How to build a campfire

Making kindling

“Logs split into thin, flammable pieces make the best kindling,”Sidel says. To cut wood, use the contact method taught by the BoyScouts: lay the edge of the hatchet or ax on the end of the wood,parallel to the grain, then strike them against your choppingblock.

The tepee

“The tepee shape works great if you’re using long sticks, butit’s less stable,” Sidel notes. Begin with crumpled newspaper (thewhole sports section) or tinder, then lay on plenty of kindling.Start your tepee by forming a tripod with three stout sticks andthen fill it in, leaving a gap to allow wind to enter andcirculate.

The log cabin

“It works best with logs or short pieces of wood,” says Sidel,and it also creates a great bed of coals for toasting marshmallows.Start with a generous amount of crumpled newspaper and kindling,making sure it will burn the wood. Once the fire’s established, addone or two of your largest chunks of wood.

REMEMBER

Don’t collect downed wood in parks. Don’t leave a campfireunattended.

Do douse fires with a bucket of water. Do rake out coals to makesure they’re dead.