Survival 101: Preparing for a Campfire
Selecting the Location and Materials for Campfires.
Sep 23, 2009
A good campfire is a necessity with it comes to survival. Providing warmth, it can dry clothes and boots as well as preserve morale. As well as purifying water and cooking food, it can also aid in driving wild animals and insects away.
If you’re in the wilderness, and find yourself in a more serious situation, it’s important to note that a campfire can also sterilise bandages, and provide means to signal for help.
Selecting a Location.
Choose a site where your fire cannot get out of control. Keep sleeping bags, and other camping equipment out of harm's way. Select a site which provides shelter from wind and rain. If you intend to keep your fire going for a reasonable amount of time, it’s worth seeking an area which offers a rich supply of fuel. Preferably, also build your fire on flat ground, or upon rocks.
If using an existing fire ring, it’s important to check for the availability of fuel. A popular fire ring may offer little dead wood.
Materials Required.
In order to build a good campfire, you need the following:
· Tinder
· Kindling
· And main fuel
Additionally, you can also use a penknife to prepare your fuel.
When building a campfire, the secret is to construct it gradually, starting with small pieces of wood, then continuing with larger branches as the fire eventually gets going.
Overall, wood should be grouped into tinder, and then dry kindling, before moving on to small fuel, main fuel and eventually large fuel (which will ideally consist of branches and logs, and will keep a fire burning for hours). It’s crucial to get each group burning before moving on to the next.
Tinder should only need a spark to ignite. It’s dry material, and comes in the form of; fungus, dead leaves, bark, dry grass, and moss. Tinder has to be very fine, so that it ignites easily. Using a penknife can turn tinder into a fine powder. If possible, prepare tinder ahead of time, and carry in a small bag.
Kindling is the next stage, and should ideally consist of leave and sticks. When placed on the ignited tinder, they should catch fire easily. Next, add your small fuel, which should consist of longer/thicker sticks.
When the fire is established, main fuel, primarily in the form of logs, can be added, before moving onto large fuel, which should consist of larger logs.
Dangers of Forest Fires.
Take note of the dangers of forest fires, and observe restrictions if they’ve been placed. Make sure fuel is completely burned when putting your fire out.
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