How are you at starting a camp fire?

[cantdrv55]

I suck at it unless I use a fire starter and a propane torch. Stacking kindling teepee style doesn’t seem to cut it for me. Maybe my kindling is too thick or maybe it’s wet or maybe I just have bad luck. I was never a Boy Scout. I’d rather use tools than freeze my a55 off cussing the whole time.

[pwd72s]

I was a Boy Scout...always carried a dry fuzz stick.

[cantdrv55]

I had to look up dry fuzz stick

What is a fuzz stick?
: a short stick of dead wood with the wet outer layer cut away and the dry center trimmed down into feathers that is used by campers to start a fire when the fuel is damp.

[Baz]

[gregpark]

I use a chp flare and my two stroke leaf blower. Works fast and every time, even with damp wood. When I don't have my leaf blower or flares I throw a cup of gas on the pile and light it with a bic. I call that liquid boy scout

[craigster59]

I'm very good at laying and lighting campfires. It's all about the tinder, kindling and log placement.

You need to coax the fire, build it up, similar to foreplay. Once roaring it's a sight to behold.

Then again, if I'm rushed I use gregpark's method and toss a few cap fulls of White Gas and toss a "Strike Anywhere" match into the "Teepee Of Warmth".

[varmint]

We are 90% wood heat in the winter. The boy scout way works.

[LWJ]

It’s not rocket science. Fuel. Air. Heat.

[Evans, Marv]

Starting a "camp fire" involves a bit of science and trechnique. You have to take into consifderation the topography around the fire location, which influences the air flow. Rocks, ledges, berms, etc, affect the fire. The materials require consideration - rate of burn/flame and how the fuel is layered to get it started. Then there is the idea of creating a heat chamber to contain enough heat to promote burning, etc., etc. I've started a lot of camp fires in a lof of different locations and under lots of different conditions.

[look 171]

A few small small twigs stacked up against each other but I always have dry leaves or best if there's pine needles around. It doesn't have to be a tee pee. Works every time.

[HobieMarty]

Pinecones are great for starting a fire, thay and like gregpark said, a cup of gas.
I keep some old fuel around just for that purpose.

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[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by HobieMarty

Pinecones are great for starting a fire, thay and like gregpark said, a cup of gas.
I keep some old fuel around just for that purpose.

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Which is why they are used for whack bat. Growing up in MN, fishing and camping overnight on the river every weekend, building a fire becomes second nature. One rule: start small. Funny story, ski trip in college, got to the cabin we were all staying in, someone had put 3 8" perfectly round logs, like in a cartoon, in the fireplace and had been trying to light a fire for an hour with just some charred bark to show for their effort. City kids.

[stevej37]

Had lots of practice...Boy Scouts and Order of the Arrow.

Now, I keep a gal can of kerosene for starting fires....works much better than gasoline.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by stevej37

.... kerosene....works much better than gasoline.

Yup.

I was OA also.

Dryer lint is your friend.

[masraum]

I'm pretty good at getting a fire going. It's about the fuel. You need something very small that will burn energetically at first, some loosely balled up paper works well to create lots of flame. Then you need small, dry wood that will catch and maintain that flame. Then you need larger wood above that which will burn a while. It's mostly about size progression.

We had our kids out at our place about 2 years ago. My son in law is a fireman, and I thought he'd be good at getting a fire going (he's done lots of cooking with fire and camping). Nope, apparently he's good at NOT getting fires going. I had to take over.

[Jolly Amaranto]

A bag of Fritos corn chips under a pile of dry tinder.

[Arizona_928]

I like to mix a very small amount of gasoline to the remainder of a random can of diesel.

Not too much blow up in your face and Jay Leno you.

[Sooner or later]

I was fine with a couple of matches. I did make a cheater by pouring wax into a bottle cap and adding a wick.

[flatbutt]

Back when I was an avid backpacker I carried a LOT of wax dipped strike anywhere matches along with a homemade mix of wax and small wood shavings. Of course none of that mattered if the supply of firewood was wet.

Backyard fires and car camping fires don't require any Davy Crockett skills.

[911 Rod]

Ya, start small. Sucks if it goes out and you have a mess to try and do it again.
I like using an egg carton to get it going.