If you find yourself in a situation where you need to know how to start a fire with wet wood, don’t worry about it. You can get the job done with a little effort and the right supplies. Even if you already know how to build a campfire, you might need a few tips to deal with building a fire in wet conditions.
Key Takeaways
- Preparation is Key: Gathering the right materials is crucial when starting a fire with wet wood. This includes tinder, kindling, and firestarter material. Tinder can be dry leaves, paper, bark, or cotton, while kindling is typically sticks, twigs, and bark.
- Choosing the Right Site: Avoid fire pits as they may contain water. Look for a site that is free from overhead trees that could drip water onto your fire. You may need to build your fire on a bed of bark or kindling to keep the tinder off the wet ground.
- Building the Fire Structure: Start by constructing a teepee fire lay with dry kindling around the tinder. Then, build a log cabin fire lay around the kindling teepee. This structure allows the wet wood to be dried out and ignited by the heat of the burning teepee.
- Lighting the Fire: Light the kindling at the bottom of the teepee using a match, lighter, or any ignitor. Once lit, continually add more kindling to the fire as it burns, using smaller sticks and twigs at first, then larger pieces when required to keep your fire going.
- Maintaining the Fire: Good airflow is essential for maintaining a fire started with wet wood. Stir the coals to create air gaps, which helps increase airflow. When you add new logs to the fire, stack them in a log cabin structure to help increase the airflow, which will help the wet wood burn quicker and with less smoke.
- Patience and Skill: Starting a fire with wet wood requires patience and skillful construction of a kindling ‘teepee’ and log cabin structure. Remember to maintain good airflow and continually add more kindling to the fire as it burns.
Table of Contents
- How to Start a Fire with Wet Wood
- Steps For Starting A Fire With Wet Wood
- FAQs for Starting A Fire With Wet Wood
- What materials are needed to start a fire with wet wood?
- How should I choose a site to start a fire with wet wood?
- What is the best way to structure a fire with wet wood?
- How do I light a fire with wet wood?
- How do I maintain a fire started with wet wood?
- What are some tips for starting a fire in wet conditions?
How to Start a Fire with Wet Wood
Starting a fire with wet wood involves careful preparation and technique. Here are the steps:
- Select the driest wood available: Look for wood that’s covered or less exposed to the elements.
- Prepare the wood: Use a knife or sharp object to remove the wet bark. Split the wood to expose the drier inner parts.
- Create kindling: Whittle away the wet outer layers to reach drier wood. From this wood, make small shavings or thin sticks.
- Use a tinder bundle: Gather small, dry materials like leaves, pine needles, or paper to help ignite the kindling.
- Assemble your fire: Place the tinder bundle in the center, surround it with your kindling, then gradually add larger pieces of the prepared wood.
- Light the fire: Ignite the tinder with matches or a lighter and blow gently at the base to provide oxygen, which helps fuel the fire.
Steps For Starting A Fire With Wet Wood
Gather your materials
You will need lots of tinder and kindling or firestarter material to burn the wet pieces of firewood.
Tinder is anything that catches fire quickly, like dry leaves, paper, bark, or cotton, or the Uberleben Tinder Wick.
Kindling is halfway between tinder and firewood in terms of how quickly it catches fire — most often it’s sticks, twigs, and bark.
Prepackaged firestarters are a convenient mix of tinder with a fire accelerant, such as wax, pine pitch, or any of various petroleum products.
Pick a Site
You may need to avoid fire pits, as they’ll likely have a puddle of water at the bottom. And look out for trees overhead that can drip water or melted snow on your fire. You may need to build your fire on a bed of bark or kindling to keep the tinder off the wet ground.
Build a Teepee and a Log Cabin
Build a teepee fire lay with the dry kindling around the tinder, with the smaller pieces near the center and the larger pieces at the outside. The idea is to give your fire enough air and space to breathe and not be smothered beneath bigger pieces of wood.
Then you’ll want to use your firewood to build what’s known as a log cabin fire lay (because it looks like a log cabin) around the kindling teepee so that the wet wood is dried out and ignited by being exposed to the heat of the burning teepee after the fire is started. Here again, you want gaps between the wood for airflow.
Building up the wet firewood around the sides and above the kindling and tinder creates a sort of mini ecosystem that helps to get (and keep) your fire going.
When set up correctly, the flame from the kindling will catch onto the wet logs on either side or over the top, drying them out so that they can eventually burn. This technique is beneficial if starting a campfire or bonfire in the rain when dry wood is hard to come by.
