Chopping Wood, Specifically for Us Smaller Folk

Well I should think it goes without saying that you need wood, wood, and more wood to keep your fire burning when you’re out in the wilderness. When you’re out there in the trees, you may find yourself get lucky with the sizes and densities of the logs you are able to collect. However just as often, you may not. This goes especially for if you end up bringing your own wood in, for most often times, firewood sold pre-cut at a store normally comes in larger sized logs. Whichever situation you’re in, you certainly could benefit from having a good axe or hatchet with you! This will not only get the fire to burn hotter or longer if you’d like, it may also even be the difference between a fire and no fire at all if you don’t have enough smaller sticks to catch those big logs all the way!

Ever watch someone, often a big and strong oak of a man, wield a large axe and cut through even the thickest of logs like they were cubes of cheese and wonder to yourself, now how come whenever I try that I can’t even split one!? Well, odds are you’re someone like me. I’ve always been on the scrawnier side, and female, not that this makes a giant difference, but all the same found that it took me a lot longer especially in the beginning to keep up with my father when he first taught me how to chop wood. But never fear! I’ve learned it isn’t always the person swinging the axe!

The Axe Itself

If you’re swinging a tool that is either too big for you or too heavy, like several large axes may be, odds are the swing will be strained and awkward and you won’t normally find success. On top of that, you could hurt yourself! Find a tool that fits good with you. If you are not aware, there is a large difference between axes and hatchets, axes being longer in the handle and heavier at the blade and hatchets being shorter, lighter, and more compact. I myself am a big fan of Estwing’s Sportsman’s 12 inch Hatchet, would never find myself camping without it! Though it is a small one compared to many others, it fits with my body and strength abilities well, and I am able to split logs with great precision!

The Wood

Another thing to make sure of is the type of wood you’ll be chopping! You’’ll find that pine wood is extremely soft and easy to split, while other wood like cedar will be quite hard to get through depending on your level of strength. If anything, it’ll take a few good slams. Be sure to just test the weight and density of the wood before you start hacking away. 

The Motions

Now, when it comes to the act of chopping with a hatchet, you’re going to want to stand the log up vertically on a semi-flat and solid surface, and find a mark on it’s head that you plan to hit. Make sure you stand with your legs open and knees bent, for you don’t want to cut through the log and then swing through into your leg! Take a good breath and a firm grip with both hands on your handle. Try a few slow practice motions to get the target down, and then bring it straight up over your head and then straight back down into the wood! This should split the log for you! If you find that the hatchet sticks into the wood and doesn’t make it all the way through, you can simply bring the hatchet with the wood straight up, and then slam it straight back down onto the surface a few times to force it through. Careful not to cut yourself or get splinters while doing this!

And there you go! It takes practice, but I know you’ll get there, frankly if I did, anyone can! Just take your time and go slow if you’re nervous, you’ll get there! Happy chopping! 

The Steps to Creating a Good Fire in Any Environment PART ONE - Basic

There are many techniques when it comes to making a fire, and everyone has their favorite. Whether you’re a survivalist looking to further your skills and abilities or simply a car camper getting ready to start cooking for the family for the night, this is true. However, this first post will be more helpful toward the less experienced campers who are looking to start themselves out right and easy.  More posts will follow in a type of series in order to cover the many aspects of fire starting. 

Know Your Environment

The first thing you want to do in order to make a successful fire to warm yourself by, cook over, ward off predators with, and more, is to get a good grasp on your surroundings. Hopefully you’ll be able to do a bit of preplanning before going out, and will know at least the type of area you’ll be camping in. Some examples; if you find you’ll be going to the wetlands, it would be a good idea to bring in some dry wood with you, at least enough to keep a solid flame going long enough to dry out other materials you come across once there. This is the same for mountains or areas where you will encounter snowfall. It is likely that the wood around you will be frozen and unable to catch until thawed adequately, so bring wood with you to get a hot enough fire going to thaw more wood you collect on site to burn after. If you have more confidence in your skill set, you may get buy with locating the smaller and thinner twig-like sticks around you that will thaw out much quicker and therefore catch fire more easy. You can warm these up by keeping them in your car for a while if you have it near you, or by even sitting on them and letting your body heat thaw them. If you’re in a desert, bringing wood in with you will also suit you, for though it is dry, things to burn around you are scarce. Lastly, if you find yourself in a grassland or a forest, you will most likely have luck in finding enough deadfall around you to start a good fire and to keep it going for a time. The more time you spend in the outdoors trying different materials and techniques, the more you’ll being able to narrow down the technique that fits right for you in each environment. 

