How are you at starting a camp fire?

[craigster59]

Cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol kept in a jar makes a good fire starter also.

[GH85Carrera]

As a boy scout 60 years ago, I got pretty good at it. I have not gone camping since then. I have no desire to live like a homeless person, even for an hour.

My nephew is a regular "Jeremiah Johnson" and has all those skills and loves camping and the great outdoors. My idea of camping is slow WiFi and no refrigerator in the motel room to keep my beer cold or a twin bed. The horrors!

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol kept in a jar makes a good fire starter also.

I've saturated a few cotton balls in liquified vaselene, wrapped each one in a square of paper; a handful of those in a Altoids tin along with a few dry cotton balls and a flint and steel and kept with my bugout bag.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Superman

Yup.

I was OA also.

Dryer lint is your friend.

Yep, the stuff out of the lint trap in the dryer is the shizzle, especially if you've run towels or jeans through the dryer.

[stevej37]

I remember one of the worst times that I/we couldn't start a fire in boy scouts.

We were on a 3 day winter campout...paired up for pup tents, and each tent was given raw uncooked chickens to share.
There was already over a foot of snow on the ground...no prob, just pack it around the tent and it was comfortable.
The problem was the wind...it was winter blizzard weather. Found enough dry wood for a fire, but the wind was too strong to make it burn anything of any size.

First and last time I've ever eaten raw chicken....It's not bad if a person is real hungry!

[herr_oberst]

Salmonella Steve!

[911 Rod]

How many of you have a fire pit on your property?

[avensis]

I don't have a fire pit but I think it's a good idea.

SHAREit

[GH85Carrera]

One of my long ago friends was a former Army Ranger. He would not leave the house without two fairly full Bic Lighters, and his buck knife. He said a Bic lighter can be taken down to 20 feet underwater, blow it off, and it will light. He said he had to start fires the hard ways in survival training, so he can. But a Bic lighter will last a long time, and is designed to carry in your pocket.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I remember one of the worst times that I/we couldn't start a fire in boy scouts.

We were on a 3 day winter campout...paired up for pup tents, and each tent was given raw uncooked chickens to share.
There was already over a foot of snow on the ground...no prob, just pack it around the tent and it was comfortable.
The problem was the wind...it was winter blizzard weather. Found enough dry wood for a fire, but the wind was too strong to make it burn anything of any size.

First and last time I've ever eaten raw chicken....It's not bad if a person is real hungry!

I'd rather go hungry than eat raw chicken. I've heard that there are dishes where it's served like tartar. Nope. I don't do raw chicken. Nope, Nope, nope!

[Cajundaddy]

A pocket lighter, a few sheets of toilet paper, pine cones, and carefully sourced dry and aged wood you can't miss.

Most who have trouble simply choose the wrong wood and I always find it entertaining when a friend is demonstrating his fire building prowess to his wife but chooses green wood that smokes like crazy. I will quietly go find some dry aged wood and offer it to the fire builder to help out.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I remember one of the worst times that I/we couldn't start a fire in boy scouts.

We were on a 3 day winter campout...paired up for pup tents, and each tent was given raw uncooked chickens to share.
There was already over a foot of snow on the ground...no prob, just pack it around the tent and it was comfortable.
The problem was the wind...it was winter blizzard weather. Found enough dry wood for a fire, but the wind was too strong to make it burn anything of any size.

First and last time I've ever eaten raw chicken....It's not bad if a person is real hungry!

I had a similar experience. It was February in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. I had my white gas burner with me as the snow had everything burnable buried. I had overnighted on a minor promontory known as Little Marcy and was prepping breakfast but I couldn't get the burner to cooperate. So, I drank cold powdered eggs in water. Yum!

[Jolly Amaranto]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

How many of you have a fire pit on your property?

The kids built one at the Armadillo Ranch for after dark bon fires. However I use it a lot to get ride of flammable rubbish.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

One of my long ago friends was a former Army Ranger. He would not leave the house without two fairly full Bic Lighters, and his buck knife. He said a Bic lighter can be taken down to 20 feet underwater, blow it off, and it will light. He said he had to start fires the hard ways in survival training, so he can. But a Bic lighter will last a long time, and is designed to carry in your pocket.

I watched a survival show that said you can survive anywhere with a bic lighter.
I then put 1 in all my vehicles, boat and snowmobile. It made sense.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

How many of you have a fire pit on your property?

Does this count?

<1 min


4 mins


~35 mins


maybe you meant something like this.

[stevej37]

The stack of firewood...I put a 'Free' sign on it and it was gone the next day.
The big pieces near the fire...I rolled them close to the fire and they were all gone the next morning.

[juanbenae]

I don't camp, but my buddy's wife gets these kindling sticks that are wax coated, about 1/2"x1/2"x6" long for lighting the wood stoves at their cabin. They really take off when lit with a portable torch, or even a lighter. Would be great for camping cause they would not take up a bunch of room in packing.

my burn set up on the top of my property I use one of those propane weed burners to get it going. even with a wet basin i can get freshly cut manzanita to go crazy full 8' flames in a matter of 10 minutes. my pops used to use old motor oil-soaked shop rags to get his piles going with lots of black smoke at the outset. i got him a weed burner last xmas.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RPGZ8G6?pd_rd_i=B09RPGZ8G6&pf_rd_p=b000e0a0-9e93-480f-bf78-a83c8136dfcb&pf_rd_r=HHN2B23N12ETAW3JQ2EH&pd_rd_wg=n80K9&pd_rd_w=OSHO8&pd_rd_r=83070a38-3526-4354-a1e3-7e40804d2540

i love to do my burn pile and do it often as I have been doing fuel reduction around my property. mostly manzanita, but have also pole sawed many of the black oaks, pines and cedars near the house up higher. sitting around for 3-4 hours throwing fuel on, sitting, throwing fuel on and more sitting.

[911 Rod]

I've taken fire logs and cut them into pucks with my miter saw.
Great for starting a fire.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

I've taken fire logs and cut them into pucks with my miter saw.
Great for starting a fire.

Don't you get tired of burning up a miter saw every time you start a fire? That sounds like it would get expensive!

[jyl]

I think the key thing a fire needs is two flammable surfaces facing each other and close enough to reflect heat and flame. The smaller the initial flame (kindling), the smaller that gap needs to be.