You get to the campsite. It’s getting dark and cold. Your girlfriend is starting to shiver, and if that fire doesn’t start roaring shortly, the glorious weekend nature excursion is about to take a dark turn. Literally. You scurry to gather kindling and matches. You keep forgetting the best placement of the logs to catch. A handful of broken matches and almost-lits don’t cut it. The veggies and meat are ready to cook. But the fire’s not lit.
Fret not, friends. We’ve teamed up with Toyota RAV4 Adventure Grade to release Essential Outdoor Stuff, a quick, irreverent guide to doing outdoorsy stuff you should definitely know how to do. And we’re starting with how to build the proper campfire.
1. First, always use a fire ring if it’s provided. Keep your forest’s green. Next, you need your kindlin’ base. Dried moss, twigs, and thin shavings work best.
2. Build a teepee of increasingly thicker sticks as you make your teepee wider.
3. Build a tight wood square around the teepee. Start with two heftier logs on either side of it. Then, stack two more on the other sides in a log cabin overlap until you’re about five layers high.
4. Add a breathable lil’ roof for good measure.
5. Light the kindling, which should get hot enough to light the log cabin.
6. After it really gets roaring, you can start to add the proper logs.
A proper campfire–and someone who can build one–is invaluable. Enjoy.
Editor’s Note: Essential Outdoor Stuff is presented by Toyota RAV4 Adventure Grade.
