Firewood Design: Teepee or Log Cabin

When it comes to setting up your firewood, it depends on why you are building your fire.

START SLOW…Tinder and kindling are critical to the success of any fire. Tinder catches the initial spark. We use a fire starter square made up of a mixture of sawdust and paraffin wax. They light fast and last for approximately six minutes – more than enough time to ignite your kindling.

Speaking of kindling, we hatchet trim the outer edge of our logs (right below the bark), producing kindling that seasons fast and burns well.

TEEPEE
Teepee fires burn very hot and are great when it’s especially cold out. They’re also effective if your wood happens to be wet or recently cut and is still a bit green inside (Good news…our wood is well seasoned and has set many months waiting for this special night). If a large bonfire is your eventual goal, a teepee works well.

Because they burn so hot, teepee fires tend to burn through fuel logs quickly. In the fire pit, place your tinder nest in the center, and arrange the kindling pieces around it in the shape of a teepee. Leave an opening at one side of the kindling teepee so that you’re able to light the tinder.

Place fuel logs atop the kindling in a teepee formation. As the outside logs burn, they’ll eventually fall into the center of the pile, thus feeding the fire by providing more fuel.

LOG CABIN
The log cabin fire, also known as the crisscross fire, is one of the two most popular set-ups for starting fires. It is essentially a criss-cross build of small to medium-sized wood that either can burn down to create a quick cooking fire from boiling/frying on the flames or basic cooking on the coals.

BOTTOM LINE
Tee pee fires are usually easier to start and burn for less time, but are brighter with more flames. If you want to just enjoy a bonfire at the campsite or your backyard firepit and like the flames, use a teepee.

Log cabin fires are better at producing coals and burn longer. If you want to cook over it or conserve how much wood you use, use a log cabin.