How to Build a Stealth Fire and Jet Boil at the Same Time!

[@sojournsojourntraveler1203]

This video is the best I have found so far .

[@grandmasstories3418]

... and you manage to keep it short, which is a real good feature of your videos, sweet, short and to the point. Congratulations and.... thank you!

[@stephen4600]

Thank you sir , I live on a postage stamp called England , this fire is ideal for here as they hate us camping !👍👍

[@grandmasstories3418]

You are one real down-to-earth bushcrafter. I still keep pushing "like", even before I know your content, because I know I'm going to like it

[@LShapedAmbush]

The only Dakota fire I ever made was when my son came by unexpectedly on his day off and asked if I could teach him some bushcraft. I was on the spot, wracking my brain over what to show him. I thought we had done enough knots and notches. The Dakota fire pit came to mind so we made one in the back yard. He was really impressed and so was I. Nice video, thanks.

[@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx]

The tiptoing through the forest was very funny. Thanks for the laugh

[@Mr.Matchingsocks]

Great video. I dig my Dakota fire pits a little deeper and if possible I like to dig the bottom wider than the opening, kind of upside-down funnel shaped. I've found if the soil is too loose for that shape and it keeps falling in, some flat rocks arranged around the opening works to concentrate the heat. Also digging the air draft hole facing the prevailing wind direction helps feed fresh air to the fire more easily.

[@mjtrepanier]

Excellent tip

[@tnzayatz6579]

My understanding is this wasn’t developed primarily for stealth but in the Dakotas to minimize issues with high winds that blow across the prairie and to conserve fuel by concentrating the heat.

[@richardhernandez8806]

Apparently, you have been spared the treachery of those Dakotans.

[@irvsstella]

Dakotas are brilliant when you use a tripod stand for your pots, a constant heat and adjustable height. I try to use a Dakota when ever I'm out. They do take a little while to construct, but if you're a returning camper, they're easily cleaned out, ready to go again.

[@jpatchin7405]

The reason I like this channel is because of your humor. In cold weather big fire sit father away but this fire pit one can shelter nearer and stay warmer.

[@joshuakane1139]

This would be a great HEAT element with any kind-of small built lean to also!!!

[@dananorth895]

Uses less fuel but needs to be fed more often....no long burns. But small wood is essier to find and process. It's usually drier and a fair quantity can be gathered carried.

[@dananorth895]

P.S. I always have to laugh when I see someone try to dig a firehole. Then proceed to dig a giant fire pit you can damn near crawl into!

[@dasta7658]

When I did my Combat Survival Course we were taught to dig it into the side of a small, concealed creek if available so the air could be blown or waved in to create more heat and coals. To hide the smoke as a visual, we were taught to layer green, wet branches above the hole. This is what we were taught in the classroom. When we got out to the training area there were no 'concealed' creeks with good banks, water was scarce so there was no way it was going to be used to wet branches, so we improvised with this technique. Being able to adapt, use common sense and intuition is so important in survival situations.

[@jackvoss5841]

BEFORE YOU LIGHT THE FIRE, you need to make sure that it is mineral a soil. Carbonaceous soils like muck or forest duff can - and do - burn themselves. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@richardhernandez8806]

A solid command of various techniques required in the sticks is very prudent. Fun, too.

[@jeremymueller2848]

I use a grill grate on top of the hole 🕳️ for cooking 👍

[@darylsarbaugh3491]

I like this because you can almost eliminate the smoke as well by getting lots of oxygen into the fire to give a cleaner burn. I usually do a 12 inch by 12 inch with a solid 4 inch air chute up wind of pit to aid in good air flow.

[@xploration1437]

4:03 Best advice ever.

[@mjtrepanier]

When I was infantry I would do these to cook my MREs and heat my coffee and just feel better. I would make the air shaft wide enough to feed the fuel sticks in through. My fire pit was smaller than what you demonstrated. It still worked in the end. The overal dimensions were generally 6 inches around on each shaft. 6 inches deep on the fire pit and whatever angle I needed to get the air shaft in.

