Wilderness survival skills are an extremely important asset to have. In the wild, the skill set you have might just save your life. This is why it is important to make sure you have enough information and knowledge before you brave the wild outdoors. The wilderness is essentially land that has been left to exist in its natural state and where the influence of mankind has been kept to a bare minimum. In the wilderness, it is just you and the wildly powerful forces of nature. One of the most important skills to have when you are braving the wilderness is knowing how to build a fire. It is also important to know how to safely build this fire and how to tend to it so that you do not accidentally start a wildfire. Many people do not see this as a necessary skill to have, but when you are faced with a situation that requires that skill, you will understand why it is important. Here are some of the reasons why it is important that you know how to build a fire in the wilderness.

For Warmth

As beautiful and serene as the natural outdoors can be, there are times where the forces of nature are cold and unforgiving. It is important that you know how to build a fire in the wilderness so that you can keep yourself warm at all times. This lowers your risk of catching hypothermia, contracting frostbite, and even contracting an illness. In some cases, you might not need to build a fire for warmth because the temperature is steady and warm, but conditions can change on a dime. There is always the possibility that temperatures might drop or that it could rain, at which point you will most likely be seeking a source of warmth. The skill of knowing how to build a fire will keep you warm and safe, as well as those around you so it is important that you know how to build a fire in the wilderness before you venture out there. Knowing how to build a fire is a crucial part of cold weather survival. Now, it is one thing to know how to build a fire, and another to know how to build a fire in the wilderness.

In order to build a fire in the wilderness, you have to know the right materials to use, and how to use them effectively so that you are not left with a pile of stuff that will not light. To build your fire, you will need to know how to gather and assemble the right material as well as pick out the right location to use as a fireplace. Once you have chosen the location, you will need to get your fire building material, which will consist of fuel, tinder, and kindling.

Purifying Water

Out in the wilderness, you will not be greeted with the same type of comfort you are used to at home. This means that you will not have reverse osmosis water filters nor will you be able to buy a 24 pack of purified spring water. If you think you can avoid drinking water in the wild by stocking up before your trip, I applaud you for your forethought, but in extreme circumstances you will still end up needing to use water from the wilderness. This is one of the times where knowing how to build a fire will help keep you safe and healthy. One of the best ways to purify water is to boil it, and you cannot boil water without having a fire.

Drying Clothes and Equipment

As most of you know, nature is amazing, but it can be harsh. If one is battling with the elements, there is always a possibility that they might get soaking wet or extremely dirty. It doesn’t really matter whether you get rained on, or if you wash your clothes in a river, but one of the best ways to get your clothes and equipment dry again is by building a fire. If you need to dry your belongings during the day, then there will be no need to build a fire, but this is not always the case. If you do not properly dry your clothes and equipment, you might put yourself at risk of getting sick or put your equipment at risk of getting damaged.

Safety signals

Fires also come in handy if you need to signal for safety and emergency purposes. Out in the wilderness, there is always the possibility that something could go wrong and you might need to evacuate or have some emergency services locate you. Emergency signal fires come in handy if you are stranded and lost, if someone in your party is injured and requires emergency services or an everyday situation escalates into something else. The brightness of your fire will help draw attention to your location, but the smoke (which rises much higher) will be much more beneficial to help signal your location.

Ward off Animals and Insects

Building a fire in the wilderness is also an effective way to help keep wild animals and insects away from you and your party. There are many elements of the wild that people go up against when they decide to spend time in the wilderness. It is important to realize that these animals and insects have the upper hand on that environment, no matter how much intense training you put yourself through. They were made to thrive in those locations so they will adjust far better than you. This is why it is important to make sure that you stay well away from bears, coyotes, wolves etc. and one of the best ways to ward off these animals is to build a fire. Not only does it help illuminate your surroundings, but it also helps keep these animals from coming closer than they should. Think of your fire as some high-security locks that were installed by a professional locksmith to keep burglars away!

Cooking Food

Sustenance is one of the main ingredients to help people survive in the wilderness. You will be hard pressed to find someone wandering around exploring if they have not had food to eat. In order to keep your energy up, you have to make sure that you are eating right and that you are eating food that provides you with enough nutrients and energy to go about your day. Of course, you can get by with only eating a selection of premade food, but learning how to build a fire in the wilderness will help you survive for the long haul. This skill will give you the ability to cook, clean and eat a much wider variety of food than you would be able to if you did not have the ability to build a fire.

Sterilize Equipment

Knowing how to build a fire also comes in handy when you need to sterilize some equipment or treat a wound. It is a very common occurrence for people to get injured in the wild, but it is even more common that people’s injuries become infected because of unsterilized equipment. In emergency situations, you can start a fire and use this to help sterilize any tools that you might use to treat cuts or bruises. This can be done by submerging the part of the tool you will use in boiling water, or by holding that same part over an open flame. This allows the heat to kill off any dormant bacteria that is not visible to the naked eye and it also reduces the chance of the wound becoming further infected.

Conclusion

There are may skills that come into play when you are trying to survive in the wilderness and many of them are similar to life saving prepper skills. However, most of them pale in comparison to the importance of knowing how to build a fire the proper way. This skill is extremely beneficial and it will help you through some really rough spots. I hope that this post has helped enlighten some people on exactly why it is important to be able to know how to build a fire in the wilderness.

7 Reasons Why It Is Important To Know How To Build A Fire In The Wilderness was written by Ralph Goodman from United Locksmith. View more of Ralph’s article’s on his Lock Blog.