I’m really enjoying this thread,
never felt so much like an "old timer" until this thread came out.
There are a lot of ways to camp- you can go minimalist- a bivy sack, tarp and cold food, somewhere in the middle like a tent and a stove, and you can camp with gas grills, dutch and reflector ovens and plug in coffee pots and even with an oven in a Winnebago. Its all your choice- not sure there are right and wrong answers.
Knowing how to build a fire is an essential skill in my book. Now truly, I can't really say I've ever met anyone who didn't light and build a fire without some help: be it matches, a lighter, a bow kit, magnifying glass, a set of flint and steel, battery and steel wool.
To be able to light a fire using only what is in one's surroundings would be impressive to me. Nothing brought with you, just what you found on site. So just as I carry a pocket knife I also carry some matches or a lighter with me.
Building a fire takes time and energy but it also can be very rewarding. Its more important than a first aid kit to me. It is a skill, a knowledge, although not difficult in most situations I have struggled at times. So if its wet, you should carry dry tinder, a candle to melt, and an ax and saw can be quite useful- although they can dangerous as well. Otherwise, carry a stove as a back up.
There's nothing wrong with using a stove and as many have noted its a godsend on a cold day when your tired and hungry and want something right away. For the most part stoves are convenient, yet sometimes stoves themselves can be a pain in a**: cold weather can make them hard to light, fuel canisters run out when dinner is half cooked, white gas has leaked in my pack and left a nasty aftertaste to all of my food, and using unleaded gas in my xgk required constant daily cleaning.
Some places fires are appropriate and other places they are not. Yet I have a sense of sadness for those who never experienced the warmth and glow of a campfire. Staring into the flames and embers and finally trotting off to bed as the fire dies out and the coolness of night creeps in.
Sometimes its not just about the miles you cover, the terrain you mark off the map, but connecting to your more primal being where fire wasn't just a choice to be made but was a necessity for survival. I can relate all to well with Jack London's "To Build a Fire" and the urgency of the moment. I think every outdoorsman should know how to build a fire as a basic survival skill.
Catching a fish, cooking it over the fire, that's how I roll. I never have tried sushi, but I've caught too many fish with parasites to make me think its safe to eat, so I say bring on the fire, along with its warmth, radiance, and gathering powers. Cold instant oatmeal and bivy sacks are for the young. Now I prefer a comfortable camp chair, store bought fire wood, and a marshmallow or two. Next thing ya know, I'll be sleepin' in a camper van and using my plug in coffee pot, oops I already do that. Oh, its a slippery slope from walking upright, then mastering fire, to using camp stoves, to RVs. Next thing ya know, folks will be paddling with two blades instead of one! Then we will all look back and wonder if its okay to use a single blade, to revisit our past, our heritage, and dare I say it, "canoe". It will be less efficient, slower, but perhaps like fire, for some of us it holds a different meaning, and enjoyment.
None of this paddling stuff makes sense in a "modern age". So fire is no different. Make up your own outdoor code and follow it. My outdoor journey began as my father taught me how to build a fire and it will end someday with the flames of cremation.
