Having a campfire while backpacking can be a lot of fun, but it can also be the type of skill that can safe your life in an emergency, especially in harsh conditions. There are a lot of great ways to start a fire. You can use matches, a fire steel tool, or even just the friction from rubbing two sticks together. But there’s hardly a more convenient or reliable tool than a small lighter. Sure, you could start a fire without one, but if you’re well prepared, you’ll probably never have to. The key to any good fire is preparation. The first thing you’ll need to do is collect fuel for your fire. When collecting fuel, you’ll be looking for three different types, (1) tinder, (2) kindling, and (3) fuel wood. In general, the dryer the fuel is, the better. Look for wood that snaps easily. That means it’s dry. If it bends or looks green, it won’t burn as well. Tinder – tinder is what you start your fire with. It burns hot and fast. Examples of natural tinder are dry leaves, pine needles, dry grasses, bark, and wood shavings. Kindling - is what you use to keep your fire going and build the flame. Kindling generally consists of small twigs and branches. Fuel wood – is the larger fuel that will keep your fire burning hot. When you get your fuel wood lit, your fire should be good to go. Look for fuel wood that is ranges from small sizes up to about as large as your wrist but not much bigger. You should generally collect more tinder, kindling, and fuel wood than you think you’ll need. Your fire supplies will often burn faster than you think and then you’ll be scrambling to find fuel to keep the fire going. There are lots of different methods for building a good fire, so it’s really just a personal preference thing. Building a teepee fire is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build a fire, so it’s very common. Whatever fire structure you choose, the key is making sure that you have the right sized fuel for your fire and that it gets enough air without getting smothered. To build a teepee fire: 1. Place a good-sized tinder bundle in the middle of your campfire spot. 2. Above your tinder bundle, form a teepee with small kindling. Leave an opening in your teepee so you can easily light the tinder when the time comes. 3. Continue adding kindling to the teepee, working your way up to pencil sized twigs. 4. Then create a larger teepee structure around your kindling teepee with fuel wood. 5. To start your fire, all you need to do is light your tinder. The smaller fuel will burn upwards and light the larger fuel above it until your fuel wood is lit. 6. The teepee structure will eventually fall, and at that point you can simply add more fuel wood to the fire. When it’s dry out, you probably won’t have too much trouble getting your fire started. But in the rain, it’s much tougher to get a fire going. Starting a fire in wet conditions is about having the right tools, taking time prepare before lighting, and being practiced in wet conditions. If you have to, you can build a fire in the rain using only natural materials and a fire steel tool. But doing that will take a lot of skill and practice. Don’t get caught up by your pride. Using a small fire starter and lighter in wet conditions isn’t cheating, it’s just smart and reliable. In an emergency situation, your pride won’t matter, staying alive is all that counts.

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