How long will a banked fire stay alive?

Question

I'm checking out some wilderness guides. I know the theory behind banking a fire--that you cover the coals in ashes, and this keeps them alive until morning. How long can you reasonably expect them to stay alive? Does the size of the coal matter before you bank it? How much ash should you put on? Any other advice?

Answer 1

All you need to keep a fire going is oxygen and fuel. As long as you don't put the coals out when you put the ashes over them, you should still have a few coals in the morning. Even if you don't put ashes over top of the fire at night you may still find some coals burning near the center of the fire, depending on how much wood was on the fire to begin with. This is, of course, assuming that it doesn't rain overnight.

For the best results, you should probably have one good-sized hardwood log reduced to coals to start off with. Less dense wood, like pine, may not make it the whole night.

By the way, you can do this same thing with charcoal briquettes in a grill...

Answer 2

Hi Some have survived for centuries. Anthracite coal fires, started from the surface, can burn and have burned for a very long time. For a campfire, just put all available ash on top of the embers. You'll probably find some still glowing in the morning.