How to Build a Camp Fire

How to Build a Campfire in Six Simple Steps

Whether you are enjoying a couple of days camping in the wilderness with someone special, or caught out on a long hike by inclement weather, a camp fire is essential for providing heat, light a way to heat food and drinks. All you need is fuel and a source of ignition.

Step 1 - Find or Build a Fire Ring

If you’re in a designated camping ground, or a public or national park, check before-hand that camp fires are permitted. Evaluate the site before starting a fire. If the site is brushy or has low-hanging branches, keep your fire small or skip it altogether. In dry conditions, fly-away embers could easily ignite a wildfire.

Clear away all flammable material from your fire pit. Ideally, the base of your fire should be sand or gravel or mineral soil (often found in streambeds or on gravel bars). Intense heat can sterilise healthy soil, so choose your site conscientiously. Surround it with rocks if you can find them or dig a small trench around the area, piling the soil in the centre to create a low mound. This is to prevent your fire from spreading – essential if you are likely to be sleeping beside it.

Step 2 - Gather Fire Wood

To burn a successful fire, you'll need three types fuel: tinder, kindling and firewood.

· Tinder includes small twigs, dry leaves or grasses, needles, bark or forest duff. You are most likely to find this under trees where the rain doesn’t land, but you can also create it from larger sticks by shaving or scraping off thin layers using a knife or a fire starter striker. It’s something you might want to gather and store in a tin or resealable bag while you are out walking, so you have it available when you need it.

· Kindling consists of small sticks, typically less than one inch around. Again – the dryer the better and they are going to found on the ground around trees. You may be able to snap them off dead trees and bushes but, if they don’t break off easily, they’re still living and won’t burn.

· Firewood is any larger piece of wood, and is what will keep your fire going long into the night. It’s likely this type of wood will still be damp but, provided you start small and add larger pieces as the fire gets bigger, they’ll dry out once they’re on the fire. Do not gather or burn branches thicker than an adult's wrist. This is because thick chunks of wood are rarely allowed to burn completely and are typically left behind as blackened, unsightly scraps.

It’s important that you gather a variety of sizes and types of kindling and wood, so that you can build your fire up gradually. If you add too much too soon it will go out. And remember when gathering materials, that birds and insects would also get use out of what you collect so only take what you need.

Step 3 - Build the Campfire

There are three different types of campfires to try: teepee, log cabin, and upside down pyramid

Teepee

Start with a small cone of kindling around a few handfuls of tinder that are loosely piled in the centre of the fire ring. Once the fire is going strong and the temperature increases, you can add larger logs a few at a time as needed.

Log cabin

Place two larger pieces of firewood parallel to each other and with some room in between to form the base of your structure. Then, turn 90 degrees and place two slightly smaller pieces on top and perpendicular to form a square. Place plenty of tinder inside the square. Continue adding a few more layers of firewood around the perimeter, getting a little bit smaller with each layer. Finish with a layer of kindling and tinder across the top. Remember to leave space between logs so the fire can get plenty of oxygen.

Upside Down Pyramid

Start with three or four of your largest logs side-by-side on the bottom layer. Turn 90 degrees and then add a second layer of slightly smaller logs on top. Continue alternating a few more layers in this manner, getting smaller as you go. Place your kindling and tinder on top.

Step 4 - Light the Campfire

Light the tinder with a match, a lighter or using a rod and flint like the LifeSaver Fire Starter. Matches will need to be kept dry and a lighter may be a challenge if it’s windy. If you choose to use an accelerant add what you need and then store the remainder well-away from your fire pit. (Bushcraft purists may frown upon such methods, but, if your camp fire is for fun – why make it harder than it needs to be and, if it’s for survival, then do what works for you!)

After lighting the tinder, blow lightly at the base of the fire to provide oxygen, which will help increase the intensity of the flame and further ignite the wood.

As the fire burns, move embers to the centre to burn them completely. Ideally, you should reduce them to white ash.

Step 5 - Extinguish the Campfire

Always check with local land managers for their recommendations, and follow their steps if they provide them. Generally, though, you should extinguish your fire by pouring water on it (be careful not to stand where the steam can scald you), stirring the ashes, then applying more water. Repeat as often as needed. Ashes should be cool to the touch before you leave the site. Be utterly certain a fire and its embers are out and cold before you depart.

Note that the practice of using dirt or sand to extinguish a fire is problematic because it can insulate coals, which can become uncovered later, igniting a wildfire.

Never leave a campfire unattended!

Step 6 - Clean up the Campfire

Burn trash items only if they can be fully consumed by fire and turned to ash. Do not attempt to burn plastic, cans or foil. If you do burn something that's not fully consumed, collect the remains when the fire is out and either pack it out or put it in a rubbish bin.

Extract any charcoal pieces left inside your ring, carry them away from your site, crush the chunks, then scatter the remnants and dust throughout a broad area. Dismantle any structure you might have built. You should aim to leave as little trace of the fire as possible.