How to light a campfire: a practical guide

How to light a campfire 

The main aspect of camping that brings that adventurous atmosphere is of course a campfire. It's no surprise that many people are unaware of how to light a campfire in this modern world we live in with all its amenities. Nonetheless, his skill is easy to learn and master, and could really pay off in moments of need. You'll just need to practice a bit of patience. 

1. Ensure the area is safe

First things first, choose an area for your campfire and make it as safe as possible. Wildfires are not a joke, especially in drier climates. That is why you should find a place on the ground as far away from trees as possible. Then, look around and clean up all the dry leaves, sticks and trash to ensure nothing will light up. Ideally it would be worth to put some stones in a circle to mark the location of the campfire. But if there are no stones nearby, just dig a little circle in the ground.

2. Ensure you have the right wood

Moving on to another valuable aspect, collecting the wood for the future fire. It is important to mention that dry wood is what lights up and keeps the fire going. So, ensure that the wood you collect snaps easily and doesn’t bend. At first, you need to collect the foundation of the campfire, it is called tinder. It can be anything like dry leaves, fluffy fungi, dry grass or even paper. Then comes the smaller branches that will help the fire spread out. But pay attention and get the branches not thicker than a straw. After that look for bigger logs, as big a water bottle, so they can keep you warm longer. Generally, it is easier to get thinner logs because the bigger ones take a lot of time to light up and can still be a bit damp inside.

3. Lay the firewood

After that, it is important to lay the fire. It is important to remember to always go in layers, the shape doesn’t matter that much. First comes dry leaves and paper, something that lights up easily. Then, thinner branches and stick. And after that come the big guns that are harder to light up. The idea here is to make all those layers come together in a big pile. But it shouldn’t be messy, otherwise you are risking having one side fully burnt down and another one cold as it was.

4. Fire it up

Now for the exciting bit: lighting up. Get a piece of paper or dry moss and light it up with matches or a lighter. Then give it a bit of time to burn a little and try lighting up the foundation layer with it. Usually, the fire doesn’t start right away so you can blow on the bottom of the pile to spread it faster. Seems quite easy but be very careful with that and always pay attention.

5. Put it out

When the fun night of storytelling is over, the fire needs to properly be put out. For that you can use some water and just pour it directly or get the dirt from the ground and try to bury it under. Be sure to only do that when the fire is waning otherwise you risk spreading it. 

Do you want to escape from all the stress in the world and do you like to stare at a fire for hours? Now when you know how to light a fire, check out the campspaces that allow a campfire. Make tasty marshmallows, or perhaps some s'mores, and enjoy the warmth. You can even have a look at these camping food hacks to learn how to cook on the fire. Cuddle close together, tell stories, or gaze into the fire in peace and quiet. Feel completely secluded from the world. 

 Camping holiday

Take a road trip past a few Campspaces or stay at the same place for a weekend, whatever you choose and do, Campspace has it for you. For example, go camping with your dog or view the Campspaces where you can park your camper.

Campspace brings people closer together. Together with nature and the hosts, an experience is created that you will not soon forget!