To generate plenty of heat in the wilderness, build a long log fire. At night, you can even sleep beside it without a sleeping bag — though you’ll need to feed it new logs every couple of hours.
(59 sec. video shot by me on 7 Nov 2025 in Lelystad, the Netherlands).
Tips
- Start with a small fire until you have a good bed of coals.
- Spread the coals lengthwise and place two short pieces of wood across the ends — these will serve as crossbars.
- Lay a few small branches or logs on top of the crossbars to form a narrow, elongated fire.
- Once it’s burning well, repeat the process with larger logs. Replace the crossbars if they burn through.
- Keep repeating until the fire is as long as you want.
- Stack your extra wood behind the fire so it can dry from the heat.
Other fire-related posts
- How to make fire with flint and steel (9 Nov 2025)
- How to make a campfire (21 Oct 2025)
- How to suspend your pot over a campfire (23 Dec 2015)
- Sami long log fire (28 Jul 2011)
- How to make fire with the bow drill (1 Apr 2004)