# Fire Style?



## tomstacey616 (Apr 13, 2011)

Curious how everyone does their fire? 
Me, out a VA Beach KOA and not kindling around so had to start base with chopped off thin pieces from wood pile and my handy wad of dryer lint. Pyramid style of bigger pieces and then, sit back and enjoy warmth. 
How do you do yours?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Split small to make a log cabin. In the center I place a paper cup of Match light Charcoal and then put a roof of medium size split wood.

1 match into the cup and and you have a good fire in 10 minutes.


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## CrazyAboutOrchids (Aug 10, 2009)

For the past 3 or 4 years, we've been ordering Super Cedar Firestarters in our wood burning insert. Cheaper than a newspaper subscription and no kindling to deal with. Use them when camping as well, easy to store, lightweight and don't take up much room. Light it, load up the wood, sit and enjoy.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

9 times out of 10 the kids will build the fire. They run around during the day getting stuff to burn and make a competition out of it.

Here is another way we enjoy starting a campfire. I built this "flaming tower" for a camping trip with three families..the kids loved it. Video is just over 5 mins.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=fyC0T7ikRPY


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Oh...as far as having enough paper to start a fire goes...simply toss one the numerous phone books you get on your doorstep. They don't take up a lot of space but there are a LOT of pages...they work great to start the fire.


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I start with a bed of newspaper. (I pick up a few of the free ones from around here on a weekly basis) I pile some sticks of small wood on top, then light it. After the paper burns off I will put a log on there fire. I get starter wood from work(I work in construction full time) and I get the rest of my wood from the campgrounds.(there are plenty of downed trees in the woods that I can go in a cut up and split) I have only bought wood once and that was because it was a last minute thing and I didn't feel like finding wood.


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## W5CI (Apr 21, 2009)

Go to WalMart and get some charcoal fire starter cubes, the are inexpensive and work very well


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## Jewellfamily (Sep 25, 2010)

I stack up the firewood in a log cabin square (2 one way then 2 the other, 2-3 levels high), full size pieces. I dump all of the days paper plates, garbage, etc... in the middle throughout the day. Hose it down with a little "liquid boyscout" (cheapo walmart charcoal starter), and light it up.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> Split small to make a log cabin. In the center I place a paper cup of Match light Charcoal and then put a roof of medium size split wood.
> 
> 1 match into the cup and and you have a good fire in 10 minutes.


Same as CamperAndy except I use some of the crumpled phone book pages in the middle of the log cabin. I'm also having my son the Boy Scout do it the same way. No flammable liquids for him. Have contemplated making him rub sticks together.


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## muddy tires (Jun 22, 2007)

A match? We scrape a bit of magnesium into the dryer lint then start it with a flint and steel. My son the boy scout is getting better at it. The secret is to have assembled enough tinder and kindling BEFORE striking the spark.

When I use a match and paper I tend to build my fire teepee style.


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## Braggus (Aug 8, 2010)

Pfff, fireplace log and stack on the wood.....


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## Snow (Sep 27, 2011)

Homemade wax fire starters .. placed inside a cabin style wood pile of kindling .. after about 2 minutes load up the logs ...


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Newspaper wadded up, then a tee pee of kindling, followed by teepee'd logs......never use a fire starters.........just good wood........and always get a god quick fire.


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## Piecemaker (Nov 15, 2007)

We use the Walmart Fire Starters which we get a few years out of a box. We use sticks from our yard as kindling wood. Once the sticks get going good we start with the logs.

Everything today is Recycle Recycle so we stay away from burning paper. Once you burn paper it cant be Recycled.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Open the propane valve, push the igniter button, and *voila*, a campfire in 30 seconds!!


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## KosinTrouble (Jul 18, 2005)

Insomniak said:


> Open the propane valve, push the igniter button, and *voila*, a campfire in 30 seconds!!


LOL, at hunting camp with the stove we just throw in logs then light up the tiger torch.

While camping the outlaw uses kerosene in cup.

