How to Start A Campfire or Fire Pit The Easy Way
It’s that time of year again when I’m looking forward to being outside enjoying our fire pit area. Today I’m going to show you how I start ours like a true Boy Scout and it works every time. It’s so easy you’ll wonder why you never thought of it.
It’s so nice to see the sun shining, the birds returning, the grass greening up, and warmer temperatures. Spring and Fall are the best seasons for family fire pit time. It amazes me how fire draws people in. There’s something about it that’s enticing and makes people want to gather around.
It’s still chilly enough during the day to have a fire going and you’ll find me sitting in one of those lounge chairs reading a book or watching something on my iPad while everyone else is at work.
Years ago in our guesthouse, where we lived formally, we had a pellet stove that we used for heat during the winter rather than our gas furnace. First it’s super cheap to operate and you get that warm wood heat that I love.
That got me thinking of how I would start the pellet stove once a week after I cleaned it and decided to try the same method on our fire pit. Let’s just say I’m no Boy Scout and can’t seem to get a good fire going on my own. So if a girl wants a fire when no one else is home she has to come up with her own method that’s easy and works with very little effort.
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- Purchase a 40 pound bag of wood pellets (you can find them at any hardware, or farm supply store) for around $4 per bag.
- I also purchase a metal trash can with a lid to store them in outside by the fire pit area.
- Hand sanitizer
- Lighter
HERE’S WHAT I DO:
- Add a pile of wood pellets to the bottom of the fire pit (3 cups approx.)
- Liberally squirt hand sanitizer over the pellets.
- Light with a lighter.
- Add seasoned, dry wood in a teepee fashion over the mound of pellets and sit back and watch it burn.
Now is that easy or what? It works like a charm and works every time. I no longer struggle starting my own campfire. If you missed my post on how to remove the smell of smoke from your clothes you can read how easy that is here (and it doesn’t require washing them).
