Huddling up around a campfire with a few close friends on a cool, clear evening is one of the few parts of a camping trip that borders downright luxurious. Though a good campfire may feel like a luxury in the best of circumstances, in the worst it's an absolute necessity. One of the great ironies of camping is that those times when you most need a good fire -- when conditions are cold, damp, and windy -- are the same times that one is most difficult to start. Additionally, the ability to start a fire in adverse conditions is a camping skill that many campers neglect until it's too late.
If you're a camper that doesn't already have a plan to get your fire started when conditions are less than ideal, read on and we'll teach you how to start a fire in the rain.
If you're a camper that doesn't already have a plan to get your fire started when conditions are less than ideal, read on and we'll teach you how to start a fire in the rain.
HOW TO START A FIRE IN THE RAIN - RULE #1: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The most basic -- and one of the most frequently overlooked -- elements of successfully building a fire in wet or otherwise difficult conditions is to carefully consider exactly where you'll be building it. A good location for your fire will make both building and maintaining it much easier, and will ensure that you don't waste a ton of time and energy on a project that was doomed from the outset. The most ideal location for your campfire will provide protection from wind, rain, and groundwater, any one of which can derail your fire-starting project if you haven't found an appropriately dry and windless spot.
In order to shield your fire from wind, try to build it on the downwind side of a hill and immediately downwind from large obstacles, like rock formations. If no natural windbreaks are available, you can create your own with with a tarp and a few sharpened sticks, sort of like a miniature fence. Keep in mind that sheltering your fire on the upwind side may not be enough, as more forceful winds will often make their way around the sides of the windbreak, still interfering with your fire. To combat this, create a C-shaped windbreak around your fire with the opening on the downwind side.
Sheltering your fire from falling rain is probably the most difficult requirement for a good campfire location, as you'll have to find a way to do so while also allowing the smoke generated by the fire to escape. Large evergreen trees tend to form a good shelter for fire building, as their shape forms a sort of natural roof. The shape of trees like pines and spruces will direct water outward and away from your fire while still allowing smoke to escape. In order to use one as a shelter, crawl underneath its lowest branches (You can cut a few off if necessary, but make sure that the extremities of the lowest branches still touch the ground below. Of course, building a fire underneath a live tree is inherently risky, but a well-constructed and controlled fire shouldn't provide a serious risk in rainy conditions. Just take all the precautions you normally would, like removing all potentially flammable debris from the ground around the fire and ensuring that there are no low-hanging branches directly above the fire.
Protecting your fire from groundwater is probably the easiest of these three requirements to fulfill. Simply build a fire pit with rocks filling the center, instead of just forming a ring around the edges. This will separate your lowest coals from the wet ground below, and allow more air to reach them, helping your fire to burn effectively.
HOW TO START A FIRE IN THE RAIN - RULE #2: FUEL FOR THE FIRE
Now that you've found and prepared a location for your fire, you'll need to find some tinder and kindling to get it started, and some fuel to burn once you get it going. The tinder will need to be something that ignites easily, while the kindling will be small pieces of wood that you can easily light with the tinder. The fuel will be the larger pieces of wood that will become the coals of your fire.
You should always carry along tinder on your own camping trips, just in case there's no dry brush or other readily combustible materials nearby. Two of the best forms of tinder for starting a fire in the rain are easily made at home, and won't take up too much space in your pack: Paraffin wax melted into dryer lint or, alternatively, cotton balls soaked with petroleum jelly are both easy to ignite, and will both burn for at least a couple minutes -- long enough for you to ignite your kindling.
Dry kindling shouldn't be too difficult to find even in wet conditions, as long as you know where to look. If you've found a large evergreen tree under which to build your fire, there's a good chance you'll find some kindling there, too. Just look for small, dead branches in the dry area underneath the tree to get your fire started. If you can't find enough kindling there, try looking underneath dead or uprooted trees. While the tops may be wet from the rain, there's a good chance you'll find some dry wood that's suitable for a fire inside or underneath them.
Try looking in the same places that you did for kindling to find larger pieces of wood for fuel. These won't be quite as readily available as kindling, but they also won't need to be quite as dry, since the heat from your kindling will cause some of the moisture to evaporate.
HOW TO START A FIRE IN THE RAIN - RULE #3: LIGHT IT UP
Now that you've found the appropriate location and materials, it's time to get that fire going. As one of the 'Ten Essentials,' you should have a firestarter in your bag, whether it's a lighter, matches, or a ferro-flint rod, or whatever else you choose to us. If you don't currently carry one of these, you should. And -- as always -- make sure to clean up after yourself and ensure that the fire is completely extinguished before leaving the area.
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