How To Make a Campfire
Camping out in the woods? One of the first things you should learn is how to make a campfire, since you’ll need it to keep you warm and cook your food. Unless you’re a boyscout or an outdoorsman this simple task can be quite tricky, so here are some steps to help you out.
What You’ll Need:
A good, dry location
Any type of lighting tool, such as a lighter, matches or a flint
Dried twigs, branches and leaves
Sawdust or woodchips
Large-sized rocks
Knife or hatchet (optional)
Procedure
Find a good place where you will build your fire. Make sure it’s legal to build one in that site. Once you’ve found a dry location, clear the debris and stones in it. Don’t throw the stones and rocks though, since you might need them later on.
making a campfire
Gather some rocks; large-sized, flat ones will do. Make a circle with them, with a diameter of at least three to five feet. Get rid of any remaining debris within the circle.
Go around the forest floor and gather some dried twigs and leaves. You need a lot, so gather a good amount. Find tree branches that are at least 1/2 to two inches fat, and pick out small-sized wood and logs that are two to six inches fat for the fire. You can use your hatchet or knife to cut up a large branch into smaller pieces.
Get your sawdust and woodchips, and start piling them in the center of the circle. Lay some twigs on top, in a teepee like formation. Make sure the wind doesn’t blow them away.
Light the leaves, woodchips and sawdust under the twigs. They will easy catch fire.
This part can be frustrating, but you need to have a lot of patience. Once you see flames coming from the center part, blow very gently from underneath the leaves, enough to spread the fire. Put your head close to the ground to get a better angle. Don’t move anything, just keep blowing. If it goes out, light it again.
Get some kindling, and lay them on top of your small fire. Don’t throw anything in, just lay them down gently. Add some sawdust and woodchips. Keep expanding the fire, and if you see the flames are dying, keep adding more twigs.
You’ll have a good-sized fire when the kindling is gone. Add a few more fatter twigs around and on top. Don’t add anything until the branches are black, or if the fire is starting to die.
Roasted hotdogs and marshmallows make camping more enjoyable, so make sure you light a good campfire. Just remember these tips, and you’ll have a hearty fire that’ll crackle for you all night long.