[kondor]

I've been searching around the web for the info I'm searching for but without too much luck

What I am looking for are ways of making a fire in the wilderness that will be hard to detect for others. I don't mean some type of camping stove or other device but a wood fire which could be used for keeping warm/cooking.

So basically if you were in a scenario where you were in the wilderness in the dark, in an area where there are known to be, or might possibly be hostile people, what are ways of building a fire/or fire pit so that the fire is hidden or hard to detect?

The nearest solution I have found so far is a Dakota fire pit, but with you guys knowledge I am sure there must be better answers,

thanks

 

[nkawtg]

The smaller the better, so build the smallest fire you can with twigs to do your cooking. Remember a scene from Dances with Wolves when a brave makes the comment: "I would rather die than argue to any white man about a single line of smoke in my own country!" Part of his disdain comes from the huge camp fires white men built. You could see their smoke from miles away.
I'm assuming you're bugged out. The only other method I can think of to make a relatively smokeless fire is to use charcoal from wood (not Kingsford). Not something you can do clandestinely.

The Dakota Fire Pit is good for masking the flame, but the smoke is the trouble. Near a tree might disperse the smoke, but not the smell. Though I like the Dakota pit a lot.

 

[MuzzleBlast]

I'm sure others will mention Dakota Fire Holes....


do a google search for videos and explanation

 

[Horned One]

Yeah, my suggestion was going to be the Dakota Fire Hole as well. They are very efficient using fuel, easy to cook on, and you can even make them inside a shelter.

 

[Straza]

If a Dakota pit is not possible, make your fire near the base of a large tree, the smoke will go up into the branches hiding it.

 

[azb]

Best plan is to be prepared enough to not need a fire. It's not that hard to do.

Next best idea is a Dakota pit.

Az

 

[snowie]

try a rocket stove.

 

[Horned One]

Best plan is to be prepared enough to not need a fire. It's not that hard to do.

Next best idea is a Dakota pit.

Az

I agree, though I have found that even if you don't NEED a fire, they are still excellent for morale.

 

[EdD270]

A dakota fire hole will do a lot to hide your fire.
However, there's still the light, especially at night, glowing upward from the hole.
Then there's the smell of smoke and cooking food that will literally carry for miles.
If you really want to hide, don't make a fire. Get used to cold food.

 

[BlasphemousBill]

If a Dakota pit is not possible, make your fire near the base of a large tree, the smoke will go up into the branches hiding it.

Be careful that you don't set the tree on fire though.

For the Dakota hole, don't just focus on digging a hole. Take into account your surroundings. Find a good depression in the thickest, nastiest brush you can find.

 

[ThoughtfulWolf]

While the Dakota Fire Pit is a bit more labor intensive than other fire methods, it will produce a warmer, more fuel efficient fire. This means that to cook on, you will require less fuel meaning more woods saved for later and less time spent collecting fuel. This fire method is also useful for stealth camping as the flame is below ground, minimizing visibility of light.

Another advantage of the Dakota Fire Pit is that it is easy to cook on and if the pot is big enough, can be set directly over the fire. If not, this can be remedied with some cross beams quickly fashioned with a few sticks braced across it.

How the fire pit works is depicted in the diagram below. It helps to build the "O2 Feeder" hole in the direction of prevailing winds. The fire heats up, drawing in air, the 02 Feeder Hole is sloped to the base of the fire so that it will draft oxygen in, causing a warmer and more efficient flame.

First you dig a hole about a foot deep and approximately a foot in diameter.

Then there is the oxygen feeder hole to build. I dig it at an angle, going directly to the base of the fuel/flame.

As you can see, the hole goes straight through and you can see the flame on the other side. I built up the walls on the hole and created a bit more of a slope in the earth around the "feeder hole" in hopes that it would force more air in when the wind blew.
flame seen through O2 feeder hole.

finished product

The fire I made was mostly so I could take the picture of the O2 feeder hole. I did not want to waste much fuel to pass on information.

 

[StalkingMoon]

In griz country have experimented with building small twiggy fires in trees 40 feet off the ground using a Zip stove using the same techniques we use in Yosemite working multi pitch A5 climbs

 

[George Newbill]

Dakota fire hole..

Effectively a Dakota fire hole is a rocket stove more or less.

If you can a small gas or alcohol stove make almost no smoke and little light but is limited to warming food.

For a wood fire do not use wet wood that causes white smoke.

You can set up reflectors that will decrease your light signature.

 

[azb]

I agree, though I have found that even if you don't NEED a fire, they are still excellent for morale.

Assuming you're trying not to be seen for a reason, being seen and harassed/caught/shot at/whatever is far worse for morale than not having a fire.

If you're prepared for and practice not having a fire, the lack of one will have no effect on morale.

Az

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

use the driest wood you can gather for fuel. don'y use conifer unless it's all you have available - the resin in the wood is a smoke maker
no mention of your location but if possible use the softer more brittle deciduous tree wood for fuel, poplar, cottonwood soft maple is the best for a quick intense blaze to cook on and heat rocks or heat water to pour into containers to warm your sleeping bag as mentioned earlier use smaller diameter limbs which will burn quickly rather than smolder. or split the limbs as well as possible. dusk and dawn fires are less detectable and likely the best times for cooking and heating.

 

[grandma]

Even if the fire itself isn't visible, I would think (as others have said) that the smell of smoke would be a give-away.

 

[PSYOP Soldier]

Dakota Fire hole....That said, if in hostile territory with BG's about, cold camping it is...If in hostile territory, i'd not stay long, and would be cold camping...the benefits of a fire for a day or two, DO NOT outweigh the security of NOT being detected and captured....

 

[MarksInnerDemon]

Bark makes a bunch of smoke, so if you have time strip the bark and use the driest wood you can find. Small twigs are teh best and you can make your fire disapear in a hurry.

 

[kondor]

Thanks everyone. It looks like the solutions are either tough it out and make do without...better than getting taken prisoner/shot. Or opt for the Dakota fire hole. When I get the opportunity I'll make sure I give making a Dakota fire hole some practice.

I really got the idea when I was walking back home the other night and some guys were having a small camp fire. I realised you could see a small flame in the dark from an immense distance away, in this case over a mile. I'm guessing in the wrong situation it would be like flying a blimp to alert the bad guys to your presence. I does make me think about the decoy/diversion possibilities of a fire in a shtf situation however...

 

[xraygord]

Build a shelter and move the fire inside. Try to only have a fire at night so the smoke won't be seen as well.