Popular types of campfires. 8 kinds of fire everyone should know.

You could say that people have been using fire since the very beginning of their history. Fire gives warmth, lets you cook a meal and keeps mosquitoes and wild animals away. In an emergency, knowing how to light a campfire, and which type of fire will work best in a given situation, can be crucial to survival. There are quite a few different types of campfire, but here I will focus on the 8 that I think matter most. 

The different types of campfire go by different names, depending on the part of the world, the language and even local dialect. So I will give several names for each one, used interchangeably.

The Dakota fire pit, also known as the Dakota fire hole or Dakota smokeless fire pit

The Dakota fire hole is an efficient and simple way to burn a fire. It produces little or no smoke at all. To make a Dakota fire, you dig two connected holes in the ground: one for the fuel and the other to provide a good draught of air. Put the tinder and kindling into the fire hole, lay the main fuel on top and light it. 

In a Dakota fire, the fire burns from the top down, creating a steady, even stream of air “sucked in” through the air hole. It works on the same principle as a fireplace or a stove, creating what is called a draught. Because air flows freely around the fuel, it burns almost completely, which gives you a fire that burns hot and bright, with little or even no smoke. That is why the Dakota fire is also known as the smokeless fire.

A Dakota fire pit gives off little light, makes very little smoke and is easier to light in strong wind. That is why it is often used in combat conditions and in situations where you don’t want your fire to be easily spotted.

Pros

• burns without smoke
• doesn’t draw attention
• you can cook on it
• easy to light
• can be lit even in very strong wind

Cons

• hard to prepare 
• may need tools
• gets through fuel quickly

The cone fire or tipi fire (sometimes wrongly called a “wigwam fire”)

The tipi fire is one of the simplest and most popular types of campfire. You can build it from almost any fuel you happen to have to hand. The cone fire is the first kind of fire children learn to light. It burns with a bright, warm flame, but it often smokes a lot. 

Because of the way it is built, the fuel may not burn completely. As the fire in a cone fire burns from the bottom up, it very often “produces” clouds of smoke. Sometimes that smoke can be a good thing, for example somewhere swarming with mosquitoes.

A tipi fire also needs constant watching. It has a habit of “wandering”, so you have to keep an eye on it. It is no good for cooking either, as there is no surface you could safely stand a pot, kettle or frying pan on. You can get round that problem, though, by building a tripod to hang a cooking pot from.

This type of fire burns very quickly and needs constant feeding. It is best when you need to warm up fast, or to dry yourself and your clothes. 

How to light a tipi fire

It’s simple: put the kindling at the bottom and build a cone of branches and sticks over it. Start with the thinner branches and finish with the thicker poles.

Tip: drive a few of the supporting pieces into the ground so that the fire doesn’t collapse so easily under its own weight as it burns.

Pros

• easy to build
• no tools needed
• needs little preparation
• easy to keep going

Cons

• burns through wood quickly
• needs constant feeding 
• can be smoky

The nodya, also called nodia, najda, nojda or the Siberian log fire

This is a really interesting type of campfire. This way of burning a fire was probably “invented” in Siberia, but it is also known in many other places, including Scandinavia and North America. It comes in several variants too, both in how the fuel is laid and in how it is lit.

Put simply, a nodya fire is two logs (or more, in other versions) laid one on top of the other, parallel.

The nodya is a fire meant mainly to keep your sleeping spot warm. Built properly, it burns for a long time (8 to 10 hours) with no attention at all, so you can sleep the whole night beside it (do you want to know how long you can go without sleep?) without having to add any fuel. It does have its drawbacks, though.

First, in most variants you can’t cook on it. So if you want a hot meal, you should light a second, more “traditional” fire. Second, building a nodya is a lot of work and can take as long as 2 hours. And third, to make a Siberian-style fire you need tools: at least an axe or a hatchet, and ideally a saw as well.

How to build a nodya

For the most basic version, you will need two logs at least 20 cm in diameter (obviously, the bigger the diameter, the longer your fire will burn). Make sure the wood you want to use for your nodya is dry. Otherwise you may not get it to light at all, and even if you’re lucky, the wood will spit sparks like a machine gun, which is far from ideal when you are asleep in a sleeping bag made of flammable material.

Conifers “spit” the most, because of their high resin and essential oil content. On the other hand, for the same reason, they also burn the best. Spruce is probably the worst “spitter” of all. Pine is probably the best compromise between burning well and “spitting” little. Just make sure it is dry, inside as well. That is why the best wood for a nodya is a tree that has died but is still standing upright, not in direct contact with the ground and the forest floor. Just remember that felling a dead tree is dangerous work and calls for a great deal of care.

Once you have picked a tree for your fire, you can start building the nodya. Cut two logs roughly as long as you are tall, and remove any sticking-out branches and loose bits of bark. Then, with a saw and an axe, hew a flat face along the whole length of both logs. These flat faces make it easy to lay the tinder.