Build You're Fire 

So, now you’ve got a good idea of what’s around you. If you can, begin making small piles of the different fuels you have. You can make one pile of your thicker, dense logs that will burn longer. You can split some of these logs into thinner pieces and make a pile of those. Next make a pile of thinner sticks and twigs. And last, make a pile of very thin sticks, leaves, wood shavings you’ve used you’re knife to shave off of one of your thinner log pieces, or anything else extremely dense and dry. Now you’re ready to go! 

Get 'er Going!

Now take you’re driest tinder materials and make a little pile in the middle of your fire ring. On top, lay in a tipi style or simply a criss cross pattern your broken up smaller sticks and twigs. There are many different methods when it comes to stacking your fire fuel of course, and this is just one of them. If you have a lighter and prefer that method, then simply keep it low and light the edges of the bottom tinder so that they burn underneath the stick bundle and catch it. Once it’s going good, add more sticks, then go in with your thinner log pieces the same way you laid your sticks, in a tipi or cross cross style. As the fire begins to roar, you can eventually decide to add in the bigger logs if you’d like, but make sure it’s burning strong and hot enough to catch them! You don’t want to suffocate your fire!

Some Important Reminders 

It is important to mention also that if you do find that you will be bringing in your own wood, it is best to either collect it yourself from an area nearby to where you;ll be camping, or to purchase it from a local store in the vicinity, for every so often when foreign wood gets brought into the wrong area, certain insects that have been living in that wood get out and attack the living trees in this new environment. Another important thing that should go without saying, is to refrain from burning any live plants or trees. This is an absolute rule unless you are in utter dire need. We want to save as much nature as we can, always. I mean that’s why we’re here in the first place, right? Something to keep in mind. One last important notice is to make sure you won’t be accidentally burning more than you intended if you are indeed surrounded by, say, a lot of tall grass and/or dry dead bush. It only takes a rogue spark to start a catastrophic wildfire, so be smart. 

A Good Idea Just In Case

Also, no matter what your intentions are, even if you’re not camping and just taking a day hike, always keep a little fire kit on you if you can as part of your *EDC. It can literally be a recycled pill bottle with some flint, matches, or even a lighter, and some sort of dry substance to get a fire going initially, be it dry grass, paper, etc.

There you go, you’re on your way to becoming a full out camping expert! Hope this helped, even a little! The next installment in this blog series will focus more on a few more intermediate techniques for starting fires for those who are ready to step their outdoors camping skills to the next level.



*EDC- Every Day Carry 

Two Tools Someone in the Outdoors Should Always Have

No better place to start than square one with most new things, and the outdoors is no different. The biggest step that you need to take when it comes to braving the wilderness for the first time is literally that, making the first trek. Over time, you will find that certain techniques, equipment, trails, will work better for you than others. Like anything, it takes time and practice. But never fear! There are some basic primary gear necessities that any camper and hiker, new and old, will always turn to. Presented below are two staples that no outdoorsman would ever be caught without, for this is survival. 

A Good Knife

Knives are like anything else, they come in all shapes and sizes and some are much more reliable than others. It’s a good idea to always carry some form of steady blade with you at all times when camping in the wilderness. This will come in handy when doing anything from shaving tinder, chopping food, bush crafting (to say the least), and just plain defending yourself if it comes to it. A reliable knife coupled with a good multi-tool, one with your standard pliers, corkscrew, serrated edge, a small smooth blade, some form of screw driver (phillips, flat head, or both), and etc. will give you the jump on many different punches nature’s unexpected ways will throw at you.

A Reliable Firestarter

No matter how warm the place you’re in happens to be, if trouble comes calling you’ll want to have a fire, especially at night if not only to keep predators at bay. This is where some sort of firestarter comes in handy. Of course, lighters are always the quickest form of flame, but they can break, run out of fuel, or fail to function in the wind. If you can have one on you great, but with it, you should always have some sort of manual firestarter. The magnesium/flint bar is a very popular one, and does wonders in a pinch, but may also be an issue in the wind. The sparkle push and spark firestarter is also a favorite, for this creates a controlled spark that can be controlled more. There are many more, so do your research and find the one that suits you, because 20 minutes on the internet is more than worth it when compared to the loss of your life to mother nature. 

Side Note:  On top of this, if you can even carry a small little tinder bundle, anything not too dense but very dry, be it in a baggy or little container, you’ll have an even bigger chance of starting a fire in less than favorable conditions. 

More advice and tool recommendations to come, but for now, these are two of the biggest and most important tools to have on you when heading out into the wilderness. Whether it be camping for a few days, or just going for an hour long hike, nature can throw a curve ball at you anywhere and at any time, and it’s up to you to have the tools you need to beat it.