I do the log cabin with paper in the middle along with wood chips from when we split our own wood. Have a plastic tub that I fill with wood chips/bark and throw a couple hand fulls on top of the paper.


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## tomstacey616 (Apr 13, 2011)

This was and is an interesting read.... I must say though, I'll never forget the day back in CT when I was camping with my family and some friends, when our neighbor, across the road at the campsite we were at, took a bottle of "tiki fuel" and just poured it onto his wood pile.... SERIOUSLY, I thought i heard a "whoooooshhhh" .... what a fire he had.. lucky he didn't get hurt....

no fuel of that sort for me!!!

Love the magnesium thing.. got one with the flint on the backside.. have yet to try it though


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## Jewellfamily (Sep 25, 2010)

Insomniak said:


> Open the propane valve, push the igniter button, and *voila*, a campfire in 30 seconds!!


nice.....I have one of those too. I have the "camp-fire-in-a-can". Dont use it much, but is handy when the state puts the fire ban on...


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## zrxfishing (Sep 12, 2007)

> This was and is an interesting read.... I must say though, I'll never forget the day back in CT when I was camping with my family and some friends, when our neighbor, across the road at the campsite we were at, took a bottle of "tiki fuel" and just poured it onto his wood pile.... SERIOUSLY, I thought i heard a "whoooooshhhh" .... what a fire he had.. lucky he didn't get hurt....


A guy I work with did this while he was camping about 7 years ago. When he poured it on the fire it actually caught the can on fire and he threw it out of reaction. The "funny" part of this is that it landed in his tent and burned his tent and his wife and kids sleeping bags. By the time he put it out there wasn't much left and they had to sleep in the truck. He can laugh about it now but his wife was not happy to say the least! He was lucky no one got hurt!!


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## 4 Outbackers (Mar 5, 2008)

I have two boy scouts with me, gather tinder,kindling,small amount of paper,build into a tepee,light with one match.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

4 Outbackers said:


> I have two boy scouts with me, gather tinder,kindling,small amount of paper,build into a tepee,light with one match.


When moy boys (scouts) are starting.....they want to use their flint


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## JLWilson717 (Apr 24, 2008)

For years I have used cotton balls dipped in vaseline as the starter. I arrange logs in a triangle with a dry board or something as the base. As the cotton balls get going, I add twigs and then sticks and finally another log across the whole thing. Usually only takes on light.


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## Red Beard (Feb 13, 2010)

Little safety note here, I had a class mate add liquid fire starter to start a brush fire.., matches wouldn't light walked to his truck found some more matches and went to light the fire. No problem right&#8230;..WRONG
Here is where it all goes horribly wrong; the fire starter pooled in a low spot and the fumes and vapors were trapped. Match hits the vapors and they explode. 
He was thrown 50 feet and was on fire. He spent a month in the ICU and another 6 months in the hospital and many skin grafts later before he could return to class. 
Remember 1cup of gas fumes is equal to TNT. 
Let all be safe!!!


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## ED_RN (Jun 25, 2006)

I use one of those fire logs you can buy at the store, cheaper than the fire starters. Just shave off a few pieces with a knife, build the tee-pee and light. I've have that log for 2 years at least and there is still some left.


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## Colorado Outbacker (Jun 6, 2005)

Firewood.... Gas.... Match... poof...


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## TwoElkhounds (Mar 11, 2007)

I was always a pyramid fire maker. On our trip this weekend I decided to try the log cabin method. The style has several benefits that I noticed.

1) On cold, wet days with damp firewood (something we have had on nearly every outing this year), you can just keep feeding newspaper, leaves, cardboard, kindling, etc. into the hole in the middle until you build heat and the wood begins to burn. Not so easy with the pyramid style.

2) The fire burns completely, all the wood was consumed in the fire. Not one scrap of wood was left over.

3) The fire was broad, with much more surface area than a pyramid fire. More places for marshmellows and pie irons.

4) The fire was wicked hot, perfect for a cold, damp fall evening.

I am sold that the log cabin style is far superior and I will use this method on all future fires. Thanks for the great thread, nice to learn about better ways to do things.

DAN


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