How to Start a Campfire with a Single Match
Every time we take a friend or family member camping for the first time, my husband always challenges them to build a fire using only one match to which I usually give an excellent, well practiced eye-roll. He then proceeds to teach them his tried and true patented “Terry Method.”
Steps to the “Terry Method”
Some of you are campers and already know how to easily start a fire. For those of you who are novices, you have come to the right place. This is my husband’s simple and easy approach to starting a campfire using a single match.
Splitting the wood and creating piles
Create your own tinder. Start with small pieces of wood and break them into the smallest and longest pieces possible. You can also use an axe to gently peel away small slices of wood off the sides of larger pieces that have begun to splinter. The smaller the better and you want a pretty good size pile.
Continue creating piles of wood of various sizes in addition to your kindling. You will want to create piles that are extremely small (1/4” diameter), small (1/2” diameter), medium (1-2” diameter) and large (about 3-4” in diameter). Save your biggest pieces over 4’ in diameter to throw on the fire later after it’s already going strong.
When you are ready to split the larger pieces of wood into small and medium size pieces, use the axe and hammer method. Hit the axe into the top of the wood downward. It will often lodge into the wood and get stuck. Instead of pulling the axe out. leave it there and hit the top of it with the hammer, guiding it down into the wood. As the hammer hits the axe further and further down the piece of wood, it will start to naturally split. Doing it this way is much safer than taking an axe and hitting it over and over again.
Another method is to hit the axe into the wood. When it lodges and becomes stuck, leave it there. Use the axe as a handle to lift the piece of wood up off the ground about a foot then gently hit it back down onto the ground over and over again. The force of the wood hitting the ground will help push the axe down through the wood, splitting it into pieces. Be careful not to lift the wood too high off the ground so as to prevent injury.
Stacking the wood in the fire ring
Start by placing the small size pieces of wood standing upright into a triangular pattern leaving a little bit of space between each one for air. (See the image above.)
Next, place the medium size pieces of wood around the outside of the teepee stack of wood you just created. Again, leave space between the pieces for air.
Next, place a few larger pieces of wood around the outside standing upright. And gain, be sure to leave spaces between the pieces for air flow.
Now, place the small kindling you created all around the inside of the teepee without knocking it over and between the pieces of wood.
You are now ready to attempt to light your fire. Light the small kindling with the match and gently blow on it. As it ignites and grows, it will begin lighting the next layer of pieces in order by size and soon you will have a roaring fire. Time to pull out the marshmallows and metal hangars.
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