Choose and build the right fire for your situation

BY REUBEN BOLIEU

A teepee ire lay is the most commonly used ire for warmth or for boiling directly above the lame. It can also act as a basis for starting other ire lays. Here, the author used a teepee ire to boil water in a kettle suspended on a large tripod.

The lean-to is the author’s preferred ire lay for the simplicity and eficiency it ofers. It can be used to start a hunter’s ire by adding another log or large stone parallel to the lean-to log.

The way an outdoorsman arranges their firewood for a campire, cook ire, signal ire, council ire or just a quick boil is generally considered a “ire lay.” Let me first go back to what it may have been like for many of us the first few times we tried to make a ire. Of course, I am speaking of my own experiences here, but I think there might be a few of you who can relate to this.

Whether the ire was started with a lighter, matches, ferrocerium rod or another method doesn’t matter, because, once it went ablaze, we then went scrambling around the woods looking for sticks, leaves and logs—often picking them up right off the ground, where they are more likely to be damp. Sooner or later, our ire would end up in a smoky smudge! I don’t know if anyone can relate to this story, but such was my experience the first few times I made ire.