Fire

“There’s no smoke without fire…. except when you try to light one in the jungle”

Getting a fire going in the jungle can be extremely frustrating (when it doesn’t work) and equally satisfying (when it does).  Because of the rain and damp, the astonishing speed at which things rot and the high levels of humidity, getting a fire going can be a little tricky.  But that’s not to say it is isn’t possible and, once your fire is established, the jungle becomes a much more comfortable place to be in – the mozzis disappear (or are at least banished to the perimeter of the smoke-zone), you can boil water, cook, signal for help and, perhaps most importantly, a fire will lift your spirits (if things have all gone wrong) and will keep you warm if you’re forced to spend an unplanned night in the jungle.

In the posts here (check the categories list on the right hand side) I’ll concentrate on fire-lighting for the jungle and won’t go over well-trodden ground already covered in many bushcraft publications/sites etc.

We’ll start with the very basics: i.e. how to to get a fire going using a lighter and inner tube – before moving on to the wider subject of how to start a fire without lighter or matches.

Once you get your first fire going you can use that fire to make subsequent fire lighting much easier (by preparing charcloth, carrying fire, making firelighters etc) and I’ll cover these areas too.

Finally I’ll look at some jungle fire-lighting techniques that are fun and interesting to know (but aren’t necessarily the best ones to rely on).