Campfires are a great way to spend your time camping, but when the wind picks up, things can get a little tricky.
Once, I was out camping before I had kids, and the wind picked right up.
I knew how to secure my tent and other gear, but when I started to get the fire ready I wondered,
When is it too windy for a campfire?
If the wind is strong enough to produce swaying in the trees that you can easily see, then you may want to hold on starting your fire. Based on my research, there are some general rules to follow when looking a wind and fire. Even with low wind, lighting the fire can be tricky, so we found some simple tricks to help you deal with that too.
Be careful with your tents too!
Check out the best dome tents for high winds.
Table of Contents
Why Is Wind Bad For Campfires?
Wind has several effects on fires. Despite what you may think, it’s not just about the spreading of the fire.
Check out these main reasons that wind is dangerous of fires.
#1 OXYGEN IS ENERGY
You may remember from elementary school fire safety assemblies that fires need three things to exist: energy/heat, fuel, and oxygen.
When the wind is blowing, it’s moving more oxygen and fires can get hotter and bigger quickly.
#2 MAKES FIRE TRAVEL UNPREDICTABLE
If a campfire does start to spread, wind makes it travel in hard-to-predict ways. Wind doesn’t blow in a single, consistent direction.
It meanders and switches; this makes the fire move in ways that are hard to prevent.
#3 BLOWS AROUND TINDER
Lighter things in the forest like leaves, needles, and sticks can be blown around in strong winds.
This can go into or near your fire and make it spread outside the fire pits or rings.
#4 DRIES OUT THE WOOD
Warm air from fast-moving wind can suck out the moisture from the ground cover.
The drier grass and cover can catch easily from your fire which is why you need to avoid fires if the trees are noticeably swaying.
Related Reading: These Wind Patterns Explain Why California’s Wildfires Are So Bad
5 Simple Tips For Dealing With Wind And Campfires
All the above reasons are why it’s important not to start fire when it’s too windy (like we’ve said before).
But if the wind is less than that, it can still be tricky to start and maintain one.
Here are some quick tips to help with that.
#1 KEEP IT LOW
Use or dig a fire pit that protects the wood and fire from the wind.
Dig your pit down around 6 inches, and keep the stack of wood lower as well.
This prevents embers from getting caught and blown around to start a larger fire elsewhere.
#2 DON’T BURN THINGS THAT CAN FLY AWAY
One of my favorite tinder materials is paper shreds. It helps protect your identity and to get a fire going quickly.
However, when the wind is up, this may not be the best idea.
Light materials like paper shreds and leaves can get blown around easily in the wind.
If these are on fire, then a dangerous situation can start.
I recommend using a heavier tinder, like wood shavings, or these wet start tinders.
#3 CREATE A WINDBREAK
Blocking the wind with a windbreak can help a lot with starting the fire and keeping it safe and maintained.
There are two ways you can go about doing this.
First, you can use rocks, dirt, and wet logs to block the wind. Just make sure that any logs (even if they’re wet) aren’t near the fire.
The other option is to use a portable fire ring like this one by RMP.
While this is really only practical for car camping, it does provide a great windbreak to help get the fire started.
#4 CLEAR THE AREA
Whenever you start a fire, you should always clear the nearby area of things that could catch easily.
But this is of paramount importance when it’s windy.
When it’s windy, you may want to make the cleared area a little wider than normal.
I recommend clearing out a circle that’s around 10 feet in diameter (5 ft from the center of the fire pit).
#5 USE A FIRESTARTER LOG
When it’s windy, you don’t really want to spend a lot of time messing around with getting the fire started.
Unless you have some pride on the line in an epic battle with the wind (been there, done that, not worth it!), just cave in and use a firestarter log.
These logs or pellets are great ways to start fires with minimal effort on your part.
As long as you use them correctly, that is.
For more information on that, check out our article on how to use a firestarter log.
Commonly Asked Questions
Doesn’t wind put fires out? After all, I blow candles out all the time. –
Yes, wind can make it harder to start a fire and put out a very small one.
When you blow on a candle, the fire is so small and has so little heat that blowing on it reduced the heat and oxygen molecule so that the fire goes out.
However, when a fire has heat (even a little) and a hot fuel source like wood and grass, the wind doesn’t cool it enough to put it out.
It just feeds the fire with oxygen.
Why does the wind always switch to blow towards me when I’m sitting around the fire? –
It doesn’t; it’s all about perspective.
Do you notice every time the wind switches to blowing away from you?
We only notice things that affect us and smoke in your face has a pretty powerful effect.
Conclusion
Now you can answer your friends when they ask, “When is it too windy for a campfire?”
If the trees are swaying, avoid the campfire.
If the trees aren’t, go for it and use our tips from above to help you.
Now get out there and enjoy the fresh air!
If you enjoyed reading this article, you may also enjoy how to start a fire with wet wood.