Once the logs are ready, lay one of them flat side up. Spread the tinder along that flat face. You need plenty of it, and it should be good quality. Some of the best tinder you can find in a forest is birch bark and dry conifer twigs. You can also use dry grass. It is also a good idea to keep the shavings you got when hewing the flat faces I mentioned earlier. Let me stress it once more: it is very important for the tinder to be as good as possible, because the success of the whole exercise depends on it to a large extent.

So let’s sum up our progress so far. We have two dry pine logs, about 1.8 m long and 20 cm in diameter. Both have been cleared of branches and both have a flat face hewn along their whole length. One of the logs lies flat side up. Along the whole length of that flat face we lay a layer of tinder made of birch bark, dry conifer twigs and the shavings from our earlier work.

For the fire to light without trouble, you need to make sure air can circulate properly in the gap between the logs, where the tinder is lying now. You do that by laying two spacer sticks across the log, roughly 5 cm in diameter by eye. Place them the same distance from the centre, as close to each other as possible, so that the whole structure stays stable.

Now carefully lay the second log on top, this time flat side down. At this point your structure should look like this: two logs, one on top of the other, with the tinder and the spacer sticks between them.

The fire’s centre of gravity will shift as it burns, so to keep it stable, drive in some supports to stop the top log from rolling off. Make them from thick, freshly cut branches so that they last as long as possible before burning through. You can also drive in more supports further out as extra protection. Drive the supports into the ground at a slight angle, almost vertically, so that their tops hold up the upper log. That keeps the chances of them burning through quickly to a minimum.

Let’s light our nodya!

The big moment has finally arrived: time to light the fire. Try to spread the fire evenly and make sure it burns along the whole length, paying particular attention to the ends where the logs meet, because that is usually where it is hardest to keep the fire going. If the ends are not burning properly, the fire will hollow out a “boat” in the middle and go out.

Remember: the whole idea of this kind of fire rests on the gap between the two burning logs. If the gap is too small or too big (or there is no gap at all), the fire won’t burn. That is exactly why we put in the spacer sticks, which you can remove once the fire has properly caught.

That’s it. From the moment the fire is burning evenly along its whole length without any help from you, you’re sorted. The fire should burn for at least 8 hours, if not longer. You can lay your sleeping bag alongside the fire and enjoy the warmth all night. Also remember that a nodya shouldn’t really burn with a bright flame, or it will burn out too quickly. What you want is warm, steady embers without flames.

Other versions of the nodya

The method I have described is not the only way to light a nodya. There are others.

You can, for example, light the tinder first and only put the second log on top once the fire is burning fairly strongly. You can skip hewing the flat faces, and it is still possible to light it that way, but you will have a much harder time keeping the fire going in its early stage. There is also an option where, instead of dry tinder, you lay embers from a fire you lit earlier. It is worth testing which method suits you best. A lot depends on the conditions you find yourself in and on your surroundings.

An interesting variant of the nodya uses three logs. Lay two logs side by side on the ground, parallel to each other, and put the third on top between them, making a mini pyramid. Some people may find this method simpler, but it is probably more work to prepare.

Pros

• needs no tending
• burns for a very long time
• warms your whole body well and evenly at night

Cons

• needs tools
• hard to build
• takes a long time to build
• gives little light
• you can’t cook on it

The Swedish fire: Swedish torch, Swedish fire log

The Swedish fire, also called the Swedish torch, is claimed as their invention by the Swedes (naturally) and by the Canadians. Personally, though, I’d lean towards the former 🙂 

The Swedish torch has become quite popular lately. You can even buy ready-made ones that you just have to light. 

A Swedish-style fire is very efficient. It burns up to 3 times longer than a tipi fire on a similar volume of fuel. It also needs almost no watching. On top of that, you can stand pots on it and other cookware. What it doesn’t give you is much heat.

This type of fire comes in many variants, and there are several ways to make one. 

It takes a bit of practice and some skill with tools. First you need a suitably sized chunk of wood, ideally a cleanly cut section of tree trunk 0.5 to 1 metre tall. Split this round lengthways (with a saw or an axe) into at least 4 roughly equal pieces. 

Next, you need to remove part of the core of the log, so that when you put the pieces back together there is a hollow space in the middle. 

Then, once you have put the split log back together, tie it all up, ideally with wire or a chain, so that everything is stable and doesn’t fall apart. As a last resort you can use string, but bear in mind that sooner or later it will burn through. 

You can also put small spacer sticks between the split pieces to let more air through. After all, oxygen is one side of the fire triangle. 

Once the structure is ready, put the kindling inside and light it. Getting a Swedish torch going can be tricky, so have plenty of kindling ready in advance and add more as needed. 

Once a Swedish fire has caught, you don’t need to worry about it any more: it needs no feeding and will burn for a very long time without you doing anything.

