How Much Firewood to Bring for Camping

About campfires, there are several problems that can appear before you even if you are not a beginner. One of the most confusing problems is how much firewood to bring for camping, right?

Well, I also faced this problem several times. I just couldn’t measure the amount and very soon my stocks got cleared and I had nothing to make a fire. Even, I had to come back before my planned day just because of the deficiency of firewoods.

So, I plan to share some essential facts about this topic. It is true that I cannot just say the number of firewoods you should carry on your camping.

There are several issues that matter a lot on how much woods you will need. That’s why I cannot help you with an idea of the fixed amount of firewoods. But I can help you measure it by yourself.

First, you should learn about the issues that play a vital role in the case of a campfire. To learn about the right firewoods is also essential as I think.

However, I’ll disclose all these matters today so that you won’t face any problem with the number of firewoods. So, don’t skip any part.

 

Factors That the Needs of Firewood Depend on

Yes, there are different reasons you have to bring more firewoods than you brought last time. And so, while planning for your trip, you should think about all these facts. Let’s check them out.

The Length of Your Trip

It is the most crucial part while fixing the quantity of firewoods. It is obvious that you will never need the same amount of woods for a trip of 1 day and 1 week.

The longer you are planning to make your trip, the more firewoods you will need. So, first, you have to think about your trip duration and then get the woods.

The climate of the Campsite

It is another fact that you cannot deny. Still, most of you never think about the climate in this case. However, you don’t need to bring the same amount of firewood on a campsite with any type of climate.

If it is summer and the climate is dry, you don’t need to light a campfire to make yourself warm. So, you will need less amount of that. But in winter, you will definitely need more firewoods.

How Long You Will Need Campfire in a Day

You should also think about how often and how long you will need a campfire. In winter you have to use it for a longer time than in summer.

Again, if you have cooking stoves, you don’t need to use a campfire to cook your meal. Also, it matters whether or not you love to use it while sleeping.

So, all these facts end in the question about how long and how often you will need a campfire and the amount of woods must be dependent on that.

Type of Firewoods

It is another problem you may not be aware of. Well, you should keep it in your mind that any type of firewood won’t burn for an equal sum of time.

Softwood won’t burn as long as the hardwood will. Softwoods include pine, cedar, spruce, etc while hardwoods include oak, maple, hickory, and others. So, when to fix the sum of firewoods bundles, you should be aware of the wood type.

Campsite Provision

I must warn you about the regulations and provisions of the campsite you are planning to make you a camp trip on and getting excited about making a campfire. Well, learn those rules before you plan for the trip.

In many places, the campfire is prohibited due to an increase in the risk of wildfires. In any case, your campsite has rules like that you have already brought the woods, you won’t feel good at all.

I hope you understand the reasons why I suggest you think about these facts first. Well, let us see how much firewood you should bring.

 

How much firewood Should I bring?

Here, I will give you an average statistic of how much firewood to bring for camping a day. So, you can easily make the sum by counting the days you plan to make your trip on.

Generally, a stick of firewood is about 10 to 12 inches in length and 4 to 6 inches in circumference. And a bundle contains 4 or 5 sticks on average.

Now, think about how big the campfire should be. A regular size campfire is about 3 to 4 feet in diameter. In this case, you will need 1 or 2 bundles of woods for every 2 hours. That means you will need 4 to 12 sticks for 2 hours.

If it is a 4-hour long campfire, 3 to 5 bundles are enough. And if it will be about 6 hours longer, then 5 to 7 bundles will be sufficient.

This is an average statistic of campfire wood sum and it covers up the hardwood’s performance. So, it may vary to you if you have different types of woods. Let’s see what type of wood is good for the campfire.

 

What kind of wood should I collect?

You need to know about different types of woods to make a proper campfire. There are many types of woods but not all are suitable for making a fire.

There are 3 variations of woods that are needed to make a strong and long-lasting fire. These wood materials are known as kindling, fuelwood, and tinder.

Tinder

Tinder is the foundation material for a good campfire. You will use them to start the spark of the fire. They tend to catch fire easily and that is needed to sustain the fire in the beginning phases. Tinders are usually the dry leaves, barks, wood shavings, dry grass, dry fluffy fungi, etc.

These should be easy to find but I suggest you arrange them beforehand. I always try to carry dry lints and char clothes in my backpack. It will save you time and will be helpful in the wet weather. Keep in mind wet tinder does not do its purpose.

Kindling

Tinder is the first thing you need to start a fire and after that, you need the kindling materials. As tinders burn fast you need something that is more lasting and catches fire fast. You don’t need the big logs now, you need to keep it going and stable first. Kindling consists of small twigs, dry woods, and thin branches.

You will have to gather the thin woods. Think of it as the width of a pen. Wider than that will not catch fire easily. Kindling materials should be dry like the tinder. If you cannot get the dry ones nearby, try to get rid of the wet damp part using a sharp knife.

Fuel Wood

Fuel woods are the materials that will make the fire durable and smooth. These are the main fuel of a strong campfire. Fuel woods might give you an image of a big pile of woods but surprisingly they are not huge. The standard length is 1 to 2 feet.

Using big logs consumes more time to catch fire and makes unnecessary hassles. You can cut them to standard size. I will suggest you look for dry tree branches that are as wide as your forearm and 1-2 feet in length.

Gathering woods are crucial for making a proper campfire. It’s always better to carry your tinder materials with you. Fuel woods can be arranged from the nearby area of the campsite.

Dry woods and tree branches are the best among them. I will suggest you get some dry leaves, they are always useful. Tinder and kindling must be dry at any cost, whereas, a little damp fuelwood won’t hurt much.

 

How should you collect firewood from the campsite?

This part I cannot avoid to give you some hinds of instructions you should follow to collect woods from the campsite. Remember the following issues well.

• Keep track of your campsite way well. You can easily be distracted while finding the woods.
• You should wear gloves and a full sleeve dress. Because barely cut woods can easily cut and split.
• While finding the tree to get woods, you should select a tree that gets enough sunlight and air. It helps you to get dry woods from the tree.
• You should bring a sharp saw so that you can break the branches of the tree very easily.
• Always try to collect wood before the sun goes to sleep. At night, the forest is not a safe place and you can easily get lost.

These things you shouldn’t forget when to collect woods from the campsite. But it is not a hassle-free task and I prefer bringing the woods I will need.

Hopefully, you have no confusion left about how much firewood to bring for camping. Still, if you have anything to know, just inform us about it. We always wish you will have a safe and sound camping trip. Thank you for a thousand folds to stay with us.