The ability to start a fire has been around for centuries, and we still practice it today, especially in a camp fire setting. Fire not only gives us light and warmth, but it can be a huge asset when cooking, too. If you are out in the wilderness, you may find a need to build a fire from scratch. Here, we will discuss how to start a fire and what tools you will need to ensure you get a spark!
If you find yourself in need of building a fire from scratch, you will need certain tools to begin:
- Base: You will need to prepare an area as the base for the fire. Ensure the location is safely away from anything that could catch fire and spread. If the weather is windy, you will want to dig a few inches to ensure your fire will stay lit.
- Fire Starter: You need something that will cause the initial spark for your fire. You can do so by using two pieces of wood, though many types of methods are out there to help you start your own fire.
- Tinder or Kindling: These items are needed to help the fire grow from a spark to something that can create warmth. Use smaller items to help start the fire as big logs will take a long time to begin burning.
- Wood: The tinder and kindling will eventually burn out, and fast, so you need wood to keep the fire going. This means using logs and bigger cuts of wood to burn, especially wood from maple and oak trees.
Types of Fire
There are two types of above ground fires; the log cabin style and the teepee. There is also the Dakota style, which varies a little from the others but can sometimes be done better than the other two.
- Tee Pee Fire: This is when the wood is stacked to look like a teepee. The logs all come to a point at the top, with kindling in the middle of the stack. This style is said to be better if you are not planning to cook food, and the flames will be high.
- Log Cabin Fire: This is a smaller type of the teepee style where the wood is stacked in a pattern around the teepee. Kindling is also in the middle of the stack, but where there is still air flow. This is very easy to do and does not have any special trick to it as long as the wood is stacked and there is air circulation.
- Dakota Style Fire: This takes a little longer to do, but is better for windy weather. This keeps the fire burning longer and is great for survival. The fire will need to be built into the ground and appears as a fire in a hole. This is also recommended for cooking food. There will need to be two holes side by side, with one being for the wood and one for air supply. The holes will be connected by a small tunnel and there will need to be a strip of land on the top.
How to Start a Fire
As long as you have built your base and have a foundation prepared with tinder, you are ready to start a fire. If you are without matches or a lighter, you will have to use rather old methods to get the first spark. There are 3 steps to this:
- There needs to be a first spark to start the fire to the tinder or kindling.
- The tinder will set fire and become bigger.
- Once the kindling is going, you will then move your wood onto the fire to make it sizable.
So what are you going to use to start your fire if you are without matches or a lighter? Many alternatives exist, and can be found around your camping area or at any store before going into the wilderness.
- Flint: This is a safe and inexpensive way to begin a fire because flint is not destroyed by any wetness. You will use a small piece of flint to create friction, which will give you a spark.
- Lens: Magnifying lenses or a pair of glasses can start a fire as long as there is sunlight. You will use the object over kindling, which will cause it to smoke and a fire will start.
- Steel wool and battery: Steel wool works even when wet, but it must be separated to make it smaller. Use the end of a 9-volt battery and it will catch fire quickly.
Tinder and Kindling
Tinder and/or kindling will help to create the spark that will get your fire going. Many people will use twigs from trees, but there are other items you can use as kindling.
- Fire Starters: This is a mix of sandpaper and wax that catch fire very quickly and will burn for a good amount of time, which will help when you add wood to your kindling.
- Paper and Bark: Like twigs, these are very easily caught on fire but they do burn fast.
- Dryer Lint: Using dryer lint is a great way to recycle what you would have thrown out. This can smell bad, but the smell does not last long. Be sure to spread out the dryer lint before light it on fire.
- Cotton Balls with Vaseline: Cotton makes wonderful tinder, but they burn fast. The solution to that is to dip them in Vaseline so they will stay lit for longer.
- Grass or Moss: Using dry grass or dry moss will make an excellent form of kindling as long as it is spread out so that oxygen can get to it.
Always be safe when starting a fire. Be sure to keep away from trees or long grass before you find an area to build your fire. Always keep water on hand to put the fire out, and never leave a fire unattended and do not leave until it is completely out. Otherwise, building a fire can be a fun experience while ou
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