Building a Rainproof Fire After Days of Rain

Objective

Get a cooking flame in saturated forests by exposing dry cores, creating a hot-start fire lay, and shielding from rain.

Scenario (Example)

Example: Two days of rain; wood is soaked; you need a boil for water and a warming fire.

Fuel Ladder (Wet-Wood Version)

• Feather sticks from split cores
• Pencil-lead to pencil-thick dry splits
• Thumb to wrist-thick splits for sustain

Steps

1. Harvest dead standing wood; avoid groundfall.
2. Split to dry cores; make 10–15 feather sticks.
3. Build a log cabin base to keep tinder off wet ground.
4. Ignite with ferro rod/lighter under a roofed tarp edge.
5. Feed only splits until a coal bed forms; add larger fuel later.

Wind & Rain Control

• Pitch a low tarp with a vent gap; never melt nylon with flame.
• Use your body as a windbreak; keep ignition hand steady.

Real Example

A team boiled 1 L in 7 minutes by splitting spruce to dry cores, feathering, and burning in a keyhole lay under a tarp door.

Checklist

• Fixed blade for splitting
• Ferro rod + lighter + tinder
• Tarp + cord

Contingencies

• No knife → baton with sharp rock edges; increase feather count.
• Persistent rain → extend tarp; cook on coal side channel.

After-Action

Record the species that made the best dry cores in your area.

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