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How To Build A Campfire

What is your first thought when someone mentions camping? For me it's sitting around the campfire with friends and family.

The first thing you would want to do is find a good spot to build your campfire.

• The most obvious choice would be the campfire ring right in the middle of camp!
• Otherwise, find a nice open spot away from overhanging branches and make a ring of rocks or dirt.
• Also, you must clear away anything flammable within a 10 foot radius. You might consider moving big rocks or logs unless you plan on sitting on them because tripping over a rock in the dark is no fun. Make sure you camp lies outside this 10 foot radius, also.

Now it is time to gather the wood. This should be placed right on edge of your cleared space.

• Tinder: This should go up in flames with just a spark. Using a match or lighter would make it easier. Pine needs, leaves, tiny twigs, bark and wood shavings are good examples of tinder. Everything must be dry as it can. You can fold up wet tinder in a bandana or sock and wring out the water. Bark pulled off a tree tends to be dry on the underside after a rain. If you're wearing natural fiber socks you can rub them with your fingers to pull off a light fluff.
• Kindling: This is small twigs and branches, anything under an inch in diameter. If it's wet, you want will want to start adding the smallest of your kindling to your lit tinder.
• Fuel: Large branches. This can be wet or green as long as there are plenty of hot coals from the kindling. This is what keeps your fire going.

There are a few ways to start and structure your campfire. It can be out of preference or out of necessity. All structures combine heat, fuel and air to start and keep a fire going. If your fire keeps going out, make sure you have enough of each.

• Fire first, then structure: For a beginner, this is the way to go until you are comfortable with fire, or if it's no longer raining or really windy and you're dealing with wet wood. You are able to have more control over how much of each type of wood you should add to your fire.
• Place a fist sized pile of loose tinder in the middle of your fire ring.
• Get a few handfuls of both tinder and kindling and place them close to you.
• Light the tinder with a match or any other method below shielding your tinder with your hands and body from the wind.
• Add more tinder and blow gently until flames start to consume the tinder.
• Once the flames have started, your tinder will burn out fast so quickly add your smaller pieces of kindling.
• Keep adding kindling in bigger and bigger pieces until you have a good fire going with a nice set of coals burning brightly.
• Start building your structure around the fire or simply add fuel a piece at a time.
• Structure first, then fire: Use this if you would like to show off your skills by just throwing in a match and walking away confidently knowing you will have a blazing fire in minutes. Or if it's raining and windy and you need something more then your body to protect your precious tinder. Using a magnifying glass, there might not be enough sun light on your fire ring and you would have to light your tinder else where.

Campfire structures. If you already have a fire going then don't worry about the tinder or kindling, just use the fuel.

• Teepee: Nothing screams Boy Scouts of America like a teepee fire in front of a pup tent!
• Start with an airy bundle of kindling in the middle of your fire ring. You want it to almost look like a nest. This will help your fuel stay in a teepee structure.
• Stand your fuel up around this nest of kindling with the top ends touching, centered right above your kindling. You may have to push a few piece into the ground to help form a more solid structure. Leave gaps between the fuel around the bottom of the teepee to allow for air flow.
• Between one of the gaps, place a handful or two of tinder, right up against and under the kindling.
• Light the tinder and enjoy.
• Lean To: A favorite in the fire place or when only a few people will be sitting in front of the fire. A lean to will help reflect some of the heat towards one direction.
• A really big log, or a few pieces of fuel that will stack on top of each other is what you need to start with. Place it furthest away from where you are going to enjoy your fire in the fire ring. This is what everything is going to "lean to".
• Towards the center of the fire ring, place plenty of kindling. You want it piled up against and the length of the lean to. Keep it nice and airy.
• Now start placing the fuel across the kindling with one end leaning on your lean to. Keep plenty of gaps between each piece of fuel.
• Take your tinder and place it right up against the kindling on either end of the lean to. Light and you're well on your way to couples bliss.

Starting a fire. The most important part of starting a fire is having dry kindling. To the point where someone isn't really prepared to go out into the wilderness with out it. A film canister or a small medicine bottle filled with cotton balls or dryer lint covered in petroleum jelly will do the trick.

• Match or Lighter: Easiest method to start a fire but has a limited amount of uses. If the lighter runs out of fuel, at least you can use the flint and steal method.
• Flint and Steal: Be a caveman! The most common form now is a magnesium stick with a flint and your pocket knife. You can rub off the magnesium to serve as your tinder.
• Make sure you tinder is dry and fluffy.
• Swing or rub your steal across the flint, showering sparks on your tinder.
• When you set your tinder smoldering, it will help if you gently blow on it to get the flames going.
• Condom: You carry a condom in your pocket survival kit, right? You can start fires with it!
• Get your tinder setup.
• Fill the condom with water. Careful not to get your tinder wet!
• Hold the open end with one hand and forcing the water down into the tip of the condom while twisting it. You're trying to make the condom bulge with the water.
• Now you have a water magnifying glass. In the sun, find the focal point and direct all of the suns energy onto your tinder. It may help if you blow gently on your tinder when it starts to smolder.