Fires

[Phill Grant]

When having a camp fire one of the most irritating things is having to put up with the smoke. My question is, what is the best wood to use to have a camp fire with a lot less smoke? :?:

 

[Gary]

Phil,

While woods all burn in different ways it is the moisture content that creates the smoke. Therefore if you use seasoned dry wood you should be ok.

Good woods to burn can be remembered as BOAC - Beech, Oak, Ash and Chestnut - though Chestnut does tend to spit.

Hope that helped,

Gary.

 

[Matt]

Dry standing hazel with the bark scraped off burns without smoke (although admittedly I haven't tried), though you'd be hard pressed to find anything much larger than thumb thickness.

 

[Gary]

Matts right, shaving the bark off wood helps cut down the smoke. Any wood will be ok - in fact thats how the indians used to make fires in hostile territory - it also helps if you light your fire under the spreading limbs of a tree and if you keep it small.

 

[Anonymous]

Try well seasoned hawthorn, the smoke is very pleasant - just remember to try and avoid softwoods, especially if not properly seasoned.

 

[Keith_Beef]

When having a camp fire one of the most irritating things is having to put up with the smoke. My question is, what is the best wood to use to have a camp fire with a lot less smoke? :?:

I've always found that when there are more than three people, one of them is the "smoke magnet". I've been it, and it's not pleasant. Wherever the smoke magnet sits, the wind moves round to blow the smoke straight at him.

Sometimes, something happens, and the title of smoke magnet passes to someone else (though how this happens is a complete mystery).

Keith.

 

[Martyn]

Too funny Keith. :-D

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, but the smoke does keep the mozzies and stuff away.

Cheers

Shaun

 

[Richard]

Excess smoke is a result of incomplete combustion. In other words the wood-fuel isn't burning efficiently. As Gary has said, this is often due to high moisture content, so always gather your wood dry and seasoned. Avoid collecting wood from the ground where conditions are cold and moist. Better to look for standing deadwood or deadwood caught up in high branches (but not too high! Ouch!). Also avoid woods such as willow which tend to smolder (but is great for a bow-drill set).

How you manage your fire is important as well. If you arrange your fuel as a tall 'stack' it will flame more and smoke less (and consume your fuel faster!). Conversely, if your burning fuel is flat and spread-out it will smoke a lot. Try experimenting with this and you'll be suprised how much effect this has.

Again it has to do with completeness of combustion. Watch carefully the next time a gust of wind blows your smoldering, smokey campfire into flame.

Hope this helps.