How to Make a Campfire in the Rain
While rain can certainly put a damper on a camping trip, you don't have to let it ruin the experience altogether. With the right materials and proper knowledge, you can still enjoy a great campfire even if your kindling and tender become wet. Have a backup plan and you will still have a good time.
You can still enjoy a campfire during a rain storm as long as you come up with a backup plan. This may seem impossible when all of your kindling and campfire supplies are wet, but with a little extra thought beforehand, you will be able to build a quality fire.
The first thing you will need to do is to find dry kindling and tinder. How is this accomplished in rainy weather? You can find dry materials as long as you go into the woods and search under leaves and other forest debris. You will discover dry materials under this layer. Gather dry sticks, twigs, and several large pieces of wood. You can also use dry pine needles, but do not add too many to the fire. Pine needles are great for igniting a fire, but they also deplete oxygen, which is necessary to keep a fire going. You can use charcloth or a butane lighter to get the fire started. If you don't have either, the friction and oxygen method will also work.
A tarp is a great item to have on hand during rainy weather. You can set it up over the area where you intend to create your campfire. This will help to keep all of the necessary materials dry, and will also allow your fire to grow without being dampened by rain. If you do have a tarp and plan to hang it over the fire, be sure that it is secured high enough to prevent flames or sparks from reaching it. Once it is in place, you can begin stacking the dry tinder in the center of the fire pit. Next, add kindling and then place more tinder around it. You can now light the tinder.
Build the fire up slowly. Add large pieces of kindling to the fire to keep it going strong. It will help to gently blow into the fire in order to add oxygen to it. This will help it grow. If you happen to have a charcloth with you, you can create a small fire with it. You can then place it into the center of the kindling as an easy way to get the fire off to a strong start. As long as you follow these suggestions, camping in the rain does not have to put a damper on your experience.
You can still enjoy a campfire during a rain storm as long as you come up with a backup plan. This may seem impossible when all of your kindling and campfire supplies are wet, but with a little extra thought beforehand, you will be able to build a quality fire.
The first thing you will need to do is to find dry kindling and tinder. How is this accomplished in rainy weather? You can find dry materials as long as you go into the woods and search under leaves and other forest debris. You will discover dry materials under this layer. Gather dry sticks, twigs, and several large pieces of wood. You can also use dry pine needles, but do not add too many to the fire. Pine needles are great for igniting a fire, but they also deplete oxygen, which is necessary to keep a fire going. You can use charcloth or a butane lighter to get the fire started. If you don't have either, the friction and oxygen method will also work.
A tarp is a great item to have on hand during rainy weather. You can set it up over the area where you intend to create your campfire. This will help to keep all of the necessary materials dry, and will also allow your fire to grow without being dampened by rain. If you do have a tarp and plan to hang it over the fire, be sure that it is secured high enough to prevent flames or sparks from reaching it. Once it is in place, you can begin stacking the dry tinder in the center of the fire pit. Next, add kindling and then place more tinder around it. You can now light the tinder.
Build the fire up slowly. Add large pieces of kindling to the fire to keep it going strong. It will help to gently blow into the fire in order to add oxygen to it. This will help it grow. If you happen to have a charcloth with you, you can create a small fire with it. You can then place it into the center of the kindling as an easy way to get the fire off to a strong start. As long as you follow these suggestions, camping in the rain does not have to put a damper on your experience.
About the Author:
Wendy is a consultant for a specialty lighter store and has expert knowledge of smoking accessories, including zippo lighters.