How to Make a Fire Without Wood in the Wild
Whether you're camping as a weekend warrior or lost in the wilderness trying to survive, the ability to make a fire without wood is a valuable skill. In the wild, you need fire to cook food and keep you warm at night. You can start fires with a variety of methods, ranging from steel wool and batteries to lenses and flint and steel. Wood is the most common fuel, but there are other materials you can use to set your campfire. When camping, check the park's rules for fires (you may need to acquire a permit first).
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Instructions
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Build a fire ring on "a level spot away from over-hanging trees, bushes or dry grass ... [and] avoid steep hills," according to the Total Escape website. Clear the ground down to the dirt in a circular shape, approximately 10 feet in diameter. Dig a small hole (five to six inches deep) in the center of your fire ring. Place leftover dirt and stones around the outside of the ring.
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Collect your fuel for the fire. Without wood, you need to grab dried leaves and grass. Look for any other burnable material, such as dry rags, clothing, fungus, or pine needles and cones.
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Set up your tinder nest. According to the Wild Backpacker website, "wad the tinder [your dried grass and leaves] into a ball about four inches in diameter." Place the tinder over the center of your fire ring.
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Arrange some of the larger burnable material in a teepee pattern around and on top of the tinder. This material is your kindling.
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Light the fire with one of a variety of methods. Use matches, strike flint on steel to cause a spark, or position a lens to direct the sun's heat onto the tinder until it lights. If you don't have any of the aforementioned materials, you can substitute quartzite sandstone for flint (you still need steel) or make a lens from eyeglasses, binoculars or even clear ice.
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Blow gently on the tinder once it starts to burn until the fire spreads beyond the tinder to your kindling.
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Add more kindling to the fire as it starts to burn down. Continue to add fuel to keep the fire burning for as long as you need it.
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Tips & Warnings
Ensure your fire is out before moving away from your camp site. Pour water over the fire, and mix the ashes with soil until you're sure no more embers burn.
Don't build a fire on the upward slope of a hill. Fire can move uphill quickly, especially if there's wind.
References
- Photo Credit campfire full of burning wood image by Irina Igumnova from Fotolia.com
