Being able to set up a reliable, strong campfire is a must! Whether you’re a seasoned camper or just getting started with your RV lifestyle, learning how to make the perfect fire in the shortest amount of time is a great way to enhance your camping experience. Get these East RV tips below for making a great campfire.
Use the fire pit
If you stay at a campground, chances are you have a fire pit as part of your campground. This is where you should build your fire every time. It is designed as a safe location far enough away from your RV to avoid potential problems and is already in place to safely contain the fire.
If you’re boondocking you’ll either have to skip the fire for the night or find a safe spot free of debris and build a ring of fire out of rocks to contain the fire.
Make sure you have Tinder
Tinder is the smallest part of your campfire. It’s what you want to put in the base of your fire pit. It’s easy to catch fire, but it burns fast. Some good Tinder options include:
- sawdust
- Cardboard
- dry leaves
- Cardboard
- dryer lint
- pine needles
- scrap paper
Gather kindling
Kindling is Tinder’s next step. It’s slightly larger, takes slightly longer to catch fire, and burns slightly longer. The right amount of kindling will help you build a flame strong enough to catch the firewood before the flame goes out.
Lighting options:
- bark
- Bigger branches
- Small branches
- wood chips
Store firewood
Most campgrounds require you to purchase your firewood from their store. You should make sure you have more firewood than you think you will need before starting your fire as you will burn through the firewood fairly quickly.
A way to start your fire
Whether you’re using matches, a lighter, or flint and steel, you should have it ready to go before you start building your fire. Flint and steel are great ways to make a blaze but it takes some practice while the other methods are quick and easy.
How to make a fire:
- The first thing you need to do is clean the fire pit so leftover ash isn’t smothering your flame.
- Next set out some tinder and place the kindling over it so that you can easily light the kindling but the flames will catch the kindling. The kindling should be layered by placing two branches parallel to each other on either side of the tinder.
- Next, lay four branches over the two to create a box-like shape, with the branches crossing over the tinder.
- Next, layer thicker branches in the opposite direction again.
- Place two of the large pieces of firewood along the edges of the fire pit but close enough to be moved into the flames if strong enough.
- Light the tinder carefully. Keep feeding the flame with tinder until kindling starts.
- Once the kindling is burning, add more kindling and increase the size of the kindling as the flame grows.
- If the kindling is burning heavily, add the firewood in the same criss-cross pattern.
- Continue adding firewood until the fire is at the desired level and lower the fire pit screen.
Fire safety tips:
A few things to keep in mind to ensure you protect yourself and others while enjoying your campfire:
- Never leave your fire unattended.
- Pour it all the way in before going to bed.
- Remove anything that could catch fire from the area before lighting your fire.
- Do not leave flammable objects near the fireplace, even if there is no fire burning.
- Be aware of wind and weather conditions to make sure you don’t lose control of the flames.