Camping - How Much Firewood Do I Need For Camping?

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How Much Firewood Do I Need For Camping?

Andrew N

08/09/2026

How Much Firewood Do I Need for Camping?

For a typical small-to-medium campfire burning for around 4-6 hours, I would start with roughly 2-4 standard bundles of dry firewood. You may need considerably more for a large group fire, cold conditions or fast-burning softwood, while a small cooking fire can use much less.

The annoying thing about answering “how much firewood do I need?” is that a bundle isn’t a precise unit. Retail bundles vary in weight, log size and wood species, although around 0.75 cubic feet is common. That can mean roughly half a dozen substantial logs in one bundle or considerably more small pieces in another.

For camping, I would much rather have one bundle left over than run out halfway through the evening. At the same time, I don’t deliberately build enormous fires just because I’ve bought a lot of wood. A small hot campfire uses less fuel, creates less smoke and usually does everything I need for cooking and sitting around camp.

Those are planning estimates rather than guaranteed burn times. The type of wood, size of the logs, moisture content and how aggressively you feed the fire can easily change the amount you use.

How Long Does a Bundle of Firewood Last?

There isn’t a reliable answer that applies to every bundle.

A typical retail bundle is around 0.75 cubic feet, and some commercial bundles contain approximately 6-8 pieces of firewood. But six large dense hardwood logs can behave completely differently from six small pieces of softwood.

For an ordinary campfire, I tend to think of one bundle as roughly one to two hours of useful burning. If I deliberately keep the fire small and let each log burn down properly, I can stretch it farther. If I keep throwing logs onto a large roaring fire, a bundle can disappear surprisingly quickly.

That is why I prefer planning by the number of hours I actually want a fire rather than simply saying “three bundles per day.”

How Much Firewood Do You Need Per Night?

For a normal evening where I light the fire after dinner and keep it going until somewhere around bedtime, 2-4 bundles is a sensible starting point.

If I only want a small fire for cooking and sitting around for a couple of hours, one or two bundles may be plenty. If there are six people sitting around a large fire for the entire evening, I would want more.

The old version of this article suggested as many as 60-80 logs for a large evening fire. That can be unnecessarily excessive depending on the size of those logs. I think bundles and volume are more useful than counting individual pieces because one “log” can be anything from a wrist-thick split to something resembling a telegraph pole.

How Much Firewood Do You Need Per Person?

I don’t normally calculate firewood per person because the relationship isn’t linear.

One person doesn’t need one-third of the fuel that three people use. A small fire that comfortably warms one camper can usually have several people sitting around it without suddenly needing three times as much wood.

Group size matters mainly because people tend to build a physically larger fire when more people are sitting around it. That increases fuel consumption considerably.

For a couple or small group, I would still start around 2-4 bundles for an ordinary evening and only increase that if I knew we wanted a particularly large or long-lasting fire.

How Much Firewood Do You Need for Two Nights?

For two evenings of around 4-6 hours each, I would generally plan on 4-8 bundles total for a small-to-medium campfire.

For three nights, roughly 6-12 bundles gives the same starting range.

You don’t have to blindly multiply the maximum number, though. If the forecast is warm and one evening will mostly be spent away from camp, buying twelve bundles in advance would be pointless.

I normally estimate each evening separately and then add one extra bundle as a buffer if running out would be particularly annoying.

How Much Firewood Do You Need for Cooking?

Cooking usually needs much less wood than keeping a large social fire burning for an entire evening.

Once I have a good bed of glowing coals, I don’t need a massive flame beneath a pan. In fact, high uncontrolled flames often make cooking harder because they scorch food and cover cookware in soot.

For boiling water or cooking one meal, a small amount of dry wood can be enough. If campfire cooking is your main objective, something like a small wood-burning camp stove can use considerably less fuel than an open fire because it concentrates the heat around the pot.

For cooking several meals plus having an evening campfire, I would simply include another bundle or two rather than trying to calculate every saucepan separately.

Don’t Plan to Keep a Campfire Burning All Night

I would change the wording of the original article here quite strongly.

You generally shouldn’t need a campfire burning unattended throughout the night. Apart from wasting a huge amount of wood, an unattended fire can escape through sparks, rolling logs or changing wind conditions.

If I’m going to sleep, I extinguish the fire properly rather than trying to build some enormous stack of logs that will smoulder until morning.

For staying warm overnight, your sleeping bag and sleeping pad should be doing the work rather than a campfire outside the tent.

How Fire Size Changes the Amount of Wood You Need

Fire size probably has a bigger effect on wood consumption than almost anything else.

A small fire might only have two or three modest logs burning at once. A large group fire can have several times that amount of exposed burning surface, so it consumes fuel dramatically faster.

I generally prefer the smallest fire that does the job. For cooking, that can be very small indeed. For sitting around on a cool evening, I increase it slightly but don’t feel the need to build a bonfire.

A smaller fire is also easier to control and extinguish properly before leaving camp.

