Learn essential survival skills including shelter building, fire lighting, navigation, first aid, outdoor safety and practical skills to survive in the wilderness.
Knowing how to dress in layers is one of the simplest ways to stay warm outdoors. Whether you’re hiking, camping, taking part in a Scout activity or simply spending time outside during colder weather, a good layering system allows you to adjust your clothing as conditions and activity levels change. The aim isn’t necessarily to…
Extinguishing a campfire safely is just as important as lighting and maintaining it. Many fire-related problems happen because people assume a fire is out before it has actually cooled, rush the final checks or use an inappropriate method. For Scouts, learning about common mistakes can help develop good habits and reinforce the idea that responsibility…
Water is often the first thing people think of when they need to extinguish a campfire, but it isn’t the only consideration. The right way to extinguish a fire depends on the type of fire, the location, the fuel being burned and the equipment available. In many ordinary campfire situations, water is an effective way…
A campfire can look finished long before the ashes are actually cool. Ash can contain hot embers that remain capable of causing burns or reigniting nearby material. This makes dealing with ashes an important part of properly finishing a fire activity. For Scouts, understanding hot ashes is a useful way of learning that fire safety…
Putting out a campfire is only the first part of extinguishing it safely. A fire can appear to be out while hot embers and ash remain underneath. These can stay hot for a surprisingly long time and may be capable of reigniting if they are disturbed or exposed to oxygen. Knowing how to recognise when…
Cooking over a campfire is a useful outdoor skill, but a good cooking fire isn’t simply a large fire with lots of flames. The aim is to create and maintain a steady, controllable source of heat that suits the food, cookware and cooking method being used. A well-maintained cooking fire can make outdoor cooking much…
A good campfire doesn’t need to have huge flames to be effective. For many outdoor activities, the most useful fire is one that burns steadily and predictably, providing a consistent amount of heat without constantly flaring up, smoking or dying down. Keeping a campfire burning evenly is an important part of fire maintenance. It involves…
Adding wood to a campfire seems simple, but it is an important part of maintaining a fire safely. Adding too much fuel at once can make a fire suddenly grow, while placing wood badly can cause burning logs to roll or sparks to escape. Good fire management means adding suitable fuel gradually and paying attention…
A good campfire isn’t necessarily a large campfire. One of the most important parts of fire maintenance is keeping the fire at a suitable size for what you are trying to do. A fire that is too small may not provide enough heat, while a fire that is unnecessarily large can become difficult to manage…
Leaving a campsite after a fire activity involves more than packing away the equipment. A fire that looks finished may still contain hot embers, glowing material or smouldering fuel. If it hasn’t been properly extinguished, it can remain a hazard after everyone has left. Taking a few minutes to carry out a final fire-safety check…
