A simple post on this forum produced a wealth of very useful information last time, so I am going to appeal to your experience and knowledge again -

I would be much more comfortable with my looming camping trip if I was sure I would be able to build a fire every night (I've discovered that wet clothing doesn't dry in the winter, it only freezes which is unhelpful).

I did I trial camping trip last weekend and stayed two nights in the Catskills, with one other person. We hadn't planned on building a fire, so we hadn't brought proper materials but I tried to anyway. Trouble was, the only thing that I could find by way of wood were small sticks, very alive and very covered with ice.

I know I need dry wood, but that can be very hard to find. I know I need some kind of starter (lint? propane?), but I don't have any technique and I would like to be able to produce a fire even if my materials are slim and my fingers are cold. Ideas?

First and foremost - you must not get in a situation where making a fire is necessary. (Read some Jack London) Work on staying dry instead.

That being said, you will probably NOT find dry wood within 200 yd of any Catskill leanto. Either pick up dead, dry wood as you walk along, or take long walks from camp to find it. Lay the fire on a platform of rock or wood to keep it from melting into its own hole (and going out).

But mostly don't expect to be able to do this, and don't plan on it for your warmth or safety. If you want some s'mores, you'll just have to wait til you get home.

good fire starters:
cotton balls globbed with vaseline
purel hand sanitizer
white fuel

I know its much harder, but in your experience have you been able to get a fire going on live wood?
I know its unlikely that I'll be able to maintain a fire all night, but even a fire for a few minutes would be enormously helpful. I had ideal camping weather this weekend - not a drop of precipitation (the ice storm started just as I was leaving) but my clothing still got wet just from me getting snow on myself and such. I had extra changes, but it seemed like it would be difficult to keep my outer layer dry at all. And that is when it is not raining.

You should be wearing a shell layer on top, atleast on your lower body... This should help prevent the layers required for warmth from getting wet.

If you ended up getting wet, your systems need some tweaking, and you may want to do another "test" weekend. What would have happened if you'd been caught in the ice storm?

Most inmpoortantly glad to hear you got out at all, and glad a test run!

Then what Mike wrote +

Green (live) wood will not burn.

Small dead wood will be under snow if there is any amount of snow.

There won’t be much if any burnable wood around a campsite that is used as such – unless it is left for that purpose.

Use a white gas stove to cook – at least hot drinks.

You will get your clothes wet. How wet depends. Dillbag – perhaps you might be more specific.

I really feel you need to be willing to borrow, find or invest in at least one or full layered clothing system including clothes that will dry on your body. And a shell that will mostly keep you dry. I think that even with good clothes it will take practice to stay dry!



Which is why the boots with removable liner that someone recommended is important. As mentioned you can take them out and put them in your sleeping bag at night which will may dry them a little, and keep them from freezing overnight.

Clothes that will dry on your body can be warmed by your body even when wet. These clothes aren’t necessarily expensive. You can try synthetic clothes from regular stores. Wash them and compare them to how much water they are holding. If they are light, they aren’t holding much water. Synthetic fabric itself is not a guarantee of not holding water. Check what you already own.

it will if soaked in white fuel.

fire. Fire. FIRE!

Live (green) wood will not burn. You need dead, dry wood. If you have a bunch of live wood (note - please don't bring a saw and start cutting things down. We have enough Boy Scouts * out there already), use it to build a platform. Then make the fire - of dry wood - on top of the platform. It will still be an iffy proposition, since dead wood that looks dry in the winter often contains ice.

* Dons flameproof clothing.

I'm a sweat hog. And no matter what I do to the "system", my clothes get wet. It is as inevitable as you making up words while playing scrabble. My base layers are guaranteed to be wet and usually at least one layer on top of them.

So, that means that I have to carry an extra set when I camp in the winter (which is one reason I don't do it). The wet set goes with me in the sleeping bag at night and at least stays warm throughout the night. Because my clothes are non-cotton, they retain insulation value while wet....

As far as starting a fire in winter. Whenever you see a dead and down white birch tree on your hike, stop, and strip a few pieces of its paper bark from it and put it in your chest pocket. Any time you see a pine cone, pick it up and put it in your pocket. These materials catch fire very easily and can act as the tinder you will need.

Finally, I believe that the Appalachian Mountain Club publishes a book about winter camping that is very good.

Seriously, take 15 minutes and read this:

To Build a Fire