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Do you think campfires are a necessary part of camping?

NorthCascades
NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
in Debate Club
Camping itself isn't a fitness activity, but it's often done to facilitate things like hiking, swimming, and canoeing.

Everybody loves a good campfire. Some people require one. In the national parks, it's easier to get a permit (because there's less competition) for a backcountry site that doesn't allow campfires than one that does.

Do you typically have fires when you camp? Will you camp without one? Does this change for you based on the weather, or whether you're in the front or back country?
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Replies

  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Yes, we generally have a campfire when possible and it's certainly part of the whole camping tradition for us, but it's not a make or break. We've camped in the rain, or where fires weren't allowed or when we just couldn't get any wood, and never considered the trip diminished at all, since our primary focus is playing in the outdoors, and roasting marshmallows and dozing in front of the embers is just a great add-in. :)
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Do you typically have fires when you camp?
    Yes.

    Will you camp without one?
    Yes. We've had to camp without fires the last few years because of dry weather, forest fires and the resultant fire bans. Preventing forest fires makes for REALLY big fires once it actually eventually starts.

    Does this change for you based on the weather, or whether you're in the front or back country?
    Not often.
  • TorStar80
    TorStar80 Posts: 252 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm from Australia. You can't camp without a fire, it's the only thing that keeps the dropbears away.

    Dropbear...?

  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    not directly. but coffee is . . . so.


    personally, i think the real question should be 'is camping necessary?' probably noticed i'm not a big fan.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    dropbear

    wowsers. i looked that up and found this.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial_lion

    sure, long long ago . . . but how cool is that. a marsupial lion.

    sorry bout that. carry on.

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I usually prefer without a fire. You can't see many stars from the middle of a big city, so the night sky is a treat for me. When I camp, I can see the Milky Way. The Perseid meteor shower is going to peak this weekend. A campfire distracts from all of this. Also, the best camps here are at high enough altitude that trees are scarce and fires are prohibited.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    I like campfires, but I don't like starting them. I know how and can do so, but I was burned badly as a kid and am pretty avoidant of activities that can burn me again.
  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    Campfires are my fave part of camping. But, half the summer has a fire ban because it gets so dry where I live, so i make due without.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    We always have a "safe" camp fire and are fully aware of putting it out correctly. Camping isn't camping without a good campfire.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    TorStar80 wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I'm from Australia. You can't camp without a fire, it's the only thing that keeps the dropbears away.

    Dropbear...?

    drop-bear-image.jpg

    This would make me think twice about camping...
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    edited August 2017
    It truely depends on where and when we camp.
    We generally don't do campfires late spring to early autumn.

    We camp in the BC (canada) interior and it is a tinderbox.

    My SO was with the ministry of highways, and his best friend MO forestry. We are too aware of what can happen to even think of having a camp fire most of the year.

    I love the romance of them, but heck, I have a vivid imagination and can make romance out of a tin of beans.

    Cheers, h.

    Eta, we are still experiencing the heavy smoke from the fires in northern BC, I am close to the USA border and on an island.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    My husband has asthma, and has breathing problems around a campfire, so no.
    We have been known to move our camp if someone in the area has a fire, which is why we prefer backcountry camping where there are less (or no) people. We would never camp in a "campground" because we understand that this is a part of the experience for most people. But, no, we can't do it.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I usually prefer without a fire. You can't see many stars from the middle of a big city, so the night sky is a treat for me. When I camp, I can see the Milky Way. The Perseid meteor shower is going to peak this weekend. A campfire distracts from all of this. Also, the best camps here are at high enough altitude that trees are scarce and fires are prohibited.

    BTW, I'm heading to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota next week for a canoe trip....I'm hoping to still catch some of the Perseid meteor shower.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I have camped without a fire an 2 occasions when the weather had been so dry that open fires were banned at the time. You could only burn charcoal for cooking. No wood fires. It wasn't nearly as much fun.

    Yeah, I definitely want the campfire. But I will camp without it.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    A campfire is a nice-to-have, not a necessity. When we go on family campouts, they are almost nearly a requirement. Same goes for Cub Scout camps and Boy Scout weekend campouts.

    For backcountry campouts, it's a different matter. We've been out where there have been burn warnings, and no fires were allowed. We've also been out when it has poured rain, and there's no dry fuel for the fire.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I think I've only been once or twice without a fire and it was fine, although in my mind camping involves a fire.
  • hungreeteacher17
    hungreeteacher17 Posts: 135 Member
    The campfire is definitely a requirement for me! I camp frequently and have been forced by thunderstorms and downpours to forgo the campfire and it really takes away from the whole experience. I love the smell, watching the flames, s'mores and cooking meals over the fire.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I usually prefer without a fire. You can't see many stars from the middle of a big city, so the night sky is a treat for me. When I camp, I can see the Milky Way. The Perseid meteor shower is going to peak this weekend. A campfire distracts from all of this. Also, the best camps here are at high enough altitude that trees are scarce and fires are prohibited.

    BTW, I'm heading to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota next week for a canoe trip....I'm hoping to still catch some of the Perseid meteor shower.

    I hope it's a fantastic show for you! :smile:
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    I don't like the smell of campfires, so no.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    I love a good fire so yes. I have camped without one when it has been raining. If I'm camping where one is not allowed I would not make one.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I've been an avid camper for much of my life and while not a necessity, a campfire is nice to have. When my wife and I did more backpacking and back country camping, it really was just dependent on if we were in an area where we could find fuel as well as the weather conditions...we start getting monsoon thunderstorms here in July and they run through September, so it can be hard to find dry fuel when in the back country.

    These days with kids, we're in a travel trailer either in a designated forest service campground or boondocking off one of the many forest roads. Unless we are under a no burn, we have a fire and I usually bring my own wood.

    We usually get it going in the early evening before dark and enjoy some beers or cocktails and then dinner. We get the kids to bed at dark and then throw another log or so on and have another couple beers while the fire slowly dies down...once it's down we spend a good 30 minutes or so just watching the stars, though sometimes the canopy is such that we can't see much.

    We keep our fires relatively small...I've had friends camp with us and start throwing on a bunch of logs and it irritates me because the fire is just too big...don't need 8 ft flames...
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I have camped without a fire an 2 occasions when the weather had been so dry that open fires were banned at the time. You could only burn charcoal for cooking. No wood fires. It wasn't nearly as much fun.

    Yeah, I definitely want the campfire. But I will camp without it.

    Pretty much my answer.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    We have those signs all over the place here, too. "Buy it where you'll burn it" I think.
  • Jonesingmucho
    Jonesingmucho Posts: 4,902 Member
    edited August 2017
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    We have those signs all over the place here, too. "Buy it where you'll burn it" I think.

    I've seen that as a tattoo

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