Building a good fire for your camping trick isn't just a fancy party trick to impress your fellow campers. Although most camping gear today make traditional campfire making look paltry and tedious, knowing how to build a proper camp fire can spell the difference between life and death extreme circumstances.

In the older, simpler, and less complicated days, when matches and gas torches were but luxuries, building a proper camp fire was essential to any outdoor activity. This was where everyone sough warmth against the cold environs, and where people found the means to cook a warm dinner for everyone. Night temperatures can be very unforgiving, and camp fires provided a means for everyone gather around and warm up.

Aside from the heat, camp fires also repelled wild animals. Wild dogs, lions and other beasts are not keen to approach a campfire. That is why camp fires are always left burning well into the night.

While the art of making campfires has been all but forgotten