We see plenty of processes for lighting a campfire each year and all of our campers have different levels of experience. You can put your own spin on how you like to do it but for those who are new to building campfires, we would like to offer a guide for making things easier for you.
There are a few basic things you’ll need for a successful campfire, beginning with tinder, kindling, and fuel.
Tinder is material that will catch a flame quickly and burn hot. This can be pine needles, newspapers, dryer lint, dry bark, wood shavings, etc. You start with this material and as it catches fire you use it to pass the flame to your kindling.
Kindling is twigs or sticks of wood. This kindling catches fire from the high heat of the burning tinder. The kindling will burn longer and can then provide a broader base of fire to feed the next level up which is your fuel.
Fuel is the larger firewood you’ve chosen to burn in your campfire. Dry wood is important or it will not burn well and will really smoke a lot. You can guess the timing of your campfire to be one armful of wood to last 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the moisture content and type of wood chosen.
If you build your campfire in a cone or teepee shape as you go, from tinder through fuel, you will be building a fire that requires little maintenance other than adding logs as the original logs burn away.
Make sure to clear the area before you light your fire and then extinguish completely whenever you leave the campsite. You can put the fire out with water or by smothering it with dirt.
If you would like to see how it is done you can watch this short video which provides a great start-to-finish walkthrough.
We are more than happy to answer any questions you have so please be sure to let us know if you need any help.
