by Rex Trulove

Created on: May 01, 2010

When people go camping at semi-improved or improved sites, fire pits are usually furnished for each campsite. However, camping at an unimproved or primitive site often means that a fire pit must be created. Done properly, the pit will contain the heat, making fire starting easier, and it will help prevent out of control fires.

Note: Always check to make sure it is legal to dig a fire pit in the area. Some places prohibit digging.

Location

The best location for the pit will be on level ground, but not under any trees that could subsequently catch aflame. For best results, the location also shouldn't be where the ground is extremely rocky, as this makes the digging much harder.

When the location has been selected, remove any grass, branches, leaves, needles, or other debris, for a distance of at least 8-12 feet. This lessens the chance of a fire accidentally escaping the fire pit and causing a wildfire. It also increases the safety for anyone moving around the fire.

Method

Once the area has been cleared, begin digging a hole. The size will be dependent on where the camp is, how many people are in the camping group, and the hardness of the soil to be dug. However, for a family of four, camping in the woods, a good target size is 3 feet deep by 4 feet long, by 3 feet wide.

This provides plenty of space for a good warming or cooking fire, yet it isn't so large that the fire ends up getting out of hand. The soil evacuated from the hole can be placed next to trees or bushes. It can also be used to build up a mound all the way around the pit, allowing enough extra space so it doesn't collapse back into the hole.

The mound also has the added benefit of helping to stabilize a double layer ring of rocks or more, that will be placed around the fire pit, as a guard against the fire and to retain heat. This is valuable, in the latter case, because in the early stages of fire building, having the heat reflected back in on the fire promotes it to burn more easily.

Initial set up

Okay, so there is a hole ringed with dirt and rocks. Now what? There is a good chance that the soil in the bottom of the hole and on the sides will be damp, especially in a forest, and this is obviously not great for building a fire on. The initial set up is then to line the bottom of the fire pit with dry tree bark. This allows the fire to be built above the damp soil, and at the same time, as the bark burns, it produces hot coals that dry out the ground below and around the fire.

This does not really have anything to do with digging the pit, but it is an important step. It allows the fire to be successful from the very first attempt at lighting it.

Digging a fire pit requires effort, however it isn't especially hard to do. A well built pit means that the fire will provide warmth, light, a means for cooking if it is needed, and it will still guard against wildfire and damage to the surroundings. If you are going camping at an unimproved site, it is well worth the effort to learn how to do it right. The same steps can even be used to make a great fire pit in your back yard, if you have enough room.

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.