What do you guys think is the best style of campfires?

Grandpa

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Don't know what y'all call it, but I call my favorite railroad tracks. Two larger pieces parallel about 3 inches apart, my tinder between and my little sticks across the top. Lay the two with the wind to form a wind tunnel. Throw your spark on the windward side and it should take right off.
 

Cappy

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down here in da deep south ya only need a small fire my most often is what I call a back log fire I find a big log or stump or even rock if available build my fire against it.and prop bigger stuff on it. I also use grand pa's method and if I find 2 big logs that are even across teh top I will throw a grill on them to set a pot on with the fire between the logs. Of course camp ground fire rings and my ole cinderblock fire pit in the yard are different mostly tee pee style there.
 

MacGyver

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About 30 years ago, I bought a case of Trioxane, the military fire starter blocks. I've sold dozens and dozens on Craiglist and still have a lifetime supply. Since the stuff burns long enough to start just about anything short of waterlogged wood, I haven't made any Boy Scout worthy, proper one match fires. I typically just throw a bunch of branches over the fire ring, toss in some paper and a block of Trioxane and off it goes. If I want to go all "fancy", I'll make a teepee first and light it off the same way. I keep telling myself I should practice my bushcraft skills and make some fuzz sticks or find some other tinder to get a fire going, but the starter blocks are just too easy.
 

Roybrew

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I mostly teepee my wood. I think it burns brighter with less smoke. I always carry a bic lighter and have some 30 second waterproof matches. I've only used a couple of the matches in past year, only cause I was playing with them.
 

MacGyver

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I mostly teepee my wood. I think it burns brighter with less smoke.
That reminded me of the time we had a new couple join our group. The new guy thought he was Mr.-Outdoors-You-Don't-Know-Squat. Convinced he could make the best fire ever, he proceeded to stack what looked like a solid box of wood. After about an hour of us getting smoked out and a dozen times being told, "It'll catch any minute", one of the women in the group got up, broke down the smoking pile and turned it into a huge teepee. Within a minute, it was roaring.
 

Cappy

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yea ever since I was a kid when camping we had 2 fire spots a camp fire and a cooking fire the camp fire pretty much kept going the whole time and had a nice bed of glowing red coals we took a trenching tool and shoveled the coals under a cooking grate for the coffee pot and black iron pot or flat griddle the heat under the pots was adjusted by moving the coals around. A shovel full mound under the coffee pot got it a perking scrape all but a few coals out and it kept warm.
 

ppine

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I like the railroad and tipi methods. When it is wet and raining a lot then you need a tall cabin style fire to preheat the wood and dry it out.

Most people build fires that are way too big and they stand back. Build small fires and get close to them. No need to chop and saw wood. Feed the end. Saves a ton of work.
 

oldsarge

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About 30 years ago, I bought a case of Trioxane, the military fire starter blocks. I've sold dozens and dozens on Craiglist and still have a lifetime supply. Since the stuff burns long enough to start just about anything short of waterlogged wood, I haven't made any Boy Scout worthy, proper one match fires. I typically just throw a bunch of branches over the fire ring, toss in some paper and a block of Trioxane and off it goes. If I want to go all "fancy", I'll make a teepee first and light it off the same way. I keep telling myself I should practice my bushcraft skills and make some fuzz sticks or find some other tinder to get a fire going, but the starter blocks are just too easy.

Still want to sell some?
 

Denni2

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If I want it to last awhile I usually build an upside down fire. Larger pieces of wood on the bottom and smallest on top. For a small quick fire I build a teepee. For a fire starter I soak wine corks in rubbing alcohol. I have also soaked small pieces if pine from a project. The pine works but the cork is better.
 

Happy Joe

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Our fires are usually for show/entertainment (hotdogs & s'mores) so I don't normally build much other than a Tipi, occasionally a single backlog if it its breezy.
I Second MacG's Trioxane experience although I am almost out of the tabs and for the last few seasons have been using a teaspoon of gelled alcohol (fake fireplace fuel) to easily start them in moist-wet conditions or when the newest wanabe survivalist/eggspert is having problems... (no fireball or any thing showy/unsafe just fire).
Used to start the first fire of each trip with a single match (without accelerant) but since wooden kitchen matches became hard to find I don't even do that anymore...

Edit; I use a Svensaw to trim the (once) standing deadwood snags to a convenient length (too hard/much trouble to break/burn them into convenient pieces.

Enjoy!
 
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MacGyver

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Anyone needing Trioxane, whether to beef up existing stock or to check it out, Sportsman's Guide has a better price on the stuff than I've seen online in quite a while. Here's their 30 pack. Beats what I've been selling mine for. Hope the locals don't find that page. :p
 

ppine

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Firebuilding is an important skill practice it. I build a fire often in the woodstove. Some modern backpackers and campers do not build fires. When they need one they do not have the skills. The worse and wetter the weather, the more you need one. I am going fishing tomorrow for 3 days in the mountains and a fire will help. Going to Yosemite at the end of the month with the wall tent and wood stove.
 

Cappy

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I cant wait till the weather allows us to do stuff like that the forecast says next week maybe thats great for me cause by then I should be over the last of this flu
 

ppine

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I will never forget camping in the rain in the San Juan Islands in WA. We were on a sea kayak trip in late September. When the rain came for real a fire is what we needed. We had a fire going that was kind of small and not really throwing much heat. Some guys from Alaska came by. The proceeded to buld a log cabin fire 3 feet high. That is how you overcome the rain. We could feel the heat through wet rain gear.
 
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