[@hobofab]

Great video! Another plus is because the fire is so low profile it's safer. Less likely to catch surrounding brush as a much larger open campfire might.

[@vryce6322]

I would term it more of a Rocket Stove than a JetBoil. Seen as how a JetBoil is a canister stove and the Rocket Stoves operate on the same principal as the Dakota Fire pit.

[@richardhernandez8806]

Perhaps it could be called “the poor mans jet boil.” Cross those t’s and make sure every dot is properly placed above the lower case i.😜

[@DJl3iohazord]

My old forge was based off of a Dakota fire pit. I also added a leaf blower at the end of the vent to add more air. On a good day I could melt down aluminum and other soft metals into ingots. Also this was back in Florida and over time the sand in between the bricks sorta melted and formed a glass mortar.

[@campsiteministries]

If you dig the main fire-pit out in more of an upside-down cone configuration,(like a flower pot turned upside-down), it will not only decrease the amount of flame/light above ground level,(making it even more stealthy), but it will also increase the amount of airflow going through the fire pit, which causes more efficient combustion,(a hotter fire), which means less smoke. The bottom of the fire pit only needs to be about 12” in diameter, with the opening at the top about 6” - 8”. Adjust the air vent as needed. If you try this yourself you will see that it actually does make a difference. You could even dig 2 different Dakota pits in 2 different locations and compare them for stealthiness and efficiency. One in the style that you described, and the other in the style that I described. Try it and see what you come up with.

[@TheSaneHatter]

When I saw you tiptoeing around, I immediately thought, "Be vewwy, vewwy quiet...."

[@DRHHUB]

Thanks!

[@earlshaner4441]

Hi from Syracuse NY everyone thank you for sharing your thoughts and adventures in bush craft

[@hunterbaywolf577]

Yes I use them Quite frequently

[@jw81]

I live coastal and I’m always on the beach cooking something. Could a beach version of this work? Maybe a small section of steel piping as the breather... so it doesn’t collapse.

[@terryqueen3233]

I have used these pretty regular not to try to hide or anything but they just cook better and it's so much easier to not have a fire pit to have to cover up and make it look like no one's there. This is a great video for beginners it really is and you guys listen to what he says because these things work great it's a little work but it's worth it in the long run. Y'all have a great day and stay safe and keep your powder dry and your Dakota fire hole a burning!

[@Hobosmalls]

Like your idea. Excited to test out.

[@peterott9162]

That was pretty cool Dan. I learned something new today...always awesome!!! Keep the great content coming.

[@kalstreksandtrails7606]

If you are truly stealth camping then you don't want a fie but I do wish I had known about this during my hitchhiking days. I did a lot of stealth camping over the years.

[@paulzimmerman3895]

Enjoyed that knowledge passed along. One of my favorite fires. Keep on trucking!

[@ExpeditionaryJonny]

I really like the way you used the stick to make an angle hole

[@jeremyhicks6367]

Thanks Dan!

[@utubeape]

You can make a cone from the dug out dirt to help direct air into the air input hole, when this faces the wind direction it means the air in the smaller tunnel underground will speed up

[@ashleyking3385]

you had me at the stealthy tip toe

[@DS-xv1cg]

!!! I LIKE YOUR INRTO MUSIC FROM ABOUT A YEAR AGO!!! Just a FYI. Love the videos, if I haven't watched them all its close, including other chanels and the season of alone!

[@zm6695]

Another great video, thanks...

[@perfectweather]

Great video, thanks 👍

[@P.T.S.E.]

