break and snap easily. Always choose dry woods as they burn properly, quickly, smoothly. If you choose long woods, huge logs, wet or green one; it will just give you a lot of smoke. Always collect twice of the material that you are thinking of collecting for a campfire. As you will be surprised how soon the kindling and tinder get vanished when the fire starts.

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Ways of Building the Campfire

There are various ways by which you can organize Tinder, Kindling and firewood. Following are the widely used styles of campfire i.e. teepee, star, log cabin, lean-to, upside down pyramid (platform).

Tepee

· It looks like a cone-shaped structure that resembles after the Indigenous dwelling. Following are the method by which you can make campfire structure like Tepee


· Firstly, place tinder woods in the middle of the campfire site.


· After that form a teepee using Kindling woods. Make an opening in your teepee against the side of wind blowing. It will ensure that the campfire gets an appropriate amount of air as required by it and it will help in blowing the flames over kindling.


· Start adding more kindling to the teepee up to pencil size twigs.


· After that, add fuelwood around kindling teepee to create a larger teepee.


· start putting the fire under tinder as it lays the flames up directly. Slowly flames will rise up to the kindling and later on the fuelwood.


· After some time, the tepee structure will fall down. You can add more logs to the fire according to your need.

Lean-to

· During Windy, it is the best campfire method that uses its own firewood as a windbreaker. Following are steps that are required for the lean-to fire method.

· At about an angle of 30- degree place a long piece of kindling into the fire bed.

· While placing kindling ensure that the stick ends are in the wind direction.

· Underneath the kindling support structure place tinder bundle

· Put more small kindling pieces around the nest of tinder.

· Against the structure put small pieces of kindling. Add more layer of larger kindling around it.

· After that start igniting the tinder and enjoy the campfire.

Log Cabin

· Firstly, create a small teepee structure.

· After that place a large piece of fuelwood opposite to the teepee structure.

· Place smaller pieces of fuelwood first across the fuelwood and then parallel to the other side of the teepee.

· Repeat the same procedure until it forms a cabin. Ignite the structure.

Upside down pyramid (platform)

· place three to four large logs on the bottom layer side by side.


· After that, at 90-degree add the second layer of smaller logs on top of the previous layer.


· Repeat the same process up to few layer by keeping the wood size smaller than the previous layer.


· Above all place kindling and then tinder on the top

Star

Basically, this method was used by Native American tribes as they have low supplies of woods. This method is unique from others method as it will not burn all logs at once. It works by arranging the few logs ends by burning them bit by bit. It results in a fire the burns woods slowly. Following are the ways by which you can create star shape campfire.

· For this to work properly you need to create a small teepee with kindling


· After that, you need to place four or five logs around the kindling teepee


· One end is in the fire and other end leads away like the starburst point.


· The benefit of the star type campfire is it extinguishes quickly. you can extinguish it by pulling the middle layer logs.

Once you are done by creating the structure for a campfire. Next step is lighting the campfire. Following are the accessories that are required for burning the fire lays.


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Accessories required to ignite a fire

Once you are done by creating the structure for the campfire. Next step is lighting the campfire. Following are the accessories that are required for burning the fire lays.


· Carry a chemical fire-starters or a candle to start the fire


· You can also take cotton balls which are dipped in Vaseline, a cigar-size newspaper that is dipped into melted paraffin or a flattened milk carton wax.


· Never go for a loose newspaper as they are good moisture absorber on damp days.


· Fire starter

Ignition of the Campfire

Finally, it is the time when you can start lighting the fire. Following are some tips that are helpful while igniting the campfire


· Ignite the tinder first using matchbox or fire starter which is specially designed to burn the tinder.


· Once the tinder starts burning, blow it lightly at the base of the fire in order to provide oxygen. It will help in increasing the flame intensity and further it will help in ignite of firewood.


· After some time start moving embers in the middle so that woods burn completely.

Extinguishing Campfire

Once we are done with a campfire, it is the good practice that we extinguish it before leaving. Following are the tips mentioned that helps you in extinguishing easily.


· When you are leaving sprinkle the water on it. Never pour the complete bucket of water on the fire. Remember that pit can be used by someone else later. Sprinkle water as much as you required to extinguish the woods.


· Sprinkle water till then you do not see any steam or you do not hear any noises.


· Do not touch the ashes to check whether it gets completely extinguished or not. Rather put your hand near the ashes and check you are feeling any heat or not. If you are feeling some heat sprinkle more water otherwise it is completely extinguished.


· Never burn materials which are not fully convertible into ashes.


· Do not try to burn cans, foil and plastic.


· Dispose of the ashes correctly. Leave the clean area for the next camper.


· If you burn something which is not fully convertible into ashes, collect all the remaining part. Pack it and dispose it into a trash receptacle.


There is not any specific season for a campfire. You can go for a campfire in any season whether it is rainy or snowing. It just you need to take care of the locations and woods in these seasons.

· When it is snow season keep in mind that you choose the area which is protected from snow, water and wind. Never choose the location under the tree as with the heat of the campfire snow will get melted into the campfire. If you are not able to find any good area except the tree one, try to clear the snow from the tree first. It will reduce the risk of snowmelt for you.

· If it is the rainy season, keep in mind that the location you choose must be dry.

· Woods chosen for making fire lay is not wet. If it is wet, try to remove wet part of woods from the knife.

· Once you are all set for everything you can go ahead and set up your campfire woods according to your preference and ignite it.


Campfire is an inevitable part of everyone life as there are so many stories are connected to it from the sharing of secrets to proposals. Everyone has an unforgettable moment connected to it. Have a happy campfire to you.