Teepee fire lay

A fire needs three things: fuel, heat and oxygen. The teepee provides all three at once. The sticks stand at an angle and point towards the flame. That way they are preheated evenly from bottom to top before they burn themselves.

At the same time, a chimney effect develops. Hot air is lighter than cold air and rises in the middle of the cone. This draws fresh air in at the bottom through the gaps between the sticks. So the fire supplies itself with oxygen – as long as the sticks are not packed too tightly.

Sort your wood by thickness before lighting: tinder, matchstick-thin sticks, pencil-thick sticks and thumb-thick sticks. The thinnest go on the inside, the thicker ones outside. If you stand up thick logs straight away, you smother the small flame or it never reaches the wood.

Leave a small opening on the windward side so you can light the bundle from below. The wind then blows into the fire rather than blowing the flame away from your tinder. Stand the cone loosely enough that you can still see between the sticks.

Once the flames break out at the top, lean on more wood that is slightly thicker. Not too early and not too much at once – otherwise the teepee collapses before the new wood has caught.

The teepee is ideal for beginners and whenever a fire needs to burn quickly. With its tall, concentrated flame it brings a pot of water to the boil fast. Many experienced people use a small teepee as a starter fire and later build a log cabin or star fire around it.

It is less suitable for a long-lasting fire: it burns through wood quickly and constantly needs feeding. In strong wind it is a poor choice, because the tall flames carry many sparks into the air. A low lay such as the lean-to is better then.

Check the local rules and current wildfire danger before every fire. Fire bans always apply, even to small practice fires. Use existing fire sites where possible and keep water or soil ready for putting the fire out.

The teepee collapses as it burns. Burning pieces can roll off to the side. So clear dry leaves, grass and twigs from around the fire site and keep a sensible distance yourself. Never pour petrol, spirit or other flammable liquids onto the fire or the embers – the vapours can ignite explosively.

Never leave the fire unattended. When you are finished, put it out completely with plenty of water, stir the ashes and check with the back of your hand, at a safe distance, that no heat can be felt.

The teepee is the best way to start learning fire-making. Practise at a permitted fire site and set yourself a small goal: get the fire burning with a single match. For that you need to have gathered enough thin, dry material beforehand – usually more than you would think.

While practising, notice what happens when you build the cone tighter or looser. That way you learn for yourself how much air a fire needs. This knowledge will help you later with every other fire lay.