Dakota fire pits

Dakota fire pits!

First year Extended diploma students made a Dakota fire pit this week.

Dakota fire holes are another way of lighting a fire outside with many advantages over a traditional camp fire. Although fairly labour intensive Dakota fire pits burn at a higher temperature with much less fuel than a traditional campfire making them more efficient. You can use them for cooking and boiling water with minimal fuel and water will boil much faster than with a conventional camp fire.

You need to plan carefully, you need to be able to dig easily, in free draining soil that isn’t too wet, or sandy soil which will collapse or rocky conditions in which digging will be impossible.

Dakota fire pits work by drawing air through the tunnel and into the fire chamber; you should build your pit so that the wind is blowing through the tunnel.