Campfires – Outside Scoop

Let’s get this fire started

Here at Youth Odyssey we love the outdoors, and it’s a big part of what we do. Being outdoors and going camping requires some knowledge on how to build campfires. I am going to be talking about different types of campfires we know and love! The kids love building campfires, and we hope you develop the same passion.

Campfires and hatchets
Campfires: Cutting wood for the

Softwoods vs. Hardwoods

Before we run off and go build a campfire, the first thing we need to know is what type of wood we need. In the forest we will find two types of wood: softwoods and hardwoods. It is important for us to understand the benefits and drawbacks of the wood. Utilizing our resources well is a must in order to make the best campfire possible. An important note we always tell the kids is to only use dead wood, not living wood or freshly cut wood. Obtaining the best materials sets us up for a successful evening by the campfire. Great campfires means good cooking, and we are all about good eatin’ in Youth Odyssey.

Softwoods

Softwoods typically don’t have your typical leafs, but have needle like leafs. These trees will be your: Pines, Firs, Cedars, Evergreens, and Cypress trees. Hey look! There is a pine tree above the campers heads! A benefit about this wood, is it’s great to use for kindling because it lights easier and burns quicker. Pine needles are a great tinder source, and we often search below pine trees to find pine needles. The drawback is this wood doesn’t make the longest lasting fires.

Looking for wood for our campfires

Hardwoods

What are Hardwoods you ask? How about the HUGE oak tree our crew is sitting on?! Hardwoods usually will have big leafs. These trees will typically be your: Oaks, Maples, Pecans, Aspens, Dogwoods, and Elms. A benefit of this wood, is it’s great if we want longer lasting fires. Hardwoods typically burn for much longer, but a drawback is hardwoods can be harder to light. A good amount of tinder is needed to get hardwoods lit in a hurry. Unless of course we already have a smokin’ hot bed of coals!

Group sitting on a fallen oak tree which is a perfect hardwood for campfires
Campfires: learning the basics

Tinder & Kindling

We don’t play around when it comes to campfires. The youth are all about making legit fires. We don’t “cheat” by coating the wood with lighter fluid. Rather, we like adventure so we gather tinder, kindling, and then use a match or lighter to get our campfires started. Gathering tinder and kindling can arguably be one of the most important steps in building a campfire. Obtaining the right amount of both is important, or it will be difficult to get things going. Tinder is your fire-starter: pine needles, old-mans beard, or dry grass. Kindling is quick starting fuel: twigs, bark, or pine cones. When tinder and kindling are used together effectively, the campfire will light right up!

Types of Campfires

The fun part of after we gather all of our resources is now we get to make the campfire! At Youth Odyssey we travel to many different state parks, nature preserves, and national parks during our programs. Since we facilitate a mixture of activities and face different climates on our trips, these factors will determine what type of fire will best suit our needs. Fires are used in a variety of ways: for cooking, for survival, or for ambiance. We often build fires for cooking because s’mores and foil dinners are a kind of a big deal, but let’s talk about the whole arsenal of campfires Youth Odyssey builds!

Campfires: A-Frame

Beginner Campfires

A-Frame

An easy, attractive, and fun fire we make is the A-Frame. This fire is excellent because it doesn’t require many resources. It’s also easy to build, and creates a good platform to place your tasty foil dinners. To begin building the A-Frame we place two logs in a V formation. Then we place smaller logs along the top to form an “A”. Lastly we place our tinder and kindling in the gap underneath. When the fire starts to dwindle we can add more fuel in a variety of ways. One way is to lay wood on the outside, in gap underneath, or on top. This fire lasts a good while, and ignites well on a windy day!

Single Log Fire Lay

Arguably the best beginner fire we like to teach the kids is the Single Log Fire Lay. Single Log Fire Lay’s are simple to build, require very few resources, and can be maintained with ease. Constructing a Single Log Fire Lay requires only a few steps. We place one log in the fire pit, and then place our tinder and kindling in front of the log. To finish things we lay small pieces of wood or logs against the main log above the tinder. This fire is very suitable for our foil dinners too! As the fire starts to dwindle, it is simple to replenish. We just simply lay more wood against the main log. Hint! This is where the name “Fire Lay” comes from!

