Best Firewood For Camping

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Although there are several different types of hardwood available, oak, maple, and hickory will be good choices. However, if you are looking for the most practical hardwood to use, ash would be your top choice. It is due to its ability to burn hot, combined with how easy it is to split. If you can only bring one hardwood with you, ash should be your top choice, followed by oak, maple, and hickory.

If you are going camping, you may need to bring firewood with you in certain locations. When camping during the summer months, it is unlikely that you will need firewood for heat. However, it’s great to have with you for campfires, bonfires, or just roasting marshmallows. If you are not sure what type of firewood to bring, there are many choices available. Each one will have benefits and some drawbacks. Here is an overview of the very best firewood for camping that you can purchase and use on your next camping trip.

Always Bring Hardwoods

Hardwoods originate from trees that produce seeds that have an outside shell or coating that will protect them. Conversely, softwood does not have any type of coating. Hardwoods are simply denser than softwoods and will burn longer using the same amount of wood. Three of the most popular include maple wood, hickory, and oakwood. All of these will burn very slowly and extremely hot. The slower that the wood burns, the longer it will last, which is why many campers will bring this type of firewood.

The Benefits Of Using Certain Hardwoods

One of the benefits of using oak or maple is that it will not produce very much smoke at all. Only ash firewood will produce less smoke, yet it is not as dense as typical hardwood. Another type of wood that you can use for a campfire is cedar. It is lightweight by comparison to oak and maple. Another that you may want to use is Hickory. It is denser than both white oak and red oak.

The Drawbacks Of Bringing Hardwoods When Camping

One of the most common drawbacks associated with using hardwood when camping is that it takes a long time to dry out. Different types of hardwood including hickory, birch, oak, elm, and certainly maple can take many weeks to be dry enough to use on a campfire. Hardwoods are dense, which means they will be heavier, which may make it difficult to manage. Although softwoods such as pine, fir, and redwood are much lighter, they are not recommended for cooking as it can contribute to a very bad flavor and the food you are cooking.

What Is The Best Hardwood To Use When Camping?

If you decide to bring one specific type of wood with you, ash would likely be the best choice. Although it is not as dense as oak or maple, it will burn hot and is very easy to split by comparison. When starting the fire, you will always need to have kindling available. Instead of bringing a separate bundle of kindling, you can simply split the ashwood up. You will want to bring enough to last your entire trip. This could be one or two small bundles that you can use throughout your camping trip.