“You never stay the same. You’re either getting better, or you’re getting worse.” This saying is one I’ve heard numerous times throughout my life and one I’ve found truth in. Perhaps, you’ve found the same is true in your own life. Our skills, knowledge and abilities all degenerate if we don’t keep them sharp. To improve, we’ve got to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and try new things. For those of us interested in outdoor living, one way we can push ourselves to new levels is by expanding our fire skills.

Skill Builder: Fire-Building & Fire-Keeping Essentials

Fire skills are some of the most foundational for outdoor living. Fire is something many of us grew up around and hopefully know how to control. At some point, you may have learned about ignition, fuels and how to build a fire in various conditions. Many readers may have also dabbled in primitive fire-making. Primitive fire-making is great to know and really helps to build your skills. However, making primitive fires should not be the end to your fire skill set.

While there is a long list of ways you can improve your fire skills, here are a few practical ways to take your ability to the next level.

Banking Coals

One of the more tedious tasks when living in the outdoors is starting a morning fire. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who wakes up a little stiff, sore and bleary-eyed from time to time. Nevertheless, if you want something hot to eat or drink, you’ve got to get your fire crackling first thing. One way you can avoid having to start from scratch is by learning to bank your coals.

Coals are one of the more useful elements of a fire. Many of us have probably enjoyed watching the last glowing coals shimmer in the black of night as our campfire dies out. Oftentimes, we may sit around for a few extra minutes, enjoying the glow and the heat before extinguishing the dying fire for good. However, if you need a fire in the morning, you may want to consider banking those coals instead.

Banking refers to the practice of burying coals until they will be used at a later time. While there are multiple ways to do this, one way is to cover them with dirt. There are many recommendations for how deep to bury your coals, but most people recommend at least 6 inches of dirt or sand. Covering the coals with earth does two things to extend their life.

Burying Coals

First, burying coals limits their available oxygen. Of course, fires need oxygen to burn, and by limiting the oxygen you will greatly decrease the rate of burn. Second, the earth insulates the coals to trap more heat around them. Together, these factors can help the coals stay alive for longer periods of time.

When it comes to banking coals, there are a few safety tips to remember. One: Never bank your coals in an area where they may catch a root system on fire. Root fires are hard to put out but can be prevented with good fire placement. Two: The coals should still be checked from time to time to make sure they are staying contained within the bank. Like any fire, don’t bank coals in an area with excess fuel lying around. Also, there are no surprises when it comes to wood selection. Hardwoods are better than softwoods, and dry wood is better than green wood for making coals. Three: Don’t try and bank coals after burning just a small fire. The longer you want the coals to last, the bigger your initial fire needs to be.

Here arises part of the challenge. You don’t want to build a large and dangerous fire, but you need a fire big enough to get you through. It will take some practice to determine how big a fire you need. The more you practice, the more you will develop the feel that only experience can provide. With enough trial and error, you may be able to get your coals to last an entire night.

Hot Rocks

Another good fire skill to develop is learning how to use rocks in your favor. One way to use hot rocks is to heat the ground for sleeping in cold weather. If you’ve ever watched the movie Jeremiah Johnson, you may remember the scene when Jeremiah sleeps over a bed of coals and nearly catches on fire. In this case, the movie touches on a real danger of a heated bed of coals for sleeping.

While some people advocate for sleeping on a bed of coals, perhaps the best advice on this subject comes from expert survivalist Tom Brown. In his book Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival, the author advocates making the bed out of hot stones rather than coals. Using his advice, you’ll still benefit from sleeping on heated ground, but you have a decreased risk of accidentally catching on fire like Jeremiah.

Can You Dig It?

To build a heated bed, start by digging a trench roughly a foot deep. The length can be longer or shorter depending on your body size. You can decrease the work involved if you dig a trench just big enough to heat your torso. If the soil is frozen, thaw it out by building your fire over the area before digging. Wherever you build your fire, it is a good idea to get your rocks heating immediately. It’s also important to avoid collecting rocks from bodies of water. Rocks collected from water sources can explode as they heat in the fire.

Once digging is completed and your rocks are heated, you should place your rocks in the trench about 30 minutes before sleeping. It helps to use sticks to pluck them from the fire. Once your rocks fill the bottom of the trench, refill with the excavated soil. Watch the location for a few minutes to make sure everything is contained within the trench. Once you are satisfied your heated bed is working correctly, simply lay out your blanket in preparation for a night’s sleep.

Carrying Fire

Another high-level skill you can develop is the ability to carry your fire with you as you travel. Carrying fire has the same practical purpose as banking coals, in that you only need to start one fire. Carrying fire was common in the past and practiced by many people. The Blackfeet people employed one interesting method that has been recently shared by the U.S. Forest Service.

The Blackfeet was a nomadic tribe living on the Northern Plains when Europeans first came west. As nomads, they were constantly on the move and camping in new locations. According to Blackfeet elder Marvin Weatherwax, the tribe sent runners ahead of the main group when camp moved. These runners not only selected a campsite but also carried coals from one camp to another so a fire would be prepared when the main camp arrived. How they transported the fire is particularly interesting.

The fire carrier had a buffalo horn that was cased in mud or clay with several strategic holes. Inside the horn, the bottom was packed with damp moss until 4 or 5 inches from the top. Then a flat stone was placed on the moss. After that, a hot coal was placed on the stone. Next, several circles of sticks were placed inside the horn on top of the coal. The inner circle of sticks came from softwoods like cottonwoods or aspen. The outer circle of sticks came from hardwoods like ash.

Seal the Deal

Once the sticks were in place, another layer of moss was packed around them to create insulation against the horn wall. Lastly, a material like rawhide sealed the top. In this manner, a fire was kept burning while being transported from camp to camp. This not only had a practical function, but it also created continuity in a nomadic life. In this way, the same fires may have kept these people warm for years.

While you may not have easy access to all the primitive materials the Blackfeet did, you can still apply the general principle today. Essentially, what you want to do is create conditions so your fire will burn slowly. You can do this by decreasing the oxygen (sealing), adding some moisture (moss), while keeping the heat (sticks). Personally, I got satisfactory results from my “fire jar” using materials from my local area.

I started with an aluminum can and layered the bottom with moist animal manure. I still placed the coal on a flat stone but used punk wood instead of sticks for heat. Once it was smoking, I capped the can with rawhide. Using this method, I was able to keep my coal going for several hours, and could have kept it going longer by occasionally adding punk wood.

Build Your Fire Skills

If you think it’s time to take your fire skills to the next level, these are three things you can practice. Each has a practical purpose and can make your time in the outdoors easier. As with any advanced skill, try not to get frustrated if things don’t go well at first. These skills can be difficult, so you will likely fail a time or two. However, you can try to set yourself up for success. Start small and in ideal conditions. Practice in the backyard until you work through the rough spots. It may take time. However, if you push through the learning curve, you’ll find yourself a little better on the other side.