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Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:22 pm
by 2leadfeet
To start my camp fire I use a combination of dryer lint, wax and an egg carton. Stuff the carton full of lint and pour melted wax over the lint. Depending on how tight the lint is packed and how much wax, I've seen burn times of about 15 minutes. To put it out, it's 2 5 gallon buckets of water.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:35 pm
by lrrowe
I like my propane torch for this. If at a canpground, the hose water or bucket works great. If off the grid and by a stream, the bucket works again. But if water is being rationed, then I time it so the fire burns its itself out before I go to bed. But never do I leave it without making sure it is out.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:54 am
by Camp4Life
We keep old flyers to bring camping just to start the campfire. Crumple up, throw in with some small kindling and bark on top, and then a few big logs on top of that. Then a few more flyers crammed into the sides and light it up in a few spots around the wood, and you got a campfire. There's a bit of excess ash flying around at first because of the burnt paper but it works great every time, and we can put those junk flyers to good use!

To put out we just wait until it's burnt out before hitting the sack. I have a little collapsible 5 gallon jug that we use for cleaning after we eat. It's usually half-full by the end of the day and I just pour it over the coals before bed.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 10:00 am
by arbakken
I use whatever I find to start a fire. I used to build fancy, well thought out fires (log cabin, teepee, etc) and light them. Now, I light something small, and keep piling progressively bigger stuff on until there is a legit fire. It is easier, and a higher success rate.

When it's time to go to bed, I do anything from knocking it down, spreading it out, and leaving it to completely drowning it. Depends on the circumstances.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:18 am
by Lou.Catozzi
I stuff empty toilet paper roll tubes full of wood chips from my woodworking and then pour molten wax into them. I use these for the fireplace at home and keep a dozen of them handy in my camping tools box.

For putting camp fires out nothing beats water and a lot of it. You basically want to FLOOD the fire pit. If you don't have enough water to put out a campfire, you should not be burning a campfire.

Lou

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:05 pm
by MadMango
I like using the Wetfire cubes, less mess than fluids, small enough to always have a pack around, and quick. I'll time the fire so it is out by the time I'm ready for bed (while camping, that is 2am), then in the morning it just takes a little fluff to restart the embers for "morning ambiance" during breakfast.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 12:40 pm
by Wolfsong39
I have uses several methods depending on the situation. Start a small fire and build works well when its dry. But living in the PNW more often than not things are going to be damp to wet. So I have also used the "Wet Fire" fire starters. Camping with a friend in Law enforcement a few years ago he used a road flare and pretty much skipped the kindling. Made a really Bright fire while the flare was burning.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 10:49 pm
by Redneck Teepee
Wolfsong39 wrote:I have uses several methods depending on the situation. Start a small fire and build works well when its dry. But living in the PNW more often than not things are going to be damp to wet. So I have also used the "Wet Fire" fire starters. Camping with a friend in Law enforcement a few years ago he used a road flare and pretty much skipped the kindling. Made a really Bright fire while the flare was burning.

Road Flares...best damp wood fire starter there is. Used them religiously in my younger, back packing, sleeping on the ground like a dog years :thumbsup:

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 3:26 pm
by Rainier70
For a lot of years backpacking, I used a small wood burning cook stove. We also built a few campfires for warmth too, but not as often.

The best firestarter that I ever used was cottonballs saturated with vaseline. They were light, and it only took one to get a good fire going. With anything like this though you need to learn a little woodscraft and know where to get good kindling.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 4:48 pm
by edgeau
I use the kids ;). They love the challenge - especially as the reward is getting to roast marshmallows. I will say though that the Vaseline and cotton ball trick is brilliant. It is even easy to light with just a flint.

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Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 7:42 pm
by JaggedEdges
Rainier70 wrote: With anything like this though you need to learn a little woodscraft and know where to get good kindling.


Most of the old woodcraft is illegal in state/national/provincial parks and conservation areas these days. Gotta even check before you pick up dead wood, off the ground, lying on your campsite. Then the rules will change year to year, month to month, don't dump your dishwater on the campfire, pour it down pit toilet. Next time, drought, don't use clean water on campfire, use dishwater, another time, water table high, don't use dishwater on campfire, don't pour down john, spread it around. Then on the one hand they're super worried that a few dish scraps will feed the animals, burn them, then on another berry collecting etc, will starve the animals, don't.

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:39 pm
by bbrider
I pick up fire logs or the wax fire starters on sale for starting my fires. Back when we were blowing up air mattresses for sleeping on when we tent camped I used the battery powered blower to help build fires too.

Nothing beats water to put out.

Bill

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 6:42 am
by Padilen
I use some old fire log starters, from a garage I cleaned out. I've cut them smaller using just a chunk. I also have a bag of tea light candles from the same garage clean up. I use these to start my charcoal - I don't use lighter fluid. I can taste it on charcoal lit with it. Gross!
Water is my preferred method for extinguishing fire.


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Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 2:00 pm
by Camp4Life
One thing that helps if it's damp out is waterless hand sanitizer, the kind that evaporates. It's mostly alcohol and burns slow. Pour it on paper or right on wood and light it up. You should always have plenty of this stuff when camping anyways and I always use it to clean my hands before eating (After using water).

Re: cam fires. ???????????? starting and puting out discusoi

PostPosted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 6:44 am
by Idragon
We make fire starters for our Scout Troop as follows:
Plastic Straws (biggest diameter you can source up)
Cotton Balls
Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
Cut sections of Straw 1 - 2"
Pinch end tight with needle nose (Leatherman) / Seal end with lighter (stove top, whatever)
Coat cotton balls in Vaseline and stuff into straw container you just made.
Pinch with pliers again and seal closed with lighter.
Wash off any Vaseline you got on the outside and fill any container (I use Altoid tins) with fire starters.
Simply open and light, Flint and Steel will work, but matches do to. Will burn for a suprisingly long time are waterproof, small and the method is versatile. You can use the same tech for meds, spices, matches etc.