An important aspect of fire preparation—especially if you’re using one
of the lastditch efforts I describe later in this chapter—is making sure you
have enough fuel before you produce a glowing ember or a small flame. You
don’t want to get to the point where you have a flame, only to discover that
you don’t have any tinder or kindling to add to it. This is one of the most frus
trating things that can happen in the wilderness, and it happens all the time.
A strategy I use with my survival students is to have them gather as
much wood as they think they need for the night. Once they’re finished,
and without looking at their pile, I tell them to get five times the amount
they just collected. Even after they have done that, many of them run out of
firewood before morning. It may sound like an exaggeration but it’s true:
most people misjudge their firewood needs by a ratio of five to one.
And don’t take for granted the fact that you have a primary fire
starting method such as a lighter or matches, either. What if your lighter
breaks or your matches get wet? Now the fire you’ve just started may be
the only fire you will ever light. Do not let it die just because you don’t have
enough fuel available.
A big, dry tinder bundle is the key to success, followed by lots of dry
kindling and lots of dry (and if possible, split) wood. You also need to make
sure that your fire doesn’t spread. Clear an area immediately surrounding
your fire pit, particularly if you’re in a wooded or brushcovered area. You
can even build a wall from damp logs or rocks to both protect your fire from
wind and reflect heat back to you. Remember, however, that wet and porous
rocks (such as those pulled from a river or lake) have been known to explode
violently when heated, so avoid using these very close to (or in) your fire.
Build Your Fire
WHEN IT COMES TO GATHERING FUEL FOR YOUR FIRE, you’ll need tinder, kindling,
and large fuel. Each component is critical, but none more so than tinder.
Tinder: Stages 1 to 3
If you don’t have a lighter or matches and are making a friction fire by, say,
rubbing two sticks together, the step that takes you from glowing ember to
tinder ignition is critical, and one at which many people fail.
Fire (^) | 105