Smokeless fire pit. Never use wet slate.
Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! 
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How to build a fire and put it out... Basic Skills
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How to get wet wood to make a fire
Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! -
Put it out... 1. National Forest Service
Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! -
Dakota Pit - Safer...
sleeping on the warm dirt? the answer is a resounding Yes! You have stumbled upon the Heated Under-Ground Mattress. In this case, in the winter or wet cold weather, dig your main fire pit 2-4 feet square, and at least 2 feet deep, or as far as you can. Dig a trench approximately 4-6 feet long away from your pit, and a smaller 6 inch hole which will be your vent. If you can, bring some stove pipe with you, 4-6 feet in height. Fill in the vent with rocks, and dirt while leaving the vent hole open to the pit. Install the vent pipe, not blocking the air between the two openings. Get a good sapling and make an A frame over this "fire pit", allowing your pipe to stick out of the top. Fill your fire pit and and soon enough you'll see the snow defrost over the vent hole and the ground will dry out. You'll also notice a lot of water vapor from your vent pipe. This is great for a permanent winter shelter, and will warm your ground for comfort and sleeping, and keep you very warm inside. Also, you can cook inside without smoke! Enjoy and practice. I've used this inBe wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! -
The last one sure is not leave no trace! I can't imagine being lost in the backcountry with my trusty shovel to help me survive.
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I have made a fire during a pouring rain. But never the heated ground to sleep on.
You make a dirt pile and use it to fill the hole back in.--
"What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me. -
Leave no trace? and there really isn't a shovel its a Ti Trowel or folding steel potting shed hand trowel. How is pouring in water and pushing back in the dirt leave no trace? When I leave camp I can fix it that nobody would know I was there.... Also you can poop in the hole and cover it up in the morning..... Not arguing... just thinking it thru...
SandyofPA wrote:
The last one sure is not leave no trace! I can't imagine being lost in the backcountry with my trusty shovel to help me survive.
Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! -
And that is why I don't make campfires in the woods!
Wise Old Owl wrote:
Leave no trace? and there really isn't a shovel its a Ti Trowel or folding steel potting shed hand trowel. How is pouring in water and pushing back in the dirt leave no trace? When I leave camp I can fix it that nobody would know I was there.... Also you can poop in the hole and cover it up in the morning..... Not arguing... just thinking it thru...SandyofPA wrote:
The last one sure is not leave no trace! I can't imagine being lost in the backcountry with my trusty shovel to help me survive.
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The last time I had a camp fire was years ago.
Went hiking in Harriman State Park with a nephew, an overnighter, and he wanted to test his scouting skills to see if he could start a fire with 1 match. He did. -
I built one fire this year, and it was not smokeless. I guess I'll try for smokeless sometime.I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does
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Except for sitting at someone else's fire, I think I've had two fires in the last five years or so. Both times I was wet and cold, with no easy way to get dry. Both fires were laid on bare rock, well doused in the morning and the ashes scattered widely. One was close enough to a stream to be unlawful where I was, but I'm pretty confident that in the unlikely event that a ranger should appear, I could make the case that it was an emergency. I'd wiped out at a ford and gotten soaked!I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
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I haven't lit a fire on the AT in 30+ years...sat at many though.
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On the AT I've re-kindled one from someone's fire the previous night and I helped a group of scouts start one. I'm too tired to mess with hunting for sticks and I don't want to worry about the fire while I sleep so I don't do them. I get to camp I want eat, sit back and elevate my feet, have a shot of whiskey or beer if I have one, and do a little journaling and plan tomorrow.
Now car camping in an established campground and I'm a whole different animal. I bring pre-cut kindling, newspaper, split logs, hot dogs and marshmallows with me."Dazed and Confused"
Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
Plant a tree
Take a kid hiking
Make a difference -
I would build fires if I were not so lazy.I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
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No fires(personally) when backpacking. I guess I have not messed with a campfire since being a scout leader.The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General -
Must admit I was grateful for fires others started in GSMP shelters when temps were in the teens.
Astro wrote:
No fires(personally) when backpacking. I guess I have not messed with a campfire since being a scout leader.
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General -
I like campfires but don't care to see it though...so I don't bother with em...on the trail.
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I love campfires in my yard on crisp autumn nights. With the drought this year, I have not dared to light any fires but we had a bit of snow last night so maybe this weekend. I have one all ready to go, just needs a match.“Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
John Greenleaf Whittier -
Same here....I will need a glass of bourbon to go with that match tho....helps hypnotize me while staring at the flames.
IMScotty wrote:
I love campfires in my yard on crisp autumn nights. With the drought this year, I have not dared to light any fires but we had a bit of snow last night so maybe this weekend. I have one all ready to go, just needs a match.
I may grow old but I'll never grow up. -
Welcome to ADVANCED skills. Imagine for a moment you need to stay warm all night with minimum tending. This is a variation of a Sweed tradition. No you do not need to cut it to length - just assemble this as best you can make sure you rock it into place. He clearly uses logs 6-8" across, and hauls them into position downwind from his shelter. Lonnie demonstrates here how to make a campfire that will last all night with little or no further maintenance beyond the initial phase. This fire lay (or a variation) was a traditional fire used in the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden. It was and is used as an all night fire lay for traditional type camping while using open front shelters. It is known there as "Rakovalkea" or "Nying". In english it would be known as possibly "gap fire" or "long fire". Once started and "going" this fire may be difficult to put out. Also - observe that his bed is parallel to the fire and he is off the frozen ground..
Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! -
Here's another Swedish fire building hack - the Swedish Torch. I've not tried it yet, but it looks cool. It can also be done by splitting the log with an ax.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=vjQRLQTNsJo -
Uh won't keep you alive. fun to look at... watch the pretty yellow flame... woo pie. OK I am kidding.
odd man out wrote:
Here's another Swedish fire building hack - the Swedish Torch. I've not tried it yet, but it looks cool. It can also be done by splitting the log with an ax.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=vjQRLQTNsJo
At some point in your life something will go terribly wrong... are you prepared?.. I am.Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! -
This is a genius idea. Get people to pay $13 for a log with a hole in it. Hipsters like campfires too.
“Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
John Greenleaf Whittier -
One thing I noticed that I haven't seen before is the hole at the bottom on the side, boy is that gonna eat up that log!
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for those that wanna try this and have access to cord wood. Just take four piece of cut cord wood of the same length and band it tightly with some bailing wire, maybe smear some mud/clay along the inside bottom to control outflow of flame, and shim the top with something, maybe a few turns of bailing wire around the tops of each piece to allow for some air flow.
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...or just go down to the market and pony up the $13 bucks...not.
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Oh almost forgot, drink a lot of beer and pee it out...the fire that is.
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that thing is a multi tasker.uncle meat wrote:
One thing I noticed that I haven't seen before is the hole at the bottom on the side, boy is that gonna eat up that log!
sure, it's ultimate use is to have a fire to enjoy as you sip your wine in the backcountry.
but first, it's a sex toy.2,000 miler -
yeah, it seats four, after it burns for a bit.
max.patch wrote:
that thing is a multi tasker.uncle meat wrote:
One thing I noticed that I haven't seen before is the hole at the bottom on the side, boy is that gonna eat up that log!
sure, it's ultimate use is to have a fire to enjoy as you sip your wine in the backcountry.
but first, it's a sex toy.
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