Cooking Fire vs. Warming Fire
Coals are needed when making a re for cooking food—not an open ame. This is where certain re lays shine.
A log cabin re burns down to coals, but the structure lends itself well to a high ame, over which a kettle or cook can be suspended while the re is creating coals. Once the initial kindling is burning off and the actual structure is burning, a large-diameter pan can be placed on top of the low ame.
Ultimately, hot coals are ideal for cooking food. A warming re, on the other hand, should be made large, especially in a survival situation. However, any re can be used to produce coals that could then be raked off to one side for cooking. The idea now is to do as we did when we were kids playing with Lincoln Logs—build a log house. Alternate the sticks in opposite directions with each level. In between (about every two levels), make sure to add a course of small, pencil-thick sticks to form a platform; stuff this area with dry leaves, grasses, pine straw and some tinder.
Continue to lay thinner and shorter pieces to form a cabin or slight pyramid shape. On the very top, make sure to have a good supply of small toothpick-/matchstick-thick pieces of kindling and add the tinder on the very top of the structure. Once ignited, it should take very little maintenance, and the log cabin will burn down to the thicker pieces.
One very cool thing about the log cabin
re lay is that a frying pan or kettle can be placed on top for a quick boil due to the effectiveness of the hot rising air. But be warned: I have seen many meals scorched
and water boiling over via this method.
Lean-to Fire Lay
My personal favorite is the “lean-to” re lay, because it’s simple and effective.
To make a lean-to fire, start with a thick log around bicep or thigh thickness. This is often called a “brace.” Lay it parallel to the breeze. Then, start leaning thin, toothpick-/matchstick-thick sticks at an angle against the log. Continue by adding pencil- to finger-thick sticks. Finally, add the tinder on the upwind side and ignite it. The breeze will spread the fire through the natural air passage of the lean-to. Once it is ablaze, add larger, wrist-thick wood to the fire in the same fashion.
I like to use this re lay for a cooking re by adding another log of the same thickness parallel to the rst log, which turns it into a “hunter’s” or “long” re.