Are you this guy?

[TS192]

Last fall my wife and I sat in our campsite watching a guy teaching 2 young boys how to make fire. A camp fire. Now to begin with, yes we had TV and all the entertainment of a modern RV, but we watched this show play out for several hours by our neighboring campers. It began with a huge pile of firewood and at least 2 large bottles of charcoal lighter fluid. This guy would squirt this stuff until he had a flame shooting way past the top of his motorhome. This went on for over an hour. My wife and I just sat there in amazement laughing at this guy while feeling sorry for the 2 boys and their eminent life struggle with basic survival skills. So, after about an hour and a half he finally gets a little fire going actually on a couple pieces of his "firewood". Then the real show began. He breaks out an electric leaf blower and a fresh bottle of charcoal lighter. By now it's quiet time in the campground but the true mountain man wasn't going to let that stop him. This guy would squirt then blow. He would start with a 15' high flame and then to a 20' horizontal blow torch. At one point we were convinced that he was going to burn the campground and his coach up. Sometimes the roar of the giant blow torch would drown out the noise of the leaf blower. My wife and I laughed our a**es off while keeping our fire extinguisher close at hand. After close to three hours or so, he finally gave up and decided to give the boys one more outdoor lesson, breaking out multiple strings of lights where he just strewed them around the ground lighting up the entire side of the campground like broad daylight. Soon after getting all the lights strewn all over the ground they just got up and went inside. Sometime during the night he must have gotten up and turned off the spaghetti mess of lights. Now I can find humor in absolutely anything and we did just that. Still feel kinda sorry for the two boys but I'm sure that some day they'll be in some campground with a leaf blower and gallon of gas telling their children how "dad" showed them how to build their first campfire. Hope it all goes well. Aah the great outdoors. Still LMAO..!!!

[Dogpatch]

Must have been really green or rain soaked wood for those tools not to have started a fire. Probably tried to light full logs too!

That being said....I AM a guy like that, I use a small propane torch and a small relatively quiet 18v leaf blower to start my fires. It takes about a minute. No lighter fluid or gas though. I start it at dusk when everyone's still out without disturbing them. I've never had a 15' "rager".

And yes I taught my daughter how to start the fire using "resourceful technology".

And at times when it's been raining, I have had other campers come and ask if they could borrow my fire starter kit.

[TonyMac]

My dad, a 32 year Marine, taught me to start a fire with wood. No matches, just wood. Worst case survival situation. But I cheat; I use paper now cause I think I can always find paper blowing around. And I keep a lighter in all my vehicles, so in my mind I can use that too. But I digress.


A BLOWER?? Reaally??? OMG........

[halfwright]

I saw a guy use a weed burner on a five gallon propane tank to start a campfire. amazing the lengths people go to to create smoke.

[JohnBoyToo]

man !!!
It takes 15 minutes or so to prep the wood teepee and all during the day,
but when we are ready to start it, one match (or one fireplace starter) and it's blazing shortly !

Paper in the bottom, some kindling on top of it, and small twigs/sticks, then the big teepee of logs standing over it to reflect the heat back onto itself.
if raining resort to the little fire starter sticks or worse case a small pressed fire log.
but if raining - I'm not doing a fire

[raineman]

Too funny.... too bad he had kids.... hopefully they will be a bit sharper despite their DNA

[TS192]

And yes, it had been raining and everything was wet. I had to resort to using a piece of paper to start my fire. Just remember this kids, when you're going into the "wilderness" (state park), remember to take the three key survival tools with you= A bic lighter, approximately one gallon of highly flammable liquid and a leaf blower. And whenever possible, light up the "wilderness" as bright as you can get it. Theres nothing like staring into your raging blow torch campfire in light as bright as a Phoenix AZ noon sun. Cheers

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by TonyMac

My dad, a 32 year Marine, taught me to start a fire with wood. No matches, just wood. Worst case survival situation. But I cheat; I use paper now cause I think I can always find paper blowing around. And I keep a lighter in all my vehicles, so in my mind I can use that too. But I digress.


A BLOWER?? Reaally??? OMG........

Hahaha. Yes a blower.

Trust me...I can do a one match fire lighting. Without even using a Bic lighter. I know how to shave kindling, use a bit of paper, teepee some larger pieces and set some larger ones around the perimeter. I have a very sharp hatchet as well as a log splitting maul.
I just choose the easy route cause I can. Besides, the blower keeps the camping carpet and awning free of debris!

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by Dogpatch

Hahaha. Yes a blower.

Trust me...I can do a one match fire lighting. Without even using a Bic lighter. I know how to shave kindling, use a bit of paper, teepee some larger pieces and set some larger ones around the perimeter. I have a very sharp hatchet as well as a log splitting maul.
I just choose the easy route cause I can. Besides, the blower keeps the camping carpet and awning free of debris!

I kinda enjoy the challange of making a fire; impressing the wifey with my manly skills, ("If she don't find you handsome, she should at least find you handy") but also proving to myself I can still do it. My grandson now builds the fire, and he usually does dang good job. Being packed into a campground, I choose not to make the noise of a blower when the noise of a broom will do. But to each their own; I mean we all CHOOSE not to rough it so much with our big aluminum teepee on wheels. If we were REAL MEN, we'd be pitching tents and sleeping in bed rolls I guess. But now I understand what that blower sound is in the campground. And it makes sense.

The Red Man makes a small fire and sits close. The White Man makes a big fire and stands back.

[Glenn and Kathy]

I don't think your allowed to say red man anymore??


Glenn

[ramblinboy]

We dont use wood! Our newspaper log rollers a dandy tool for making logs for campfires:
Get yours here:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ustomerReviews

[MrsChilerick]

Paper newspapers? Didn't know those still existed!

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by JohnBoyToo

man !!!
It takes 15 minutes or so to prep the wood teepee and all during the day,
but when we are ready to start it, one match (or one fireplace starter) and it's blazing shortly !

Paper in the bottom, some kindling on top of it, and small twigs/sticks, then the big teepee of logs standing over it to reflect the heat back onto itself.
if raining resort to the little fire starter sticks or worse case a small pressed fire log.
but if raining - I'm not doing a fire

You reminded me of something I did in a CG near Chicago. I was already set-up when a woman backed a TT into the next site. Her 2 boys had assigned tasks while she went about leveling the trailer. She came over and explained that she and the boys were being joined by her husband after he got off work in Chicago, and she wanted a fire going when he arrived,but she didn't know how to make one.
I walked with her to her firepit and built it just as you described. I told her I was letting her in on an old Indian fire building secret, went to my TT and got my can of charcoal lighter. I doused the TeePee with fluid, and told her to light it about the time her husband would arrive.
She lit the fire just before his arrival, I heard him praising her fire building skill with surprise.
When he asked how she did it, she replied,'I can't tell you it's an old Indian secret".

[cbilodeau]

I was this guy. I did not know you were watching. How come you did offer your help? You prefer to make fun of me?

Just kidding!