Fire in
Wet Weather
Wet weather is when you most need warmth, and when fire is hardest to start. There is almost always dry wood around. You just have to know where it hides.
Wet does not mean safe. Fire bans can still apply after rain, and dry fuel under the surface can still burn. Check the rules, and keep the fire small. Never take a fire, stove or heater inside a tent.
Carry Your Own Dry Tinder
The single best wet-weather trick is tinder from home that never got wet.
In Your Kit
- Cotton wool balls with petroleum jelly, in a sealed bag or tin
- Commercial fire starter cubes or waxed tinder
- Jute twine or a few dry strips of bark
Ways to Light It
- A ferro rod: it sparks even when wet once you wipe it
- Waterproof matches or a lighter in a dry bag
- Carry two of the three
Tools That Help
- A sturdy fixed-blade knife or small axe to split wood
- A tarp to work under
- A sit mat or bag to kneel on
Find the Dry Wood
Look up and look inside. Wood lying on wet ground is the last place to try.
Dead and Standing
- Dead branches still on trees and shrubs, off the ground
- Dead twigs low on trunks, under the canopy
- If it snaps cleanly, it is dry enough inside
Under Cover
- Under rock overhangs and dense trees
- The underside of leaning logs
- Inside hollow logs. Check for snakes and spiders first
Good Natural Tinder
- The inner layers of paperbark and stringybark
- Dead, fine twigs from the inside of bushes
- Resin-rich pine wood and cones where there are pines
Get to the Dry Core
Rain soaks the outside of wood. Split it, and the inside is usually dry.
Split It
- 1 Choose dead wood about wrist-thick
- 2 Split it lengthways with an axe, or by tapping a strong knife through with a stick
- 3 Split again into kindling from the dry middle
Feather Sticks
- 1 Take a dry, split piece about thumb-thick
- 2 Shave long, thin curls down it, leaving them attached at the bottom
- 3 Make three or four. They light quicker than twigs
Make Twice as Much
- Process two or three times more kindling than on a dry day
- Keep it under your jacket or a tarp until you need it
Build It Off the Ground
Wet ground steals heat from a new fire. Give it a dry floor.
Platform
- 1 Lay a row of wrist-thick sticks side by side on the ground
- 2 Put your tinder on top
- 3 Build a small teepee of split kindling over it
Shelter It
- Rig a tarp high above, not close. Flames and sparks rise
- Work with your back to the wind and rain
- Use your body to shield the first flame
Light It
- Light the tinder from the windward side
- Feed the feather sticks in first, then the split kindling
- Be patient. It will hiss and steam before it roars
Keep It Going
A wet-weather fire needs a bit more size before it can take care of itself.
Build Heat
- Let a good bed of coals form before you add wet wood
- Then the fire dries the wood for you
Dry the Next Load
- Stack wood near the fire, not on it, so it dries
- Turn it as it steams
- Watch it does not catch
Never
- Use petrol, diesel or other fuel to get it going. It can explode
- Leave it unattended
Video Guides
Two people lighting fires in real rain.
Fire in heavy rain with a knife and firesteel (TA Outdoors)
How to start a fire in wet conditions (Girl in the Woods)
Videos are from other creators on YouTube. Fire rules in Australia may be stricter than where they were filmed.
Put It Out Properly
Wet weather is no excuse to leave a fire. Drown, stir and feel, every time.
Drown, Stir, Feel
- 1 Pour water until the hissing stops
- 2 Stir and pour again
- 3 No heat on the back of your hand, then it is out
Fire in Any Weather
Ferro rods, waterproof tinder, knives, axes and tarps.
More How-To Guides
This guide is general information only. Fire rules differ between states, territories, parks and shires and change with the season, so check the rules where you are before lighting any fire, and never light one on a Total Fire Ban day. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
Photo: Nicholas Bullett on Unsplash