By Sean Fagan
When you need a campfire the most is often the time when its hardest to acquire...
It's very easy to explain the above statement; when outdoor conditions are damp and challenging is often the hardest time to light a campfire made from natural materials - as damp conditions can make it hard to find dry tinder, kindling & fuel.
Also, if it's raining hard, it can be challenging to even start a campfire.
One of my key ingredients for fire-lighting success during damp (or snowy) conditions is a very basic branch & twig platform UNDER my campfire.
By placing my campfire on a dry, layered platform I raise my campfire off the damp ground. This simple practice also greatly increases air flow - a key factor in lighting a campfire and keeping it going strong.
The other contributory factor is a hot bed of embers. Once the fire is established the platform is transformed into a hot bed of embers - greatly improving the heat and flames of the fire. This is important if you want to cook food or boil water quickly or if you need to urgently warm yourself up...often an important consideration during damp, cold conditions (when the risk of hypothermia is more prevalent).
I've presented this very short blog in a easy-to-follow format of four instructional photos. There is not much to making a platform and can easily be constructed in under 5 minutes.
It's very much a simple skill well worth remembering - and most importantly, putting into practice, when needed.
How to make a simple campfire platform...
STEP 1: clear away a large area of all surface debris until you get to bare soil. Then lay three dead, dry branches about finger to thumb thick and about finger to elbow long. Place them about 2-3 inches apart.
STEP 2: Lay a layer of dead, sturdy branches across the base layer. Allow for small gaps between the branches. Select branches that are roughly the same thickness as base layer - about finger to thumb thick.
STEP 3: the nest step is optional and I only use it when it's very damp. Lay another layer of dead branches across the previous layer of dead branches. By adding this layer you may be adding an element of instability to the platform so take your time with constructing a sturdy platform that won't fall over. Often, I skip this step so please consider it as optional. I often go with two branch layers and one twig layer.
STEP 4: This step is important. I lay a layer of thin, dry twigs on the platform. Why? because thin, dry twigs catch fire more easily than the underlying platform of thicker branches. Once these twigs are alight, they will easily ignite the underlying platform of dry branches.
If you look carefully at the photo below, you'll see a single layer platform of dry branches. I often use a single layer platform during the warmer, drier months of the year or when it's dry during winter.
Whether it's a multi-layered or single layer platform they all give you a fire-lighting edge. In very dry conditions such as when I'm wild-camping in arid countries, I generally don't use a platform - it's unnecessary.
The trick is to know when to use a platform and when not to. Be flexible in your approach to campfire platforms.
However, sometimes I do use a campfire platform during dry conditions...
I've already mentioned that I generally don't use a platform during dry conditions but like everything else in life - there is always an exception to every rule.
Sometimes, during dry conditions, I come across sub standard tinder or kindling. In that scenario I will use a platform to maximize the combustibility of the tinder and/or kindling/fuel.
The reality is - some types of natural tinder and some types of wood are simply not that good in terms of combustibility.
A quick example. In my home country of Ireland - the wood from rowan & whitebeam trees (Sorbus spp.) is very poor. If all I have in my locality is rowan or whitebeam wood for my campfire then I will use every trick in the book to get it alight...including a fire platform.
Other fire-lighting skills I might use in conjunction with a platform for igniting challenging wood or tinder is feather sticks and/or splints. I might also use a small fire trench under my platform to really maximize my chances of success.
I've composed a blog about fire trenches before: Mini-Fire Trenches.
Best of luck with your campfire success in the future.
As always - be safe and enjoy exploring wild places.
“If you see a campfire as just a fire, your imagination is very weak, because it is not a lifeless warmth, but a mysterious friend who came to visit you in the darkness of the forest and shared your food, dreams and life!”
met Murat ildan
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