How to Make a Campsite
For the true outdoorsman, a campground isn't going to get him or her far enough into the wild. He or she may opt for primitive area camping, but that's a simple step above the watered-down feel of nature that campgrounds provide. If you're serious about getting back into the wild, this guide will help you in setting up a practical campsite.
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Instructions
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The Campsite
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1
Pick an area that is about twenty square feet in diameter, that has no trees whatsoever. This is important, because limb overhang is bad when you're making a campfire.
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2
Find a limb with a wide spread of twigs (that resembles a rake, if you didn't bring one) and, use it to clear out any fallen leaves or brush. While doing this, you should also look for holes in the ground or broken soil. This could mean ants and or snakes. If you find any of these, or an abundance of them, you may want to try a different site.
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3
Find an area close to the center of the site. Take your shovel and dig a pit that is about 2 feet wide and 1 to 1.5 feet deep. This will be your fire pit. A pit is a safer alternative to an above-ground fire as the embers are all kept in place in case of wind.
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4
After your fire pit is ready, look around the campsite. You want to find an area that is generally free of roots or rocks. This will be where you pitch your tent. When you've found a suitable area, go ahead and raise the tent.
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5
Check for overhang before you make your campfire. Imagine a dome around your campfire, about ten feet in diameter. You want no overhang in this area. If there is any, use your axe to trim the trees. However, do not cut down the entire tree!
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6
Gather wood. In particular, you should look for dead cedar (stringy bark, nice aroma) or oak (look for acorns!). These burn for a long time, much longer than most others. You should also gather a good amount of dried twigs and vines to get the actual fire started.
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7
If you're ready to build your campfire, the quickest way is to gather a bunch of your dried twigs and vines. Leaves may seem like a good idea, and they are, if it isn't windy. Wind can easily pick up a burning leaf, even out of a hole, and send it into a larger pile of leaves, thus starting a forest fire. After you have a good bed of flame going, start adding bigger and bigger pieces of wood. Congratulations, you have a campsite!
The Microsite
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If you're in a hurry or in a dense location, there is a way to make a campsite that won't endanger anyone. To begin, clear out an area just big enough for your tent and about three feet of additional space for a campfire. Again, look for snake holes or ant mounds.
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9
Dig your fire pit. This time, make it deeper (at least 2 feet) and make the pit no more than 16 inches wide. You want as much of the flame as possible to be underground as to reduce the chance of starting another fire.
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10
Gather wood and twigs in a similar manner as section 1. Look for dried twigs and vines as fire starter and then logs, preferably cedar or oak, as the actual fuel.
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11
Pitch your tent. You want about 2 to 3 feet of room minimum between your campfire and your tent.
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12
Build your fire, starting from small and working to big, like in section 1.
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13
Understand that this microsite compared to the regular campsite is just as functional, but less permanent. Because of the shape of the campfire, it fills up with ashes quicker and can become less useful over the course of 1 to 2 days unless maintained by cleaning it out.
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1
Tips & Warnings
As a courtesy to other nature lovers and nature inhabitants, pick up any garbage that you have. You should also refill campfire pits when you're done.
While having tools are nice, you really only need your hands to do any of the above stated.
You can do most of these steps out of order, depending on how much time you have before the sun goes down.
After you dig your fire pit, keep the soil that you displace! This can be used to put out the fire if it gets out of control. Simply drop the dirt evenly and calmly across the flame. Be gentle though, or you'll stir the fire up even more!
