BRIGHTEN YOUR CHANCES WITH FIRE
A fire can keep you warm and dry, but also provides many more benefits
When it comes to survival, few things boost your mental attitude like fire. It’s near the top of the list of wilderness tools because it’s so versatile. You should build one as soon as you have shelter. It can help dry your clothes, cook meals, sterilise water, repel insects, make tools, cast light and do many other things. But it’s not always easy to make a fire.
The best conditions for making a fire will be when it’s fine and dry, with a light breeze. This kind of weather is ideal for practising how to do it. But often in the wilderness it will be rainy. Then you’ll need to find shelter, for example a rock shelf. A large tree or tarpaulin might also work, but need to be far enough away as to not risk setting them on fire. You can also find a fat log, split it open and light a fire from underneath. You should be able to find dry wood for fuel in sheltered spots.
If you’re building a fire on wet ground, mud or snow, you could make a log platform to start your fire on. If you’re somewhere so windy it makes it hard to get a fire started, you can dig a pit to start it in.
Often you will be able to find wood to build a fire with, but that may not always be possible in arctic conditions. In these chilly circumstances, you may be able to burn peat, rotten vegetation that looks a bit like soil, seaweed or animal dung.
Thankfully, there are many ways that you can design a campfire. We only touch on a few here, but there are lots of different options depending on your circumstances. If you’re serious about learning wilderness survival, it’s important to carefully practise making them.