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There's more to building a a good fire than just squirting some lighter fluid on wood and flicking a match. That may work is some cases, but a properly built fire with attention to the arrangement of wood, will make for a longer lasting, hotter fire.
Before you start building a fire, it's worth taking a minute to understand what makes a fire possible, namely, fuel, heat, oxygen and a sustained chemical reaction.
The first is easy, in this case, wood. The heat refers to the initial heat you provide to start the fire, whether from a match or by rubbing together two sticks. Oxygen means that we need to make sure the fire isn't so tightly packed that it snuffs itself out. The last bit is simply a reminder that a burning fire is actually a chemical reaction -- fuel and oxygen are consumed producing heat and light as byproducts -- block any component of that reaction and your fire will go out.
Here's our guide the best ways to combine the basics for a long-lasting, warm fire, whether it's outdoors on the trail or in the fireplace in your living room.
== Start with tinder ==
Tinder refers to anything that ignites easily and can feed the initial flame up (or down) to the next step in the chain. Good tinder includes dry grasses, dried moss, pine needles, wood shavings, paper and even lint or wax.
If you're building an outdoor fire, pine needles and dry grass are likely to be your most plentiful sources of tinder. For indoor fires grab the sunday paper and crumple it up (What? The Sunday paper is on your iPad? Yet another drawback of digital publishing.)
== Kindling ==
The next step in the chain is kindling. Where the main goal of tinder is to ignite quickly, kindling consists of larger materials so that when the heat from the tinder moves on to the kindling the fire grows.
The best source of kindling will usually be dry twigs or small pieces of wood chipped from your main logs. Try to find twigs in the 1/8 to 1/2 inch range. Other good sources of kindling include bark or cardboard.
== The Fuel ==
Once the tinder ignites it feeds heat to the kindling which then catches on fire and passes even more heat onto the actual fuel. This is where your logs come in. This is also where you'll find a number of different fire "architectures." Here's a run down of the options:
# The teepee -- stack your larger fuel logs in a teepee or cone shape around the tinder and kindling. As the the fuel begins to burn, the outside logs will catch at the base and then fall inward as they burn, feeding the fire.
# The trench -- Best used when you don't have a lot of fuel. To build a trench fire, dig a small cross under the fire; dig down about 4 inches. Lay your tinder at the center of the two channels and then build the fire on top of that. The two dug out channels will pull in air and create an updraft that helps feed the fire.
# The log cabin -- stack your fuel in alternating directions outside your tinder and kindling, a bit like a log cabin. This method creates an effect similar to a chimney and the heat on the inside pulls oxygen through the gaps in your fuel and helps to feed the fire.
# The pyramid -- also known at the upside down fire, the pyramid starts with two larger logs laid on the ground, parallel to each other. Then lay a foundation of other logs across your base. Then add another layer in the opposite direction to the one below it. Continue adding layers, using smaller, thinner logs as you go up. Add your kindling above the last layer and then the tinder on top of that. Light from the top and the pyramid will burn down. This method works well in indoor fireplaces.
== Conclusion ==
All four fire architectures work well, though which one is best depends on the situation you're facing. The teepee can be helpful if the fuel wood is wet since logs outside the main fire can dry before they burn. The pyramid is compact and requires very little maintenance making it ideal for an all night fire.
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