How To Start A Campfire With Wet Wood

Even when the sky is pouring water onto you there is still dry wood to be found in the forest. If the rain has stopped then all the better. If the weather is still spitting rain at you then it can be worthwhile to create a teepee of kindling above the tinder to help deflect raindrops.

I have broke a larger knife than most carry. I do like to keep on belt a 7″ or sometime 6″ knife but find it a bit to large to use for most things. I am finding out how nice a tom-a-hawk can be. I have camped all my life I am 58 now and am still learning. The lay of the fire is wrong, a tepee type fire lay works better.when using wet or damp wood. Pounding on a folder is never a good idea for splitting wood.

Now use the other side of the flint to light the fire. It should be angled down, so the sparks roll off, landing in the middle. It may take a few scrapes to get the fire to light. Once the sparks hit the flint shavings, they should ignite the rest of the bed.

Allow the campfire to die down for a while before you start the process of extinguishing it. To do this, simply stop adding wood or fuel to the flames, and let the size of the fire dwindle down naturally. To build a lean-to fire, first place a large log flat on the fire bed. Next, determine the direction that the wind is blowing.

Do Not Wait Until The Shtf Before You Practice Your Survival Skills

If your wet logs are large enough to be split, then you are in luck. Splitting the firewood will help you access the dry wood inside which will burn easier and light quicker. Obviously if there is a very strong wind or it’s actively raining, you will need to partially block those elements to get the synthetic log started. Whatever you do, make sure you have multiple alternatives available to you. I keep multiple tools in my pocket-sized tinder box. Sometimes I have a tiny tinder-nest in there too from the afore-mentioned scrapings off a thin, green stick.

If your wood is not covered to keep it from the elements than rain, frost, and even snow can make it soggy. I would pour a little cooking oil on there before the lighting the kindling if i had some. But then this might be a knives and wood deal only. Adding oxygen is key when coping with wet fuels.

Make a tinder nest from the inside bark from a cedar tree, or locate some dry material like lichen or even finely shaved and crumpled birch bark … Dry it against your skin if you have to, under your shirt etc… Find a spot in the woods under tall fir trees that aren’t rained on too much, if possible. It was pitch dark outside and from time to time the back field was illuminated with flashes of sheet lightening. In the distance of the image above you can see a soccer net. I was inside, and the rain drops on the window were picking up reflections of the flashes from the lightning.

Wood Inside

Add kindling if you think it will help and poke around so it catches on. Also, hunting knives helps to set fire on the wood. Knowing the multiuse of your hunting elements always ensures the best advantage of your hunting kits. Because of its wetness, you will experience a critical situation and the process is harder than normal wood firing. If the initial surface is wet then your fire won’t take hold.

If you can scout out a dead tree that hasn’t yet fallen over, you may have hit the jackpot. The lower branches could be dry, if they’ve been somewhat protected. You may not find any dry wood sometimes that is really frustrating for people.

Check The Tree Cover

Then, add three pieces of firewood on top of the base perpendicular. Then, add two pieces of firewood perpendicular to that layer. Place a small pile of tinder and kindling on top of the base and ignite. Firewood can vary anywhere from 1 inch to 5 inches in diameter. It can be whole logs, or split down from larger pieces.

In case you are having trouble trying to light up the campfire then adding these will be necessary. Hatchet – To start a fire with wet wood, you’re going to need to split larger logs open. While using a hatchet to split logs is not as ideal as a using a maul or wedge, it can do the job in a pinch.

Locating Solid Materials

If you have a little more patience and need to dry wood for a fire that is already burning away then simply place the wet outside close to the flames. But branches don’t make for long-lasting fires; we’ll need some logs. Knock over those standing dead trees, and chop up the fallen trees which are barely touching the ground. Finally, once you have placed all of your wooden planks and twigs.

In the backcountry, you’ll want to collect fallen branches from the ground. Do not cut live branches — this will damage the tree and they’re too wet to burn, anyways. Go for fallen branches that are about three inches in diameter or thinner.

I like the Zippo because the flame is bigger and you can set it down while the flame continues to burn. A BIC will get wet easily while a Zippo snaps closed. Light the tinder pile, be careful not to knock over your kindling teepee. It will help you get the flame under the tinder.

If you live in a warm climate shelter might be a lesser priority than water or fire depending on the time of day. I do a lot of this kind of thing and I would say that the three most important things are shelter , fire, and water. Kindling is not too hard to find, but fuel is harder to find that is why I would just collect a bunch of kindling and use that as my fuel to make a fire. Only allow gathering of “dead and down” fuel in certain areas. There’s almost always a way to get a fire going, even in wet conditions.

How To Set Fire On A Wet Condition?

Even if the firewood is wet, you may still be able to light it using — but you’ll need dry tinder first. If it’s been raining, it’s probably best to bring your own tinder, such as newspaper, wood shavings, or even pocket lint. Assuming it’s dry, tinder such as this should easily ignite.

Use tinder that is dry, light and is made of highly combustible material. Ideally, you should know how to start a fire using basic techniques. It’s also incredibly helpful to have several firestarters in your everyday carry kit or bug-out bag . The coals should be cold before you leave the fire area. Hold your hand just above them to see if they are emitting any heat. Once you have a bed or nest made, find a rock or some cardboard for it to sit on and make sure you are blocked from the wind.

It similarly involves a ball of tinder at the center of your fire ring. Then prop the kindling up around the tinder so that they are standing on end with one end on the ground and the other end leaning in towards the others. This looks like a cone of twigs and unsurprisingly resembles the shape of a TeePee.