Requirement
6. Three fires, three methods, no matches
Required Often forgotten
Built AND lit, three times, by three different methods other than matches. One sentence, several evenings of practice, and somewhere fires are actually allowed.
Notes and warnings
Warning. One sentence, several evenings. Three fires, each lit by a different method, none of them matches: a ferrocerium rod, a bow drill, a lens, flint and steel. These are skills that fail repeatedly before they work, and a bow drill can take several sessions on its own. You also need somewhere a fire is permitted, which in many parks and at many times of year is nowhere. Practise before the campout, not on it.
Where this step comes from
- Wilderness Survival Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31), Requirement 6 · Sets three different methods other than matches, and requires each fire to be built AND lit.