Surviving in the wilderness would be a somewhat impossible mission if you don’t know how to start a fire, especially how to keep a fire going in the rain. Even though it might sound easy peasy to you, let me tell you, as a person that likes to challenge my survival instincts and spend a lot of time in nature – it’s more difficult than you can imagine.
Well, all of that time spent in challenging conditions has taught me quite a few things, so I thought, why not share them with all the other folks that are just as adventurous as me, or in case your plane crashes in the desert island, and you are the only one alive.
How to Keep a Fire Going in the Rain
First things first, what you want to do is find a dry and naturally sheltered palace where you can start your fire. Look for areas with a lot of vegetation, like pine trees.
Now collect the tinder; look for drier woods like cherry, ash, thin sticks, and punk wood. Having a good tinder supply is necessary, so make sure you add to the fire constantly and then create a natural shelter by shielding the burning fire with the punk wood on top of the flame.
Detailed Guide
Starting a fire with completely dry wood and the area is something pretty much anyone can do. However, the trickiest part is starting a fire in the pouring rain with damped wood. Even though it seems like a challenging mission, it’s not completely impossible.
Find the right location
Of course, one of the most important things about starting a fire in the rain is to find the appropriate location, so the first thing I advise you to do is to look for some cover.
As impossible as this might be, I don’t mean to build an actual shelter; instead, I look for some vegetation, like some pine trees.
The best advice I can give you is to avoid areas where there is any natural ditch where water can collect and avoid surfaces that are already wet.
Look for a sheltered location that’s dry and warm, like a groove of trees or against a rock face; alternatively, you can dig a pit to sustain the fire for a longer period.
Collect as much dry wood as possible
Now, you want to look for tinder as dry as possible. You would want to look for harder woods like cherry and ash as they are known to burn slower and steadier, while the evergreens like pine, hemlock, and spruce burn hot and fast.
Birch bark, shredded inner bark, thin sticks, and red pine make good kindling. I advise you to collect as much material as you can since once the fire starts burning, you’ll need to constantly fight against the wet weather, and you’ll need to add more wood.
Read More: How to Build a Waterproof Shelter in the Woods
Create dry materials
However, if you still cannot find a dry tinder, you can carve shavings out of the wet wood since the core of the wood usually remains dry.
What’s going to be an absolute savior for you if you cannot find completely dry wood is to create shavings out of the wet one. In this case, you’ll need to use a knife or something sharp to get to the dry material. Next, break or cut the dry materials into multiple smaller pieces.
Prepare the fire pile
Okay, you have the materials prepared, so you’ll need to create the fire pile. Find a flat surface and lay down a couple of dry sticks, then place the shavings of the wood on top of them.
However, make sure there is a little space between them since, for the fire to be able to start, there must be enough oxygen.
Start the fire
One of the easiest and probably most effective ways to start a fire is using a bow drill you’ll need to create yourself.
Wrap the bow into the pointy piece of wood and place the tip into the cottonwood. Tightly lock your wrist against the spin and apply pressure to the handhold.
Read more: What Is a Ferrocerium Rod?
Create a bow drill yourself
Find a piece of sturdy wood and make sure it’s as straight as possible. Cut the piece of wood like a beaver by rotating it, then break the piece and start sharpening the tip.
Next, take a piece of thicker cottonwood and cut it in half. Start cutting a small hollow in the middle of the surface so the tapered end of your spindle will fit in.
Now that you have the spindle and the bearing block, you’ll need to create the bow. What you’ll need is to find a simple curved stick with a wide ratchet on one end. Now take a straw or something that will be more enduring and tie it to both ends of the stick.
Maintain the fire while it’s raining
It’s a no-brainer; one of the most effective ways how to keep a fire going in the rain, especially if it’s pouring heavily, is putting as much dry wood as you can in it, so in this case, make sure you have enough supply to sustain it while it’s still raining.
The second option is to place a big load of punk wood on top of it. Bring all the pieces too close together while maintaining a little space so the burning fire will breathe; this way, they will collect the moisture while simultaneously drying out and starting burning.
Burning wet stuff is tricky. However, starting the fire on dry ground would be much easier. So before you do it, search the place well and pick the driest area you can.
Also Read: How to Build a Teepee With a Fire Pit
Conclusion
Now that you know how to keep a fire going in the rain, you will not be scared of the bad weather next time you go camping with your friends or family.
I hope you found this article helpful and will remember some tips when going into the woods.
Happy Camping!