In: Illustrated Guides, Outdoors, Skills Building a fire is one of the 100 skills every man should know. But every outdoor situation requires different types of campfire lays (set-ups in the firewood), so it’s imperative to know how to make more than one kind. Here we highlight six of the most common and useful fire lays.
There’s a reason this is the go-to campfire lay for most outdoorsmen: it’s very easy to get a fire going with a teepee lay. It’s also a great fire for cooking and warmth. The one downside of a teepee fire lay is that it burns quickly, requiring a lot of fuel to keep it going.
Many other fire lays rely on a teepee lay to initially get going, so it’s a vital lay to master. How to make: Place your tinder bundle on the ground. Above your tinder bundle, use kindling to build a small teepee.
Start with small twigs and build up to large sticks. Leave an opening in your teepee on the side the wind is blowing against. This will ensure that your fire gets the air it needs for effective combustion.
Light your tinder bundle. As the fire gets going, add increasingly thick sticks, and eventually large fuel logs, in the same teepee shape. If you’ve watched old Western movies, you’ve likely seen a star fire lay.
It’s the fire lay of choice for cowboys ranging in areas where there isn’t much wood. The star fire lay doesn’t make a very big or hot fire, but it’s economical in terms of fuel and easy to set up. How to make: Lay five or six logs on the ground like the spokes of a wheel.
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