Start the Fire
Light the kindling at the bottom of the teepee, using either a match, lighter, or whatever ignitor you have.
Quick Tip: Check out our articles How to Start a Fire Without Matches and How To Refill Butane Lighters
Tend the Fire
Once lit, you’ll need to continually add more kindling to the fire as it burns — using smaller sticks and twigs at first, then larger pieces when required to keep your fire going.
Once the larger logs are burning, you’ll need to add more wet firewood off the sides of the fire to dry it out so it will be ready to burn when the fire starts to get low.
Tip: Building a fire requires the right tools, so be sure to check out our best hatchets for camping and backpacking post.
- Color Your Fire – Happy party time! Make fun to your kids, family and friends for an impressive bonfire night! We made these fire color fire packets fire pit, bonfire and indoor fireplace-friendly, so you can experience magically-colored fire wherever you are
- Safe, Self-Contained Packets – Convenient and easy-to-use fire color changing packets for outdoor gatherings. Just put 1-3 unopened packets into your fire to enjoy a beautiful array of multi-colored fires that will make your fire pit or campfires light up. Safety note: Color Fire Packets cannot be used in propane or artificial gas log pits. Don’t open the packet before throwing it into the fire.
- Longer Lasting Fire Color – These color changing fire packets produce every color in the rainbow! Enjoy purples, reds, greens, blues, and all other types of funky hues. Burns color up to 50 minutes longer than traditional fire color changing packs that means more time to enjoy the fire and special nights with your family!
- All Purpose – Perfect for fireplaces, fire pits, bonfires, or just a casual campfire, our fire changing color packets are safe to use both indoor and outdoor. Great for camping games and adventures. Enhances the ambiance of any outdoor space with its beautiful fires.
- Why Choose MEKER? – 1) Throw packets directly into fire 2) Sealed/Contained 3) No chemical contact with skin 4) Provides a safe and controlled way to enjoy a fire in your backyard 5) Last twice as long as other brands!
- CAMPING POPCORN POPPER – Treat yourself to gourmet popcorn prepared over an open flame in minutes. Easily pop a batch of everyone’s favorite salty snack while you enjoy a campfire, backyard bonfire, or a roaring indoor fireplace with this popcorn maker.
- NONSTICK COATING – The 3.5-quart capacity popcorn pan features a nonstick coating that helps prevent kernels from sticking to the pot and makes clean-up a breeze, whether you wash with soap and water or simply wipe the pan clean.
- SMART DESIGN – This innovative piece of campfire cooking equipment features an easy-open hinged clasping lid and a comfortable wood handle that is 16-inches-long to keep your hands safely away from the heat of the flames.
- GREAT GIFT – This handy piece of open fire cooking equipment makes a unique housewarming, birthday, or holiday present for camping enthusiasts and popcorn lovers alike, providing them with a new way to enjoy this classic savory snack.
- PRODUCT DETAILS – Materials: Metal and Wood. Dimensions: (L) 26″ x (W) 8″ x (H) 4″; Handle: (L) 16”. 3.5-Quart Capacity. Use 2 Tablespoons of Oil and 1/2 Cup of Kernels Per Batch. Yields Approximately 8 Cups of Popped Popcorn. Color: Black.
- Howling Moon Books (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 91 Pages – 05/22/2020 (Publication Date) – Bazaar Encounters, LLC (Publisher)
- Great for toasting sandwiches, grilling meat, and cooking desserts over an open fire
- Affordable, essential gear for car camping, RV trailers, motor homes, cabins, and more
- Lightweight cast aluminum or heavy cast iron
- Toasts sandwiches, grills meat, and seals in flavor
Maintain Airflow
Remember that good airflow not only helps the fire burn hotter, which is essential with wet wood, but it also helps reduce the smoke produced by the fire.
So, once the initial log structure burns and collapses, you should stir the coals to create air gaps, which helps increase airflow.
And when you add new logs to the fire, make sure you are stacking them in a log cabin structure to help increase the airflow… which will help the wet wood burn quicker and with less smoke.
With some patience and skillful construction of a kindling ‘teepee’ and log cabin structure, you should have no trouble starting a fire with wet wood.
FAQs for Starting A Fire With Wet Wood
What materials are needed to start a fire with wet wood?
To start a fire with wet wood, you will need lots of tinder and kindling or firestarter material. Tinder can be anything that catches fire quickly, like dry leaves, paper, bark, or cotton. Kindling is usually sticks, twigs, and bark. Prepackaged firestarters are a convenient mix of tinder with a fire accelerant, such as wax, pine pitch, or petroleum products.
