How to do a ''camp'' fire during winter ?!

[sidereus]

Hi, I could have named my thread how to efficiently do a camp fire during winter but anyway. I've always wanted to come around here and ask you guys if you any tips or tricks to help with fires while on a winter ex...or even in civvie.

Just to know where I'm coming from, last winter I had my first Winter warfare course and I'm telling to you when we tried to make a fire...things got incredibly hard. First of all,  we were like January 15 and it was raining, snowing, plus a thunderstorm. A total mess. It tooks us the whole evening/part of the night and when we finally had something barely good we had to pack our stuff.

Since it was raining we had to put the ground sheet right on top of the fire otherwise we could not do anything and then smoke came haha.

Anyway you heard my story what is yours ? how did you succesfully make your fire during winter ?

/discuss

p.s.: I hope my english isn't that bad

 

[Blackadder1916]

. . . . .  any tips or tricks to help with fires while on a winter ex...or even in civvie.

. . . Winter warfare course . . . .

. . . how did you succesfully make your fire during winter ?

Campfires during winter warfare - luxury.

It's been decades since the first time I've been on winter indoc or formally done a Winter Warfare (or instructors) Course (brrr . . . shiver, shiver) so standards may have changed or my memory may simply be suffering the aftereffects of eating from aluminum mess tins.  While building a traditional wood based fire (appropriate for singing kumbaya or roasting marshmallows) during a winter ex is not unknown, I don't believe it was ever an EO/PO, so I'm wondering why it seems so much effort was expended during your WW crse to build such a fire (it was however, IIRC, a PO on my survival course).  The purpose of a winter warfare course is to provide soldiers the skills to live and fight during winter conditions - it is not survival training (surviving is a fight in and of itself so leaves little time for anything else).

There was only one occasion during my military career when an open fire was absolutely necessary.  As conservation of fuel for future use was not a consideration the principle of "make it big and make it hot" was foremost.  At the time, we were lacking that prime starting ingredient for most army bonfires - gasoline, but by judicious use of the stuffing from a couple of zippo lighters, most of the pages from a FMP and a tremendous amount of wood collected by a dozen soldiers, we survived the night without injury.

 

[211RadOp]

Naptha is always good as an excellerant.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Naptha is always good as an excellerant accelerant.

Fixed that for you.

 

[kkwd]

The blisters on the trunks of pine trees contain a very good fire starting resin. Just stab the blister with a stick or cut the blister off and set fire to it. Now if you are above the tree line, huddle for warmth.

 

[the 48th regulator]

What ever happened to setting up the tent, and sending in the designated stoveman to fire up the Lantern, and Coleman stove, as the rest of the section finished spiking the tent in place?

Campfires were a no no in any of my winter warfare exercises, unless unintentionally done after a few sips of the Irish whiskey....however I digress.....

dileas

tess

 

[57Chevy]

Sometimes you just don't have the luxury of a tent.

Sheets of birtch bark work really well to get a fire going.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Sometimes you just don't have the luxury of a tent.

Sheets of birtch bark work really well to get a fire going.

The I would walk over to the CQ, or the Ops WO, and kick them in the Junk.  Then use their Lardy carcasses to start the biggest bonfire, since the meteor that took out the dinosaurs....

 

[211RadOp]

Fixed that for you.

Thank you

 

[sidereus]

well guys it was more of a thread about how to do a good fire during winter not really about whether or not we should have done a fire during that  WWC.

thanks for the tips though

btw, the course I was on ( I'm reserve...well yea ) was spread over 3 week ends... 1st : Theory on injuries, survival, etc... 2nd : How stuff worked ( Tent, stove, lantern), trying it ( I mean trying A LOT ...I am now pretty good at setting up...and down that freaking tent), plus how to make improvised shelter and make a fire. The last weekend was more of Final Ex doing patrols,etc...well Infantry stuff but during winter.

All of that stuff was in prevision of going in the north (well the province of quebec north ...more like James Bay haha )

thank you guys for the tips I really appreciate it...I could some of your experience if I'm going to do this course again next year

 

[Nfld Sapper]

And btw it is now part of the Basic Winter Warfare Course.....as a practicle.....

 

[kkwd]

You can find info here in this publication.
Just do a search using "fire" and there is a section telling you how to do it.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Of course, there are about a dozen youtube clips on this subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L2Hhr4nMLM&feature=relmfu

 

[Scott]

1 x Iltis or LSVW
1 x gas soaked rag
1 x person in Vancouver Canucks jersey

You have your fire.

 

[Danjanou]

The blisters on the trunks of pine trees contain a very good fire starting resin. Just stab the blister with a stick or cut the blister off and set fire to it. Now if you are above the tree line, huddle for warmth.

or go with the douse the fracking wood in naptha. BTW your eyebrows ever grow back?  8)

 

[Scott]

What ever happened to setting up the tent, and sending in the designated stoveman to fire up the Lantern, and Coleman stove, as the rest of the section finished spiking the tent in place?

Duh, you always light the stove/lantern in the tent! Then you perform one of the very most import PO's of WW Indoc - the flaming stove/lantern kick. Every unit has a grizzled old NCO whose nickname is "Smoke" or "Stovekicker" or "Lantern" why rob young soldiers of such an important tradition? Hell, if this was the Navy there'd be a proper outcry!

 

[Danjanou]

And that's my second can of coke, keyboard and monitor today, thanks Scott. By the way care to guess the nickname of your old CSM from the rock?

 

[Scott]

I still have nightmares of when I was senior and I "jacked" him up after the 13 km ruck marhc for wearing his bush cap in the mess. When he stood up I could feel myself shrinking.

I am trying to think of another RNfldR DS I had, first name was Howie and he apparently had a monniker related to a burning ten man tent.

 

[Danjanou]

Oh yeah Howie could bend it like Beckham with a coleman on a cold January morning.