Starting and sustaining a fire will determine your survival in the wild. A fire will not only provides heat and the ability to cook, a fire will raise your spirits and the morale of yourselves and others around you. These psychological benefits are as important as the physical benefits.

Fire will also help keep predators at away (animals and insects) and dry your clothes. Every fire requires: fuel, oxygen, and the proper construction. The following will provide you with a basic knowledge of fires and how to properly build one.

Depending on your geographical area, you can usually find the tinder you need in the wild, if you know what to look for:

Moss: Search for extremely dry moss by looking towards the bottom of rocks and tree roots. Do not waist time by trying to light damp moss or anything else that is wet or moist unless there are no other options.

Inner Bark:  Bark is an amazing form of tinder. Even if it has just been raining, by striping away outer layers of bark you should still find something dry inside. Always use rotten wood; it is most likely the driest.

Dry Grass: The lighter the color of grass the more useful it is for tinder. Also, the thinner the grass the easier it will be to light.

Leaves: Cracked leaves or dead leaves, which have already fallen off the tree, are sure thing for tinder. Rubbing slightly damp leaves together can often dry them out for easier lighting.

Improving Tinder

 The best way to build a solid fire is to start it off extremely slowly and gradually increase to larger pieces of wood as you progress. The biggest mistake people make is lack of fire preparation. The key to a great fire is to have enough materials and fuel around you, as building a fire can take time and you should not be running around looking for tinder or fuel while trying to build the fire. This is waste of energy and worse, extremely dangerous! Construct your fireplace with care and always remember your surroundings. A fire can potentially burn everything around it. Remember that fire eats oxygen. Therefore never build a fire in an enclosed area without proper ventilation, you will quickly find yourself without oxygen.

Types of Fire Constructions

Tee pee Shapes: The easiest fire construction is tee pee shape. When you balance a few sticks upright against each other, with the top meeting at a point. Make your tee pee is strong by surrounding it with more and more sticks. Once the outside frame is complete, add your tinder inside the tee pee itself. Light the tinder and slowly add fuel as the fire progresses.

Trench Fire: A trench fire is a useful way to shelter your fire against strong winds and allow for a strong fire to thrive. First, dig a hole in the ground about 1 foot deep and then start building your standard tee pee sticks up on top. After that, place your tinder in the 1-foot trench protecting it from the wind.

Rock Wall Fire: This will also shelter your fire from the wind, by building a wall of rocks around your tee pee. It takes time and a large quantity of rocks to accomplish this. In some occasions it may be a better idea to build your fire near a natural wall or barrier.

Fire Lighting Methods

The biggest shortcuts in starting a fire is having everything you need to be prepared. Waterproof matches, cotton, fire sticks, flint, and magnifying glasses, even lighters will make the task of starting a fire incredibly easy. The challenge then is in keeping the fire going!

Bow Drill

There are various ways to start a fire. One is vigorously rubbing two pieces of carefully placed woods together, using the principal of friction. This is quite a challenging task and does require some practice to accomplish. First find a strong but thin piece of wood branch at least two feet long to create your bow. Cut grooves in each end and tie a length of rope at each groove.

The rope will need some slack because you will need to make one loop around your drill in order for this process to work. After building a good bow you will need to build a bearing block of wood, that the top of the bow will fit into. Carve a shallow hole into the bearing block and with your hand place a good amount of downward pressure on the bow. You can create more friction by applying pressure on the bow. Place the tinder in the larger base of wood placed at the bottom of your bow.

Quickly turn the drill while applying downward pressure from your top-bearing block. With enough force the friction will cause the dry tinder to ignite. When this happens quickly blow on the tinder and your fire will soon light.