Campfires: Single Log Fire Lay

3 Log Fire Lay

There are different forms of Fire Lays. Depending on how many resources we have or what environment we are in will determine what Fire Lay we will use. We typically have four go-to’s: Cross Ditch, 3 Log, Single Log, or Log Cabin. On a very windy day the Cross Ditch and 3 Log Fire Lays will give us added protection from the infamous wind. The 3 Log Fire Lay is essentially constructed in the same way as the Single Log, however, we place one extra log on each side of our main log. This gives our Fire Lay added protection and rigidity.

Cross Ditch Fire Lay

Cross Ditch Fire Lays could be considered more advanced than other Fire Lay types because it requires more skill to construct. However, the process is only slightly different. First step we take to develop a Cross Ditch Fire Lay is to dig a small trench in the form of a plus sign. The trench helps negate wind effects, and makes the wind work for us rather than against us. Our tinder and kindling is typically placed in the middle of the trench, or elsewhere depending on the fire we build. We can build any fire lay above our cross ditch as long as we utilize the trench.

Campfires: 3 log fire lay
Campfires: Cross Ditch

Intermediate Campfires

Log Cabin

One of our campfire favorites is the Log Cabin! This behemoth is super fun to build, but even more fun to watch it burn. Imagine a whole structure completely catching on fire, this is what the Log Cabin fire will resemble! The good part is it’s just a campfire, so knot to worry! This fire takes a decent amount of resources and time to make, but it starts up quickly. To build the Log Cabin, layer logs in a perpendicular pattern starting with bigger logs on the bottom, and working up to smaller logs on top. Place your tinder and kindling in the middle of the structure towards the bottom, and then light it up. Log Cabins provide great spots for foil dinners, and since this fire is typically big and tall, and it’s good for s’mores too.

Campfires: Log Cabin
Campfires: Upside Down fire

Upside Down

When we know we are going to be around the campfire for an extended period we turn to the Upside-Down Fire (Self-feeding). This beauty, depending on how big we build it, can last for several hours. A drawback is things don’t get started in a hurry. Upside-Down Fire’s are slow burning, but provide a fire for longer periods. To make this fire, we build a structure similar to a Log Cabin, but our tinder is on top. As it burns the embers fall onto the wood below keeping the fire sustained, thus coining it a self-feeding fire. At Youth Odyssey this means s’mores for days!

Tipi

If it’s cold, if we are shivering, even if our hands are numb, no fear we know the Tipi! The Tipi is a classic. What makes it so great is it lights fast, burns hot, doesn’t require vast resources, and more importantly it’s cool! At the end of the day if we don’t do cool things we are failing our jobs! To build this masterpiece we create an upside down cone formation with our wood, and place our tinder in the center. If we are feeling extra cool we can even keep a space open in our Tipi to gather the embers it drops, and use those to light a secondary fire! Now that is cool!

Campfires: tipi
Campfires: rocket stove

Advanced Campfires

Primitive Rocket Stove

No rocket fuel necessary, it’s a Primitive Rocket Stove! Primitive Rocket Stoves are small cooking beasts, and can be started with very few resources. Fortunately, Youth Odyssey has never been stuck in a survival situation, however, this stove is a very useful survival tool we can make out in the wilderness. A big benefit to this stove is it can be maintained using small twigs or branches. First we find a mound of soil, and then form two holes. We will make a horizontal hole in the front of the mound, and a vertical hole at the top. Both holes will intersect in the middle of the mound, and this creates a fireplace chimney. Our chimney creates a draft keeping the fire nice and hot. At the top of our chimney is a great cooking platform to hold a pot or pan. Hot chocolate anyone?

Nature at its best

Campfires are a staple in Youth Odyssey camping trips. They link us to nature, and bring us together for group. Group is a time we can connect more and talk about our trip. Many of our youth have never had a s’more, or have even been next to a campfire. This is one of many ways we help connect youth to nature and the outdoors. Nature is one of the best tools to increase healthy lifestyles. It opens minds to creative thought, increases moods, and expands awareness. Grab your packs, build a fire, and explore!

cooking hotdogs over campfires is the best