Does Cold Weather Mean You Need More Firewood?

Usually, yes, but not because wood suddenly starts burning dramatically faster when the air gets cold.

You use more firewood in winter mainly because you tend to light the fire earlier, keep it going longer and build it larger for warmth.

Cold weather can also make starting the fire more difficult when the available tinder and wood contain moisture. Once a properly established fire is burning hot, normal winter air temperature has a relatively small effect compared with moisture content, airflow and wood density.

I wouldn’t use a rule such as “always double the firewood below freezing.” I would simply allow extra based on how many additional hours I expect the fire to be burning.

Dry Wood Matters More Than Almost Anything

Dry wood gives you far more useful heat from the same volume of fuel.

The US EPA recommends burning seasoned wood at around 20% moisture content or lower. Wet wood wastes a significant amount of the fire’s energy heating and evaporating water before the wood can burn properly.

That means more smoke, poorer heat output and more frustration.

The old version of this article suggested that once you have a roaring fire, adding wet wood isn’t much of a problem because the fire quickly dries it. A hot fire can certainly help dry damp surfaces, but genuinely wet wood still consumes heat while the internal moisture is driven out. If I have a choice, I always use the driest wood available.

Hardwood vs Softwood for Campfires

As a general rule, dense hardwood gives me a longer-lasting bed of coals while low-density softwood burns faster and is excellent for getting a fire established.

That doesn’t mean hardwood is automatically “better” in every situation. Softwood can be perfect when I want a quick hot fire for boiling water and don’t intend to sit around it for six hours.

For a longer evening fire, I like combining the two: dry softwood and small splits to get everything going, followed by denser hardwood once I have a proper coal bed.

Best Firewood for Camping

Different wood species behave differently because of density, resin content and moisture. These are some of the more common examples.

Oak

Oak is excellent firewood once properly seasoned. It is dense, burns for a long time and creates a strong bed of coals, which makes it particularly useful for cooking.

The downside is that oak can take a long time to season. A piece of oak that feels dry on the outside can still contain significant moisture internally if it was recently cut.

Ash

Ash is another very good hardwood fuel. It splits relatively easily and produces steady heat once dry.

There is an old saying that ash can be burned green, and it does contain less moisture than some freshly cut hardwoods, but I still wouldn’t deliberately burn freshly cut ash if properly seasoned wood were available. Dry wood simply burns cleaner and more efficiently.

Birch

Birch lights easily and burns relatively quickly, which makes it excellent for building a fire.

The papery bark on some birch species is famous as tinder because it contains oils that ignite readily. I often like birch early in the fire before adding denser pieces that will provide a longer-lasting coal bed.

Hickory

Hickory is extremely dense and produces excellent heat when properly seasoned.

It can be harder to split than many other woods, but if I’m buying dry firewood and hickory is available, it is very good fuel for a long-lasting fire.

Apple

Properly dried apple wood burns slowly and produces a pleasant aroma. Fruitwoods are particularly popular for cooking because of the smoke they produce.

It is dense enough to give a good long burn, but freshly cut apple contains plenty of moisture and needs proper seasoning before use.

Maple

Maple varies depending on the species. Hard maple can be excellent dense firewood, while softer maple species burn more quickly.

Either works perfectly well for camping provided the wood is dry.

Walnut

Walnut is decent firewood and generally produces a steady fire, although I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it instead of oak, hickory or another readily available seasoned hardwood.

As with all these species, moisture content matters more than whether the label sounds premium.

Cherry

Cherry is pleasant firewood with a distinctive smell and can provide a good coal bed once seasoned.

Fruitwoods can be particularly nice for cooking, although I wouldn’t waste valuable usable timber purely because it happens to burn nicely.

Softwoods

Pine, spruce and fir can all be perfectly useful campfire wood.

They generally ignite easily and burn faster than dense hardwoods. Resinous softwood may also spit and throw more sparks, so I give synthetic tents and tarps plenty of clearance.

If you’re buying bundles locally and softwood is what the campground sells, I wouldn’t worry about it. Just expect to feed the fire more frequently.

What About Compressed Fire Logs?

Compressed wood briquettes can provide a very consistent fuel source because they are manufactured from dry compressed wood material.

They can be useful in permitted fire pits, but I would check the manufacturer’s instructions before cooking directly over them. Some manufactured fire logs are intended primarily for fireplaces and may contain waxes or other binders that I wouldn’t want underneath dinner.

Plain compressed wood briquettes intended for cooking or campfires are a different matter.

Can You Collect Firewood at a Campsite?

Sometimes, but never assume you are allowed to.

Rules vary enormously between campsites, parks and public land. Some places allow campers to collect small amounts of dead and downed wood; others prohibit collecting firewood entirely.

Where collection is allowed, I follow the basic Leave No Trace principle of using small dead and downed material rather than cutting living trees or ripping branches off standing vegetation.