Pros

• needs no tending
• good for cooking
• long burn time (up to three times longer than an ordinary campfire)
• fuel-efficient

Cons

• needs tools
• takes longer to prepare
• hard to light
• needs a lot of kindling
• you need a big “chunk of wood”

The pyramid fire, also known as the “stack”

The pyramid fire is a very efficient and clever way to burn a fire out in the field. It has plenty of advantages, especially if you want to spend a warm night without waking up every so often to put more wood on.

The pyramid fire, known in older Polish as the “stos” or stack (thanks to Tomek for that one), is a type of fire that burns from the top. Because of that it gives off little smoke and burns evenly. It doesn’t need constant watching either.

Building this type of fire is simple but can take a while. Start by gathering suitable branches of different thicknesses. At the very bottom, lay two or three of the thickest pieces parallel to each other. That will be the base of your structure. Then lay a layer of slightly thinner branches at right angles to the first. Each layer after that is again thinner and laid at right angles to the one below. This way you build a pyramid with the kindling laid on top. Now all you have to do is light the kindling and your fire is ready. 

Also make sure not to pack the branches in each layer too tightly. The point is for the burning fire to have a steady supply of oxygen.

Depending on the number of layers, the thickness of the branches you used and the height of your pyramid, it can burn for anything from an hour to several hours without you watching it. If the fuel burns out, just throw on a few new branches. 

If you want your pyramid fire (also called the upside-down fire) to burn longer, you can pack the wood a little more tightly to limit the oxygen supply. You can also sprinkle a little soil, sand or any loose, non-flammable material “here and there”.

The fire will then burn more slowly, but in most cases it will give off more smoke.

A big advantage of this type of fire is that you can light it on snow or on waterlogged ground.

Pros

• fairly simple to build
• doesn’t need much attention
• easy to light
• can be lit even on snow

Cons

• may need tools
• takes time to build 

The well fire

The well fire (in English often called the log cabin fire) is a type of fire that sometimes gets the wrong name and is mixed up with the pyramid fire. This type of fire isn’t really suited to emergencies. It is more of a good-looking show. The well fire burns from the bottom. It gives a strong, bright flame, but gets through fuel quickly. 

To build one, you need split logs or branches that are fairly straight and of similar thickness. 

Lay the sticks two at a time, so that each layer sits at right angles to the one below. This gives you something like a chimney, or indeed a well. Put the kindling inside and light it. The fire burns fast, and before long the whole structure will probably collapse on you 🙂

One reader, Marian, rightly pointed out that the main purpose of a well fire is that it can be seen from a long way off. And indeed, in an emergency, when you need to attract attention, it may be the best option.

Pros

• looks good
• gives off a lot of heat
• visible from afar

Cons

• needs tools
• takes time to build
• mostly a fire for “showing off”

The star fire

The star fire is a type of fire that burns for a long time and needs minimal watching, although it doesn’t look after itself entirely. It is also easy to build and light.

To build one, you will need a few thick branches. Lay them with their ends pointing inwards so that they almost meet at a single point. Almost, because you have to leave a bit of space for the kindling. The branches form a shape that looks like a star, hence the name.

Once it is built, light the kindling. As the wood burns down, simply push it further in towards the centre. 

The downside of this type of fire is how little heat it gives off. It is, however, fairly economical in terms of the amount of fuel it uses.

Pros

• long burn time
• easy to light
• easy to build
• fairly efficient

Cons

• doesn’t give much heat
• needs a base if you light it on waterlogged ground or snow
• may need tools

The lean-to fire

The lean-to fire is a type of fire that you can get going quickly and easily. That makes it the classic fire to light in an emergency. It also does brilliantly in windy weather, and you’ll have no trouble burning even wet wood on it. There are several ways to build a lean-to fire.

I’ll describe what is probably the simplest one here. All you need is one thick branch or log. You lean the ends of thinner branches against it, laid in a row, one next to the other. Put the kindling under this layer of branches. To make lighting a lean-to fire easier, you can temporarily take away a few branches that get in the way of the kindling.

Once the kindling is lit, fill in the gaps so that the branches form a single, fairly even layer. Here too, make sure that the individual pieces are not too close together. That helps the air circulate and makes it less likely the fire will smother itself. It also cuts down the amount of smoke.

A lean-to fire burns well even in quite a strong wind, as long as you set it up facing the right way, that is, with the main support at right angles to the wind direction.

The downside of this type of fire is that on snow or waterlogged ground you have to build a raised base or platform for it. It also burns fairly quickly, so it is not a good choice where fuel is scarce. 

Pros

• easy to build
• burns even wet wood
• the best type of fire for emergencies
• burns even in quite strong wind (if set up correctly)

Cons

• burns out quickly
• can be hard to light on snow or waterlogged ground 

So there you have it: 8 types of campfire, picked fairly subjectively. There are a few more, but I think I’ve covered all the most important ones. What about you, do you have a favourite type of campfire? If so, tell me about it in the comments.