There’s nothing quite like sitting around a crackling fire on a camping trip.
Beyond the warmth and ambience, the type of fire you build can dramatically affect how well you cook, keep warm, and enjoy the campfire experience.
In this guide, we’ll explore three different fire types: the TP fire, the Log Cabin fire, and the Reverse or Upside-Down fire.
Each has its own unique structure, maintenance level, and uses, so let’s dive in and see how to make these fires, their performance, and their suitability for various camping needs.
Table of Contents
1. The TP Fire: Classic, Fast, and Flamboyant
Why It’s a Go-To Fire:
The TP fire is a quintessential campfire design, known for its iconic cone shape and towering flames.
This is the fire most people think of when they picture a campfire. It’s easy to construct, ignites quickly, and produces an intense, vertical heat.
If you’re sitting around a fire pit and want to warm up fast, the TP fire is a perfect choice.
How to Build a TP Fire:
Start with a small tinder bundle made from materials like birch bark and thin twigs, which act as the foundation for your fire.
Feathering a stick—slicing curls into its surface—also creates fine kindling, ideal for lighting. Once your tinder bundle is ready, arrange larger sticks around it in the shape of a teepee, leaning them against one another to form the structure.
It’s essential to leave enough gaps between the sticks for ventilation; without proper airflow, the fire may suffocate before it really catches.
Performance and Maintenance:
Once lit from the bottom, the TP fire quickly comes to life. Heat rises fast, making it ideal if you’re sitting on a higher surface like a log or chair.
However, this design has a notable drawback: its core can sometimes burn out before the rest of the fire has caught.
Regular maintenance is needed to ensure the flames don’t die out prematurely.
Around the seven-minute mark, you may need to rearrange sticks or add more kindling to keep the fire going.
Time to Cooking Coals:
At about 24 minutes, the TP fire produces solid cooking coals. In tests, it took approximately 7 minutes and 30 seconds to bring two cups of water to a boil on these coals, proving that this fire is not just about show—it delivers practical heat for cooking too.
2. The Log Cabin Fire: Steady, Reliable, and Low-Maintenance
Why It’s a Camper’s Staple:
The Log Cabin fire is a structured and reliable fire that burns evenly and steadily.
It’s not prone to sudden collapses like the TP fire, and it distributes heat more consistently.
This makes it an excellent choice for drying clothes or warming a large group of people.
How to Build a Log Cabin Fire:
Start with the same tinder bundle as you did with the TP fire.
Stack four fuel logs in a square shape as the base, then continue adding layers of logs in a crisscross pattern, with each successive layer moving inward.
The design mimics the walls of a log cabin, hence the name. This construction provides a stable frame for the fire, which, once lit, burns evenly in all directions.
Performance and Maintenance:
The Log Cabin fire takes a little longer to ignite than the TP fire, as the wood structure can block some airflow to the tinder bundle at the center.
However, once it gets going, it doesn’t require much attention.
Unlike the TP fire, which may collapse entirely, the Log Cabin fire maintains its structure well. This makes it a solid option for scenarios where you want to minimize maintenance.
Around 8 minutes and 30 seconds, the fire reaches a good burn, and the heat spreads evenly. By 17 minutes, it requires a little maintenance—mainly gathering embers into the center to keep it going—but this is minimal compared to the more frequent adjustments the TP fire needs.
Time to Cooking Coals:
Just like the TP fire, the Log Cabin fire produces cooking coals at around the 24-minute mark. The water boiling test also resulted in a time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds, showing the two fires are quite comparable in heat output.
However, the Log Cabin fire keeps its heat lower to the ground, which is ideal for warming objects like wet clothes.
3. The Reverse (Upside-Down) Fire: Low Maintenance, High Efficiency
3. The Reverse (Upside-Down) Fire: Low Maintenance, High Efficiency
Why It’s a Hidden Gem:
The Reverse, or Upside-Down, fire is less well-known but has distinct advantages. It requires more patience and skill to set up, but once lit, it burns steadily and with little to no maintenance.
This fire excels at creating long-lasting, high-quality cooking coals, making it ideal for those who need a fire to burn efficiently over time without constant tending.
How to Build a Reverse Fire:
Unlike the other two fires, you begin this one by laying down your largest fuel logs first.
Place them in a row, then add a second layer of smaller logs on top, perpendicular to the first. Continue this layering, alternating directions with each row, and fill the gaps between the logs with tinder and kindling.
On the topmost layer, add the finest tinder and kindling, as this fire is lit from the top down.
Performance and Maintenance:
Lighting the Reverse fire can be tricky. Because it ignites from the top, it’s more exposed to wind and weather.
The fire burns slowly downward, with embers from the top layer falling to ignite the wood below.
This allows the fire to burn steadily without collapsing or needing much attention.
By the 12-minute mark, the Reverse fire is fully involved and burning efficiently.
It requires no maintenance after the initial lighting, making it ideal for situations where you need to leave the fire unattended for a while.
Time to Cooking Coals:
Though the Reverse fire takes longer to produce cooking coals, it does so more efficiently.
At 26 minutes and 30 seconds, the coals are ready, and it takes just 5 minutes to boil two cups of water—two and a half minutes faster than the other fire types.
Fire Comparisons and Use Cases
So, which fire is best? The answer depends on your needs.
The TP Fire is perfect for social settings where you want to quickly gather around a fire and warm up. It’s also easy to build and offers an impressive flame display. However, it requires frequent attention and maintenance.
The Log Cabin Fire is more reliable for consistent heat and less prone to sudden collapses. If you need a fire to dry out clothes or cook over a longer period with minimal intervention, this is the one to choose.
The Reverse Fire is the most advanced but yields the highest efficiency. If you want to set up a fire and walk away while it burns steadily on its own, this fire is a clear winner. It produces the best cooking coals and requires the least amount of upkeep.
Each fire has its own strengths and applications, whether you’re looking for quick warmth, steady heat, or long-lasting coals.
With practice, you can master all three and know exactly which one to use in different camping situations.
Final Thoughts
Mastering these three fire types will not only make your camping trips more enjoyable but will also ensure you’re prepared for any situation.
Whether you’re looking for a fast blaze, steady warmth, or efficient cooking coals, understanding the nuances of each fire lay can make a huge difference.
So next time you’re out in the wilderness, try your hand at each one and see which suits your style of camping best.
Let us know in the comments which fire you prefer and why! Happy camping!
