9 Campfire Tips for Building the Perfect Fire

Did you know that camping is the number one vacation activity in America?   And at the days end, sitting around a fire, watching the stars, and making some S’mores can be the best part. These 9 campfire tips are a great tutorial or just safety reminder.

I stumbled across this information from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac”, and thought I would share.  Here are helpful safety campfire tips on building the perfect fire.

9 Campfire Tips for the Perfect Fire

#1 Use dry firewood!

Never use freshly cut wood, which contains 50 percent more moisture than wood that has been allowed to dry out for a few weeks or months.

#2 Assemble a good supply of “fuel.”

Before you start your fire, assemble a collection of fuel, including tinder (dry leaves, pine needles, grasses, wood shavings, rolled paper balls); kindling (dry, clean twigs); and chopped firewood (pieces that are thicker than 3 inches in diameter).

#3 Clear a site at least 10 feet across.

Remove all debris from the fire site. Never locate a campfire site near overhanging branches, standing deadwood, or your tent!

#4 Create a solid base.

There are a few basic campfire designs, but the one that we like the most is known as the “tepee.” To assemble: Make a loose pile of tinder in the center (a couple of handfuls) and place the kindling vertically around the tinder in the triangle shape of a tepee. After lighting the fire, feed it with more branches and then the chopped firewood as the flames grow. This design will offer the highest-burning flames—think every fire-on-the-beach scene in any movie!

#5 Make it easier—Frame-A-Fire

Camping time is typically vacation time, so why not make things as simple as possible? There’s actually an easier way to build a perfect “tepee” fire. The Farmer’s Almanac offers “Frame-A-Fire” to help keep firewood at the perfect burning angle. It makes it a cinch to get a crackling fire burning in no time.

#6 Light the Fire

Using matches or a lighter, begin to set the tinder ablaze from all sides. Gently blow on the fire to increase the oxygen to the flames. Never use lighter fluid, gasoline, or any other accelerant.

#7 Keeping Tending to the Fire

Eventually, some logs will burn through. As this happens, move them into the center with a poker stick and replace them with new logs. If you find that you’ve created a fire that’s just a bit too robust, dampen it with a shovelful of dirt, sand, or ash. Want a bigger fire? Add some kindling to the top.

#8 Extinguish the fire safely

At the end of the night, use the poker stick to break apart the existing logs. Slowly pour water (usually several gallons!) over the fire and stir it around with the poker stick until there are no more embers or sparks.

While it may look like the fire has gone out, be careful not to touch the ashes for several days, as they can remain extremely hot even under the water and cool ash mud. The hot ash can be used for building a fire the following night.

Don’t Forget the Best Part… Roasting Marshmallows!

Be safe, and have fun!

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