- How to make a trench fire.

Campfires are finicky beasts.  Imagine having to live by and cook with campfires every night for six months or more as a settler heading west in a covered wagon. 

You'd be starting from scratch every single night thinking how is our fuel supply, where is the wind coming from and how strong, how long since it has rained, is it too damp and the fire will struggle, is it too dry and I might risk a prairie fire, are strangers going to see my fire tonight?

There was one type of campfire that the pioneers and settlers knew about that gave them a degree of control over all of these pressing issues.

It was known as a trench fire and with some updating it is one of the most powerful campfire techniques around. 

It is also one of the simplest. This entry appears in the Prairie Traveler book of 1861:

"A great saving in fuel may be made by digging a trench about two feet long by eight inches in width and depth; the fires are made in the bottom of the trench, and the cooking utensils placed upon the top, where they receive all the heat.  This plan is especially recommended for windy weather, and it is convenient at all times.  The wood should be cut short, and split into small pieces."

To really get the most out of a trench fire the description above needs to be improved on. 

You should dig the trench so it is parallel with the wind flow. 

The downwind half of the trench will be for cooking, the upwind half of the trench will be for feeding fuel and air to the fire . 

Dig the trench so the base slopes downwards to the cooking end of the trench, which will draw the prevailing wind down into the fire creating a bellows effect.

Do not block up the end of your trench with your pot, leave a gap so hot air and smoke can escape.


You can line the base of the trench with stones to store heat and protect the fire from any dampness in the soil.

The sides of a trench fire can give way, particularly after the soil has been dried by the heat.  So rather than place your cooking pots directly on the trench you should use green logs or even better, some kind of metal cross support.

If digging is not possible, the same effect can be had by building a fire in between two parallel logs.

• A trench fire is not only protected from the wind, it takes advantage of it.  

• The likelihood of embers being blown into nearby brush is much reduced.  

• It burns much hotter with a smaller amount of fuel.  

• It saves the heat up so can keep on cooking after most of the fuel has been used.  

• Wet timber in the mouth of the trench can be baked dry before it gets to the fire.  

• And it's not particularly visible at night.

This fire can also disappear real fast if you want it to, leaving hardly any trace it ever existed.

Other how-to and DIY from the pioneers and settlers can be found at Pioneer Handbooks.  If you are interested in camping like a pioneer, you can download this chapter for free.

Even if you never plan to make your own trench fire, you can still hit the Facebook Like button below and save this how-to from disappearing into history

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