How close are you willing to get to a campfire and how much distance do you typically give yourself. I've always been a bit paranoid about embers floating from the convection and falling on my gear.
How close are you willing to get to a campfire and how much distance do you typically give yourself. I've always been a bit paranoid about embers floating from the convection and falling on my gear.
As far as I can, and upwind.
Not only for the embers but also to get away from the inevitable late- might campfire conversations which would otherwise keep me awake when I'm in a group.
When I go solo I usually don't make a fire but if I do I would usually eat there and I want to be away from food smells in bear country.
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--Scott <><
"I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful... because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience...." --Robert Traver
I think I started a tread like this. I prefer to be in the next county. My friends love a campfire but of course they are using MY gear.
I might feel a little better about it now that I’m keeping the tarp in snake skins. I track every ember with attention that would make NORAD jealous.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
I know this is a non-answer, but not having any fire is a legit option, too.
Same here - not gonna set up next to a fire with a bunch of nylon camping gear.
I've been to some group hangs where people have literally set up 15 feet from the group campfire. Then those same people go to bed at 8 pm and ask everyone to be quiet, which ain't gonna happen. I'm all for being respectful, but not if you set up 15 ft. from the group campfire and go to bed at 8 pm each night.
Nowadays at group hangs I warn everyone that if you're a light sleeper or an early-to-bed type, don't set up your hammock next to the group campfire.
Last edited by SilvrSurfr; 05-19-2020 at 19:19.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Upwind and far away.
fire_downwind_far_away.jpg
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
--Scott <><
"I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful... because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience...." --Robert Traver
Okay, so it looks like I'm not being paranoid then.
I definitely concur with the idea of distance, both for the fire itself and late-night conversation. I also learned the hard way that some fires are unexpectedly hot — I managed to burn a little hole in a pop-up shelter during a Boy Scout flag retirement ceremony. I hadn’t realized how hot the synthetic flags would be. The patchable hole was worth it for the scouts having a good experience, though.
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Honestly, I can't think of a single reason why I would ever want to hang near a fire. Just, no.
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
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