How should I choose a site to start a fire with wet wood?
Avoid fire pits as they may have a puddle of water at the bottom. Also, look out for trees overhead that can drip water or melted snow on your fire. You may need to build your fire on a bed of bark or kindling to keep the tinder off the wet ground.
What is the best way to structure a fire with wet wood?
Start by building a teepee fire lay with the dry kindling around the tinder. Then, use your firewood to build a log cabin fire lay around the kindling teepee. This structure allows the wet wood to be dried out and ignited by the heat of the burning teepee.
How do I light a fire with wet wood?
Light the kindling at the bottom of the teepee using a match, lighter, or any ignitor you have. Once lit, you’ll need to continually add more kindling to the fire as it burns, using smaller sticks and twigs at first and larger pieces when necessary to keep the fire going.
How do I maintain a fire started with wet wood?
Good airflow is crucial for maintaining a fire started with wet wood. Stir the coals to create air gaps, which helps increase airflow. When you add new logs to the fire, stack them in a log cabin structure to help improve the airflow, which will help the wet wood burn quicker and with less smoke.
What are some tips for starting a fire in wet conditions?
Patience and skillfully constructing a kindling ‘teepee’ and log cabin structure are key. Remember to maintain good airflow and add more kindling to the fire as it burns. Also, be sure to have the right tools for building a fire.
- Color Your Fire – Happy party time! Make fun to your kids, family and friends for an impressive bonfire night! We made these fire color fire packets fire pit, bonfire and indoor fireplace-friendly, so you can experience magically-colored fire wherever you are
- Safe, Self-Contained Packets – Convenient and easy-to-use fire color changing packets for outdoor gatherings. Just put 1-3 unopened packets into your fire to enjoy a beautiful array of multi-colored fires that will make your fire pit or campfires light up. Safety note: Color Fire Packets cannot be used in propane or artificial gas log pits. Don’t open the packet before throwing it into the fire.
- Longer Lasting Fire Color – These color changing fire packets produce every color in the rainbow! Enjoy purples, reds, greens, blues, and all other types of funky hues. Burns color up to 50 minutes longer than traditional fire color changing packs that means more time to enjoy the fire and special nights with your family!
- All Purpose – Perfect for fireplaces, fire pits, bonfires, or just a casual campfire, our fire changing color packets are safe to use both indoor and outdoor. Great for camping games and adventures. Enhances the ambiance of any outdoor space with its beautiful fires.
- Why Choose MEKER? – 1) Throw packets directly into fire 2) Sealed/Contained 3) No chemical contact with skin 4) Provides a safe and controlled way to enjoy a fire in your backyard 5) Last twice as long as other brands!
- CAMPING POPCORN POPPER – Treat yourself to gourmet popcorn prepared over an open flame in minutes. Easily pop a batch of everyone’s favorite salty snack while you enjoy a campfire, backyard bonfire, or a roaring indoor fireplace with this popcorn maker.
- NONSTICK COATING – The 3.5-quart capacity popcorn pan features a nonstick coating that helps prevent kernels from sticking to the pot and makes clean-up a breeze, whether you wash with soap and water or simply wipe the pan clean.
- SMART DESIGN – This innovative piece of campfire cooking equipment features an easy-open hinged clasping lid and a comfortable wood handle that is 16-inches-long to keep your hands safely away from the heat of the flames.
- GREAT GIFT – This handy piece of open fire cooking equipment makes a unique housewarming, birthday, or holiday present for camping enthusiasts and popcorn lovers alike, providing them with a new way to enjoy this classic savory snack.
- PRODUCT DETAILS – Materials: Metal and Wood. Dimensions: (L) 26″ x (W) 8″ x (H) 4″; Handle: (L) 16”. 3.5-Quart Capacity. Use 2 Tablespoons of Oil and 1/2 Cup of Kernels Per Batch. Yields Approximately 8 Cups of Popped Popcorn. Color: Black.
- Howling Moon Books (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 91 Pages – 05/22/2020 (Publication Date) – Bazaar Encounters, LLC (Publisher)
- Great for toasting sandwiches, grilling meat, and cooking desserts over an open fire
- Affordable, essential gear for car camping, RV trailers, motor homes, cabins, and more
- Lightweight cast aluminum or heavy cast iron
- Toasts sandwiches, grills meat, and seals in flavor
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