In today’s video I’m answering the question, “How Do I Build A Campfire?” Don’t feel bad if you’re not exactly sure how to do it. You’d be surprised at how many avid outdoorsmen fail when trying to build a campfire. Why? It’s usually because they skip the second step – kindling. You can easily crumple some newspaper and light it, but if you didn’t take your time with kindling you’ll never get that log to burn.
How To Build A Campfire In Three Easy Steps
1. Tinder
You need something highly flammable to start. The easiest is simply a ball of crumpled newspaper. In the video I use my favorite tinder – birch bark. Make a baseball-sized pile.
2. Kindling
This is the most important step because the fire has to grow in size before it is strong enough start burning your logs. Chop 5-6 pieces of wood that are a little bigger around than your thumb. Arrange them in a teepee over your kindling.
3. Fuel Logs
You can arrange your fuel logs (fancy way to say firewood) over the kindling before you start your fire or after. It doesn’t really matter. I like to do it before because it’s fun to use one match and watch your creation grow to full size with no further effort. Whichever way you decide, you simply arrange the firewood over the kindling in a teepee. The more you use, the more your fire inside will be protected from the wind. 5-6 logs arranged in a teepee will work great.
- Never leave your campfire unattended and always follow local regulations.
- Cutting kindling can be dangerous. Use leather gloves and take your time.
- Never cut live trees for firewood. Not only will it not burn, it is against local regulations in many areas.
- Never leave children unattended around a campfire.
- If possible, let all wood burn to ash. If you have to leave, spread the embers around and extinguish with water.
- Never start a campfire with gasoline. Not only is it extremely dangerous, but will mostly likely taint the flavor of your food as well.
