33 Guests
Types of Camp Fire
Discover the many different types of survival fires and how to build them.
Camp Fires for Warmth
Yukon Stove
Dig a circular hole with a windward tunnel; a tunnel that the wind blows into leading to it. Build up a concave chimney of rocks over the hole and seal the sides by filling in the spaces with earth sods.
Light the fire in the tunnel opening, and when it gets going slide it under the chimney.
This fire can be controlled by partially covering and uncovering the opening at the top of the chimney.
Through the Night Camp Fire
Criss-cross or Pyramid Camp Fire
This fire burns downwards. Lay logs parallel to each other on the ground and then bridge them with branches going across in the opposite direction, then lay branches across these in the opposite direction again and continue in this way, alternating the direction of the layers of branches - each layer smaller than the last, with the size of the branches diminishing as well.
Start your fire on the top. This will slowly burn down into the night, getting hotter as the night gets colder.
Heat Reflectors/Windbreaks
Walls of rock, either natural or hand built will make good heat reflectors, absorbing and retaining some of the heat. Alternatively construct screens from a framework of long thin pliable branches or young coppiced saplings then weave grasses and other foliage throughout or shingle with tiles of bark.
Some barks have the added benefit of being light reflective. Remember not to remove a complete circle of bark from around a tree trunk, this can kill the tree.
Cooking Camp Fires
Ringed Camp Fire
Rocks placed around a fire can be very useful for resting pans and other things on. (Caution wet or damp rocks can explode dangerously when heated, as pressure builds up in air holes inside the rock as they fill with steam).
Birch Fungus Stove
If you are in forested area that contains Birch trees, find a piece of Birch fungus large enough to balance your pan on, you may not even need to remove it from the tree, ignite the fungus in a few places to get it smouldering and place your cooking pot on top of it.
Yukon Stove
Raised Fire
This fire method may be necessary if the ground is wet, or snow covered.Find seven long straight branch poles, if possible with laterals and forks, and then stake four of them into the ground to make the four corners of your platform.
Side struts are then rested in the forks and perhaps bound to secure them. Bridge these with green logs and branches and cover with earth to create a false, dry ground to build your fire on.
Cooking Pan Supports
Sticks can be wedged under a heavy log or rock to hang pans from, prop them up with a forked stick for extra support. A sturdy stick with lots of laterals can act as an adjustable pan hook and can be hung from spit sticks and tripods.
A stick balanced horizontally on two forked sticks that at are secured in the earth either side of the fire, will fit multiple pans across.
Keyhole Fireplace
This fireplace is for when cooking time could last a while. It comprises two stone- ringed fires a large on and a small one with a clear passage way between the two. In the larger one a Flaming fire is stoked and fuelled to create a continuous supply of coals, which can be raked into the smaller ring where the cooking happens. This is also useful in the cold, those that aren’t cooking can sit around the larger fire.
Ovens
Every culture has it's earth oven!
Basic Survival Camp Oven
Dig a hole just large enough to hold the food you would like to cook, and prepare your food by wrapping it in non-poisonous leaves - use aromatic leaves for added flavour. Build your fire in the hole and let it burn a while - refuelling it once or twice to get the heat up, then let it burn down.
Rocks can be placed into your initial fire, to be left in the oven to retain heat. Caution; wet or damp rocks can explode dangerously when heated, as pressure builds up in air holes in the rock as they fill with steam.
Remove the coals and ashes, leaving the hot rocks in the fire pit (perhaps start an above ground fire with them for warmth).
Lay a thin layer of earth or some green non-poisonous branches, between the rocks and your food so that it does not touch them directly and scorch and put in your wrapped food. Cover with more leaves for protection and then cover with earth.
The food should be ready to eat in 2 - 3 hours. You could bury a food item deep into the earth mound roof for testing, when this is cooked it all should be.
Hangi Oven
This is based on the Maori oven building method. Dig a hole to a size relative to how much food you are going to cook. Lay logs parallel to each other on the ground and then bridge them with more logs, fill the spaces with stones (Caution wet or damp rocks can explode dangerously when heated, as pressure builds up in air holes in the rock as they fill with steam) The Maoris used volcanic rock, and also preheated rocks they found in the river to test them first (presumably keeping their distance). Then lay branches across these in the opposite direction again and continue in this way, continuing to fill the spaces with stones.
Start you fire in the hole underneath the stack of logs, branches and stones. When the fire has burned through and fallen into the hole, it is ready to have the food hat is to be roasted placed into it, place in there also anything to be boiled in metal containers. Ideally it is better that the food is not sitting directly on the stones, so a grill, a mat of bundled soaked ( but not dripping) grasses or green branches could be placed between them - steam adds to the cooking, at worst agitate the rocks in the fire so that the smaller particles of ash etc, sink beneath the stones.
Imu
Throughout Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and even the Americas, traditional underground ovens have been utilized to cook and steam food. The Hawaiians used a pit oven, called an Imu.
Tandoor Oven
This is based on clay ovens used across Asia, and similar ovens used in Africa. It is constructed out of clay, and is traditionally seasoned and cured to make a strong durable oven.
To make a rough Tandoor style oven collect clay from your discovered source. The ovens can be shaped anything from a cylinder, beehive to dome shape, with an opening at the top, on average; thigh high.
If you want your oven to last, kneading the clay like bread for a while will help remove large air holes that may cause serious cracking when the oven is used. If the clay allows, roll and coil it into a cylindrical shape, if not gradually build up the sides moulding and pressing and shaping the clay into thick walls.
Build your fire in the Tandoor and keep it burning a long time to build up coals and reach very hot temperatures - hot slow burning wood is ideal for this. Food is cooked on skewers that are stood in the oven, and flat breads are baked by slapping the prepared dough onto the sides of the oven and collecting them as they fall off when baked.
Cob Oven
If you can source clay, sand, straw or dried grass stalks and water, you have the perfect ingredients for cob which is an old English word for 'lump' or 'rounded mass' and comprises about 3 parts sand - 1 part clay - and as much straw as it can absorb and still hold together. In a wilderness situation you may have to use plain sub soil ~ you can test the make up of available soil by putting a handful in a container, stirring it up and waiting for it to settle.
The sand settles first, the unnecessary silt next, and the clay last - unless the remaining water is clear there is still clay in it. If you are mixing your cob the clay needs to be dried, and pounded until powdered. Depending in the size, and remembering that the bigger it is the more fuel you will need to fill it, build it into a dome shape, leaving an opening large enough to put in, and take out, fuel and baked goods. For the first layer use just the sand and clay/ earth mix; gradually build up the sides, moulding it together by pressing and blending, shaping it into thick walls.
Building a framework of slim bendy withies of Willow, Birch or Hazel with the little brash left on may be helpful as a rough supporting guideline to work around- this will be removed so don't work it into the clay. A hole is left in the bottom for air circulation and can be made large enough to remove ashes and the flat breads that are traditionally baked in them. This hole needs to be covered when the oven is heating up and while it is in use. The first time the oven is used build the heat up slowly and gradually.
This information on cooking fires and wilderness ovens is adapted from our e Book 'Wild & Edible', all about surviving on wildfood in the wilderness.
Landmann Tripod Charcoal Barbecue
Manufacturer: Landmann LtdAmazon Price: £29.99
Offers - Buy New From: £29.96 Used From: £27.56
Buy Now
The Complete Book of Fire: Building Campfires for Warmth, Light, Cooking and Survival
Manufacturer: Menasha Ridge Press Inc.
Amazon Price: £9.99
Offers - Buy New From: £3.75 Used From: £6.34
Buy Now