I also don’t strip every dead branch from the area immediately surrounding a popular campsite. Deadwood is part of the habitat and contributes nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Don’t Transport Firewood Long Distances

If I’m car camping, the easiest solution is often buying firewood close to the campsite rather than carrying it halfway across the country.

Moving untreated firewood can transport invasive insects and tree diseases into new areas. Many parks and regions therefore restrict or discourage bringing in firewood from elsewhere.

Buying locally also saves filling the car with bark, insects and bits of wood.

Where to Find Dry Firewood in the Wild

If collecting wood is permitted, I look for dead material that has remained above the ground.

Branches suspended in other vegetation or dead standing material can be much drier than wood lying flat against wet soil. I test small sticks by snapping them; properly dry small wood usually breaks sharply rather than bending.

I don’t cut living trees, and I don’t assume a dead standing tree is fair game either. Regulations may prohibit cutting or removing standing wood even when the tree itself is dead.

For a small campfire, wrist-thick and smaller deadfall is usually all I need.

How Long Does Firewood Take to Season?

Freshly cut firewood doesn’t dry properly during a weekend camping trip.

Depending on species, climate, split size and storage, seasoning typically takes months rather than days. EPA guidance recommends at least around six months for softwood and roughly a year for hardwood, with moisture content ideally below 20% before burning.

Splitting wood dramatically increases the exposed surface area and helps it dry faster.

If a piece of already-seasoned wood has merely been rained on, that’s different. The outside may dry relatively quickly once sheltered, while freshly cut green wood can remain wet internally for many months.

How to Dry Damp Firewood at Camp

If my seasoned firewood has become damp from rain, I separate the pieces and store them somewhere protected with plenty of airflow.

Once the fire is established, I can place the next few logs nearby where radiant heat warms them, but not so close that they ignite unattended.

Splitting a damp log can also expose considerably drier wood inside. This is often more effective than waiting for a soaking-wet intact round to magically dry beside the fire.

How to Keep Firewood Dry When Camping

The first thing I do is get the pile off wet ground.

A couple of sacrificial logs underneath can create a simple platform, then I cover the top of the stack while leaving the sides exposed enough for air to circulate.

A tarp works brilliantly, but I don’t wrap the entire pile tightly in waterproof material because trapped moisture has nowhere to escape.

I also keep the firewood far enough away from the campfire that an unexpected spark or rolling log can’t ignite the whole pile.

Does Wood Burn Faster in Cold Weather?

Not in any practically useful sense.

Cold wood needs to absorb some energy before it reaches ignition temperature, but once a campfire is properly established the difference caused by ordinary outdoor air temperature is small compared with wood moisture, log size and airflow.

The reason I normally use more wood in winter is simply that I run the fire for longer and often make it larger.

Wet winter fuel is a much bigger issue than cold fuel.

How Wind Affects Firewood Use

Wind can make a fire burn far more aggressively because increased airflow supplies oxygen to the combustion.

A light breeze can help a sluggish fire, but strong wind can make it consume fuel rapidly and throw sparks much farther than expected.

In genuinely windy conditions, the answer isn’t simply “bring more wood.” It may be safer not to have an open fire at all, especially in dry vegetation or when local fire restrictions are in place.

How Much Firewood Should You Buy at a Campground?

If I arrive at a campground and have no idea how quickly its particular firewood burns, I don’t buy ten bundles immediately.

For the first evening I would usually start with three bundles for a normal 4-6 hour fire. That gives me a useful baseline.

If one bundle turns out to contain huge dense hardwood splits, I may have plenty left. If it’s small lightweight softwood and everyone wants the fire burning all evening, I can buy more the following day.

This approach is more reliable than treating every “bundle” as though it contains exactly the same amount of energy.

Campfire Safety and Leave No Trace

Before collecting or buying any firewood, I check whether fires are actually allowed.

Fire bans can change quickly during hot, dry or windy weather, and some landscapes prohibit open fires permanently. Where fire rings already exist, I use them rather than creating another scorched patch.

I keep fires reasonably small, never cut live vegetation and make sure everything is completely extinguished before I leave or go to sleep. If I need a cooking flame somewhere fires aren’t appropriate, a camping stove is normally the better tool.

So, How Much Firewood Do I Need for Camping?

For most ordinary camping trips, my starting estimate is simple:

• 2-3 hour small campfire: 1-2 bundles
• 4-6 hour small/medium campfire: 2-4 bundles
• 4-6 hour large group campfire: 4-6+ bundles
• Two nights: approximately 4-8 bundles for modest evening fires
• Three nights: approximately 6-12 bundles

These aren’t scientific burn rates. They’re useful buying estimates.

If the wood is dense, properly seasoned and split into large pieces, I may use less. If it’s damp, lightweight softwood or I’m building an unnecessarily massive fire, I’ll use more.

My general rule is to buy or gather enough for the fire I actually need, keep it small, and have a modest reserve rather than trying to build the biggest fire possible.

A campfire is better when you aren’t spending the entire evening feeding it logs.