3 Different Ways To Lay the Firewood for a Campfire

Not all campfires are built equally. You can arrange your firewood to get different results, depending on the weather and how you want to manage the fire.

Before you begin, consider the conditions: It might be too dry or windy to safely light a fire. Build on gravel, sand or bare earth that is well away from trees, brush and dry grass, preferably in an established fire ring. Have plenty of water nearby to extinguish the blaze when you’re done.

Here are three different ways to lay the firewood:

• Tepee: Ball up your tinder and set it on the ground. Place small kindling sticks around the tinder, tepee style. Add larger sticks in the same way after the fire is lit. This type of fire lay is easy to light and get going.

• Lean-to: Place a stick into the ground with the upper end pointing into the wind. Lean the stick against a log and place your tinder underneath. Add kindling and larger sticks on either side of the first stick. Air drawn into the front of the lean-to will help feed the flames.

• Log-cabin: Set two sticks on the ground, a few inches apart. Place your tinder and kindling in between, tepee style. Stack two more sticks, pointing the opposite direction, on top of the two sticks on the ground. Continue stacking, alternating the directions of the two sticks. This style can create a long-burning fire.

Find types of tinder you can use to help start a fire at go.scoutlife.org/campfire