A Dakota fire hole requires much less firewood and burns more efficiently, producing hotter fires with less wood. This makes it a very valuable wilderness survival technique in places where firewood is scarce or requires much effort to obtain.
It also creates a stable platform that is very convenient for cooking.
The fire is concealed within a hole limiting the amount of visible light emitted and smoke is also decreased because the wood is burning hotter and more efficiently.
fires burn hotter when you introduce air at the bottom of the fire.
same as a rocket stove in principle
As a young Boy Scout we used Dakota Holes quite a lot. I found they they work best when there is a strong wind. The fire hole should be downwind from the air hole for best results. Sometimes we would put a No.10 can with both ends cut out between the holes to keep the ground from collapsing. Thanks for the memories!
These will come in handy soon…
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Lol
Very interesting…….hmmmm
Good idea and to make it easy to cook over, take a small metal grate then you would not have to worry about it spilling.
I like
Did it that way way back in 1947 in Troop 11!!