Are campfires needlessly destructive to the environment through people collecting deadwood to make them and the ground they burn? Should everyone just use a gas camp stove instead?
>>2870513no.
Honestly depends on the trail and weather.In high traffic areas you are gonna be hard pressed to find any ground wood to make a fire anyways, and cutting trees is frowned upon.Plus, 90% of the time the weather will be mild enough to the point you dont need a fire anyways and can get away with your camp stove for cooking.That other 10% is the issue though. I was stuck in a shelter with some through hikers in the smokies during a blizzard, but had the foresight to gather sticks the night before so me and my brother got a fire going for a couple hours which provided more of a morale boost than anything else, none the less it kept us from freezing our asses and fingers off until the blizzard calmed down.Just dont be a greedy dickhead making a bonfire during a dayhike imo.
>>2870529Also, if less traveled areas, making fires can be genuinely good for the environment as you clear dead tree litter off the trail or from the tent area.Plus. You cant beat a fire roasted meal. Knorr pasta could never.
>>2870513campfires are negligible unless you count forest fires
>>2870513My fires are demure and modest and photogenic and good.But morons insist on big green wood fires that make a huge mess and frequently cause forest fires, so I can’t get mad when fires are banned, even if it pisses me off that idiots have so little discernment that bans are necessary.For the first 20 years I would do backcountry camping, I carried strike anywhere matches and a cooking pan, and never a stove, but now I take a stove because half the time the forest jannies have had to ban fires to keep dumbfucks from starting up the whole forest. Frustrating as hell.
ashes are good for the soil and can be carried far away from the campfire by wind
>>2870513No. Slash n' Burn, campfires, even small contained forest fires are good. They clear out tight-packed undergrowth. Not only that, but it's good for the soil and it allows the growth of fire tolerant plants/trees. Also it kills my mortal enemies the Ticks.
I only hike and camp in remote areas that humanity forgot about, abandoned logging parcels, mosquito infested swamps, places where I can do anything I want and will never run into another human being. I don't give a fuck what laws are passed in your Instagram parks where you have to pay for parking.
Commenting here because this is the most relevant thread. To quickly answer OP question: as long as you're not scouring an area bare, I don't see anything wrong with building a fire the classic, slow way. Anyway. I tried starting one today... but the wood was too damp. My bad. I feel stupid, more than I should, maybe. I actually feel like an abject failure, because I've started a fire in a thunderstorm before. I feel I've lost my edge and should just be eaten by a mountain lion or something. Fuck. Fuck this day.
>>2870513A little of wood ash is good for the soil, it's fertilizer.
>>2870513One time use fuel canisters are way better for the environment than burning deadfall. Just like strip mining for lithium car batteries.
>>2870513>use a gas camp stove instead?those are for cooking. Fires are for cooking, heat and light.