This seems similar in principle to the natural draft furnace. If we take that as an example, then making the bottom of the pit flare out would create a better updraft, suck in more air and burn fuel better, resulting in less smoke. Also, aside from making the air intake hole at as flat of an angle as possible, you can also increase air intake by flaring out the air intake hole's entrance. The air intake hole should also be a bit above the bottom of the fire pit, so it is not obstructed by soot or ash. You can also add another air intake directly to the opposite side, but if you can't make it in a similar angle or you are at a really windy area, it would not have that much of an increased effect. Also, just like with a natural draft furnace, you can build your fire upside down, filling the whole fire pit with fuel to the brim, and then you wouldn't have to feed it with small twigs constantly. Let it burn down a bit and you can get to cooking. But that's not the best idea if you want to hide the flames.

[@POMOLY]

Helpful tips, enjoy that knowledge passed along, benefit a lot.

[@waynehead7271]

Hey Dan! What would happen if you combined the Dakota fire pit with your "jet boil" log technique? I'm thinkin' that if you lined up the air holes, it would provide for a very stable "standing log." Although, you did say that the fire hole is *not* for putting logs into. 🤔 Yeah ... I'm *that* guy. 😁✌🏼

[@karencounts5190]

Thanks for sharing.

[@lapicker1010]

Kewl vid Dan! Watch out for the poison ivy though.

[@anthimatter]

Bloody hell that's a cracking fire. It looks hot enough to smelt! 🔥

[@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234]

😊Thanks Dan😊

[@Radman1919]

To help with the smoke build a small Dakota fire hole under a pine tree. This will help disperse the smoke.

[@treksntarps]

Got to try that . Well explained as always 👌

[@piotrorowski876]

Great shovel 👍 pozdrawiam z Polski

[@mikeriley8546]

awesome video

[@grandmasstories3418]

Could it useful to dig another hole nearby, just so you can pull some sticks out of the main hole, if you want to "lower the fire" for slow cooking, without calling attention?

[@jasonvickers2265]

great stuff

[@paulgoesoutdoors9616]

Great information in this one Dan!

[@garygoldstein327]

I was thinking while you were explaining the thought of the hole not collapsing in on it self, having a large empty 10 to 12 " deep tomato juice can (or coffee can)with the bottom and top removed, and a small inlet at the bottom just 2 inches or so above the base of the wall of can 's bottom rim open to Insert a pipe thru that hole in the wall of the can at an angle later after the can penetrates deep into unstable ground or sand. With a scoop, begin removing the loose earth inside the floor of the can as the wall of the can descends into the earth to make the stealth fire deep in the loose earth with the can remaining inside the hole to hold back the earth from collapsing in on itself. And with a two foot length of pipe to reach the hole in the wall of the can? When it is time to fill the hole in, smother the flame with the dirt and then remove the can from the hole as the earth collapses in on itself from beneath the can and remove the pipe. I will have to try this, but where I live there are no stealthy places to test this thought. I also wonder if a separate trench could be dug closer to the surface to run under the floor of my temporary shelter 3 feet or more in length and covered flush with flat rocks from a nearby stream. The purpose of this trench would run under the floor of my make shift shelter to provide a heated floor covered by a layer of dead fallen leaves for insulation and to cushion my body above the hard floor.

[@jesperv.s.9203]

Funny. Both Coalcracker and TA outdoor. Stealth video 1 hour apart

[@BrosephRussell]

I like this method i have used it a few times works very well 😀

[@therulesaredifferent8280]

Thanks dan

[@ulbushcrafting6592]

Does it make a difference if the hole is straight as opposed to at an angle?

[@ryanblystone5153]

Thank you

[@dadofid1006]

Another tip : heavily douse your pit with water, tree roots can smolder underground & start a fire days or even weeks later. 👍🤘🖖

[@mikethomas5412]

Great video! Thanks

[@halfcrazyoldchristianredne895]

Great video, thanks Dan. I love the Dakota. So, where and how did it get its name?

[@TheModernNativeTribe]

The Dakota Natives were known to use this kind of fire because it hid smoke from warring tribes and calvary, as well as helped protect against the Wind and helped to frevent wild fires in the grassy plains. This is my favorite style fire and I feature it alot

[@shadowscout9872]

If you have a slight breeze you should put you air shaft up wind and it will force air into your flames some what.

