Guide · Fire

Lighting a fire in wet weather

Getting a fire going in the rain is one of the hardest outdoor skills, but also one of the most valuable. Wet conditions make warmth and dry clothes more important than ever.

Find dry material

Even after days of rain, dry fuel is around if you know where to look.

• Dead branches still on trees. These dry out quickly because air moves around them. Snap off the lowest dead twigs of conifer trees — often found close to the trunk and sheltered by the branches above.
• Standing dead wood. A dead tree that's still upright is far drier than wood lying on the ground.
• Under shelter: beneath overhanging rocks, fallen trees, dense evergreen trees and inside hollow logs.
• Birch bark. It contains oils and burns even when damp.
• Resin-rich wood. Old pine stumps and the base of dead pine branches can be full of resin, which burns hot and long.
• Inside larger wood. The outside of a log may be soaked, but the centre is often dry. Split it and use the inner wood.

Prepare more than you think

Wet weather fires need more tinder and more kindling. Gather at least twice what you would on a dry day. Keep it all sheltered under a tarp, inside your jacket or in a bag until you're ready.

Make feather sticks

1. Take a dry stick about thumb-thick, split if needed to reach the dry centre.
2. Hold your knife at a shallow angle and shave thin curls down the stick, stopping before the end so they stay attached.
3. Make lots of curls. The thinnest catch first and light the thicker ones.

Build it right

1. Get off the wet ground. Make a platform of thick sticks or flat stones laid side by side.
2. Shelter the fire from rain and wind: under a tarp tied high above (not low enough to catch fire), beside a large rock, or under a dense tree — but well away from low branches.
3. Build a small, tight fire lay, with tinder in the middle and the driest kindling close around it.
4. Light it and feed it steadily with small sticks. Don't add larger, wet wood until you have a strong bed of embers.
5. Dry wood beside it. Stack the next lot of fuel near the fire, so it dries before it goes on.

Carry help

In wet places, always carry reliable fire-starters: a lighter, a ferro rod, storm-proof matches, and tinder that works when damp, such as petroleum jelly cotton wool or wax firelighters. Keep them sealed in waterproof bags.

Safety

Never build a fire inside a closed tent or small shelter. Smoke and carbon monoxide can kill, and fabric catches fire very quickly. Keep any tarp well above the flames.

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