Fire: Purpose & Use

A section in Chapter 1 of the book:
Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking

Heat

• Warm yourself, your hands, your feet, and your core
• Dry clothing, footwear, coats, hats, and gear
• Melt snow into water for drinking, cooking, or washing
• Heat rocks to warm boots, tent, or sleeping bag (in or under)
• Heat rocks to create a luxurious steam sauna tent
• Thaw frozen mechanical devices, like bolts and bottle caps
• Incinerate trash, like cardboard and paper products

Light

• Setting up camp, pitching tent, hanging hammock
• Preparing food, eating, cleaning up (saving battery life)
• Rescue signal—beacon light (at night) or smoke (at day)

Cooking

• Boil, roast, grill, bake, fry, braise, poach, steam, or smoke
• Hot coffee, hot tea, hot soup, hot dogs, or hot marshmallows
• Use smoke and heat to preserve meat

Protection

• Repel bugs (smoke), bear (light), and other wild animals
• Use charcoal to filter water for drinking or use as war paint
• Harden wooden weapons, like spear, gig, and arrow tips
• Sterilize instruments to prevent infection

Comfort

• Place for relaxing, storytelling, and gazing at the flames
• Center or focus of the campsite and entertainment
• Dispel loneliness, calm nerves, or “set the mood”
• Drive an electric generator to recharge cell phone batteries

} } }  This information is in the book “Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking.” { { {

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