[@Omnesum]

For this and other digging requirements could an auger be carved relatively easy out of wood? Alternatively if available one could be made with a tin can.

[@westonfurman3833]

I like that idea! 🤠👍💯

[@walkerone9833]

That's a jet engine. Never saw one with such a narrow air hole. Very nice! Wonder if a wider air hole would reduce "jet" flames?

[@glennfyfe1357]

Thanks.

[@juleslangston2059]

awesome man. Ty

[@corleyoutdoors2887]

Informative and beneficial video

[@JamesonThe1]

Try making the air hole less of a 45 degree angle. Basically make a second straight down hole then bore over to the first to complete the oxygen inlet.

[@GETAGOATANDGO1775]

This is the only fire system I use while hunting Elk in the San Juan mountains. I don't want camp smoke to alert the Elk of my presence. Pack Goats get you were most can't access...get a goat and go!

[@bobg.8954]

You looked like a leprechaun gone wrong in the beginning creeping across the ground lol. Awesome video!

[@garynash456]

Wbere did you get that shovel?

[@Dark_Kevlarian]

So stealthy that I didn't know the video started until the intro music...where was Dan in the beginning? I never saw/heard him...

[@sunbladerr]

If by stealth camping you refer “Leave no trace” I support leaving a safer and small smaller footprint while camping. I do not support trespassing or having a ground fire where there regulations are against fires.

[@ladyofthemasque]

A REMINDER: Do NOT use this in thick pine forests, regions with lots of firs and evergreen trees with pitch for sap. (Also avoid doing this in soil that is very loamy, peaty, or rich in leaves, etc.) The roots are very pitchy, aka fat wood, and this can cause underground embers to smolder, sometimes for weeks, sometimes even longer, before flaring up into a forest fire. Since the eponymous area did not have these risks, it was easy for the Dakota peoples to use this kind of fire. It would NOT work for the Coastal Salish region, aka western WA, OR, & BC. The only "cure" for it would be to dig the pits and connecting hole extra large, then line all surfaces with at least a couple inches of clay followed by rocks coated with more clay...but I still don't advocate doing this in anything beyond an absolute extreme life-saving emergency...and at that point it'd be easier to coat the ground with a large circle of clay or sand and rocks, and build yourself a small fire on top of that.

[@ChuckTravels]

I was looking for someone to post this. Thank you for mentioning this important topic.

[@anthimatter]

@@ChuckTravels me too. That's a bad end to any day...

[@ladyofthemasque]

@@ChuckTravels It SUCKS living up here in the Pacific Northwest, because Dakota fire pits look awesome and cool and I really want to try one, but the risk of an underground fire raging into a blaze is too great. I'll have to settle for a rocket stove or something instead, since the principle is very similar, but it's not nearly as stealthy.

[@hobofab]

Could you put rocks in the hole and then cover with mud as a barrier to avoid roots catching?

[@donnydread7631]

Dig it! 🙏🏻

[@davidkerr4137]

Can you control the flame by closing or covering the air inlet slightly?

[@sandywieringa4434]

I believe so, yes

[@GravityRoller]

YES ! Controlling the intake airstream works to control the burn rate of fire, especially if the walls of the fire hole are more vertical, consolidating the burn chamber more into a stack. This also condenses the heat for cooking and reduces smoke as it helps the fire to burn the smoke before it rises to the lip on fire-hole vs the open pit in video.

[@TonyTooTuff]

Chuck Norris punches the ground and makes both holes at the same time.

[@johnwyman5939]

Awesome idea and Another OUTSTANDING tool for my toolbox... Nicely done on video!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🪓🔪👍👍

[@tammywebb7521]

I had to replay part of this because at first the whole looks smaller, then when you started the fire the hole looked bigger. My guess is you must have decided to make it larger as I noticed the video was cut at the point you started the fire.

