There are many different reasons you may want to start a fire, such as for cooking purposes, warmth, or even just for fun. However, what do you do if it is raining outside? How about snowing? Or windy conditions? These are when most people would resort to starting their fire inside or calling someone else who can help them out. But there is no shame in wanting to learn how to do it yourself! This post will go over all the steps needed to start a fire, no matter the weather conditions.
Contents
Wood
The size and type of wood you use will depend on what materials are available. You want dry, not green or wet wood as they won’t burn easily and could cause your fire to go out quickly after starting it. If possible, try to find pieces with a lot of cracks in them as those can be easier to break up into smaller sizes, making getting your fire going much faster. It is also good if you happen upon some pine needles since many people don’t realize these make great tinder for starting fires too!
Matches/Lighter
You will need some way to start your fire. Matches are a classic choice, but lighters work just as well and can be easier if your hands are wet or cold. If you don’t have either of these, you can use flint and steel.
Tinder
What you use for tinder will depend on the climate conditions. If it is rainy or snowy outside, dried-out leaves, grass, bark, or paper works best. However, if it is windy, you want something that will catch easily, like cotton balls, char cloths (which we will go over later), or even petroleum jelly-coated cotton balls.
Build A-Frame
Before you start piling your tinder upon the fire, make sure you have created something that will contain it. You can use rocks or bricks or even just dig down into the dirt to surround where your fire is going to be. If there are no flat surfaces around, try finding some larger logs and stacking them in an “A” frame shape, creating a barrier for smaller pieces of wood from getting blown away by wind gusts.