[@THESUPREMESUPERGOD]

I’ve tried this technique but there’s one problem, the problem is in an escape evasion situation people can smell it from at least a mile away. It’s not the smoke that people see, it’s the smell of the smoke and flames. No matter what you do you can’t hide the smell of it

[@Eaode]

hopefully the smaller amount of smoke + less light spreading out from the hole makes it so tracking down the smell is that much harder. But yeah if maximum stealth is the goal i think one should probably just carry a small camp stove that burns gas

[@THESUPREMESUPERGOD]

@@Eaode how can I stop the smell of my food

[@whiskeyvictor5703]

@@THESUPREMESUPERGOD Eat fast!!!

[@THESUPREMESUPERGOD]

@@whiskeyvictor5703 that won’t stop the smell of food which requires at least three minutes to prepare, eat too early and you burn your tongue out. How does someone stop the smell of food?

[@billj503]

Where can I order the shovel?

[@jasonjohnson6344]

Garden section of most stores like Lowes, Home Depot or ranch/farm stores. Very inexpensive.

[@allanf4756]

Love it 👍🏼👍🏼🇨🇦🇨🇦👍🏼👍🏼

[@randybrown140]

Good lesson 👍🇺🇸🇺🇲

[@J.A.Smith2397]

We ever gonna get a FORAGING series???

[@UnfinishedProjectDartSport]

Why is it called a “Dakota” fire pit, how did it get it’s name?

[@TheModernNativeTribe]

Youre Right! The Dakota Natives were known to use it for survival and safety reasons

[@margueritemitchell1829]

Hello from British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦👋👍♥️🌲🧘‍♀️🌲🚵‍♀️🌲🎨🖌☕☕☕☕☕

[@granite676]

I'd dig it much bigger and wider with a larger joining tunnel , more oxygen means better cleaner burn otherwise you'd be constantly feeding the fuel wood 👍

[@daveys]

A Dakota fire pit is pretty much the same concept as a rocket stove, just with the whole of the world as the stove body.

[@ravensdotter6843]

Wish you'd kept the old opening and music.

[@gizatoob]

fooff...at 3.35 simmering just turns into to flat out boiling. jThe woods just got scary yet exiting, especially around my hole

[@JeffHuntsinger]

The shafthole has ALWAYS been close to the fire pit!

[@FindersKeepers88]

works 4 me

[@electric_crickets]

You said shaft hole.

[@NoctilucentArts]

The claim is the Dakota natives used it less for stealth and more because it's windy, open territory and to avoid starting grass fires......

[@connar_outdoor]

Your video is so cool otherwise! I hope you make more videos of it and you deserve a subscription from me personally! LG Connar Outdoor

[@artzreal]

check his older videos. the quick tips are awesome

[@TheNeurotichi]

Building one of these types of fires west of the Mississippi and you'll start a wildfire. Dcompost/dirt is flammable and catches fire.

[@patrickwoods2165]

I was going to ask about this - or the possibility of roots of some trees being able to smolder underground after you're done and the hole is filled, leading to a wildfire hours or days later. How realistic is this possibility?

[@TheNeurotichi]

@@patrickwoods2165 extremely. I've done this at lake Tahoe and even used a couple of gallons to put my fire out and an hour latter nearly caused a wildfire. It's irresponsible to show people how to survive when some idiot trys this and finds out. This vid needs to be remade with a better understanding of what to do and not to do. It's compared to popping laundry soap in the mouth. It gets clicks but do people really need to apply these life lessons. Go buy a pack stove.

[@instantsiv]

I think you put too much wood in for the size of the hole.

[@benmartling]

Ah yes, another handy youtube video for the average american escaped convict

[@darinmullins4770]

👁️👁️ Better than a jet boil because it isn't dependent on purchasing fuel and it's lighter than a rocket stove !

[@JasonSeow]

Instead of stealth fire, what I saw was a bon fire likely for camp party