Challenge 100: Prepare a Safe Fire Area for a Pot-Hanging Cooking Setup

Cooking over an open fire requires more preparation than simply getting flames and hanging a pot above them. You need a suitable location, a clear area around the fire, stable equipment and a way to control the cooking setup safely.

For this challenge, you’ll prepare a fire area suitable for pot-hanging cooking, check the surrounding ground and vegetation, and demonstrate how you would position and manage the equipment. You can complete the challenge without lighting a fire, making it suitable for practising your preparation skills before a real outdoor cooking session.

Your Challenge

Prepare and demonstrate a safe outdoor fire area for a pot-hanging cooking setup.

You must show that you can:

• Choose a suitable location where fires are permitted.
• Check the ground and surrounding environment for hazards.
• Establish a clear area around the proposed fire site.
• Position a stable pot-hanging support outside the fire’s immediate hazards.
• Explain how you would manage the fire, hot equipment and cooking pot safely.

Your setup must be stable, practical and appropriate for the location. If the site is unsuitable for an open fire, choose another location or complete the challenge as a dry setup without lighting anything.

What You’ll Need

• A suitable outdoor location where fire preparation is permitted.
• A pot-hanging support, such as a purpose-made tripod or a securely designed cooking frame.
• A cooking pot or a similar weighted object for checking the arrangement without heating it.
• A small brush or other suitable tool for removing loose debris where permitted.
• A camera or phone to photograph your completed setup.

You do not need to light a fire to complete this challenge. In fact, preparing and inspecting the area before a fire is lit is an important skill in its own right.

Use equipment designed to support the intended load. Do not rely on loosely balanced branches, unstable stones or improvised supports that could collapse when a pot is attached.

Take the Challenge

1. Choose a suitable location

Start by checking whether you are allowed to have an open fire at the location. Follow the landowner’s rules, local restrictions and any fire bans in force. Some campsites and managed outdoor areas permit cooking only on designated appliances or established fire sites.

Look for a level, stable area with enough room to work comfortably around the cooking setup. Avoid locations beneath low branches, near dry vegetation, beside tents or shelters, or close to anything that could catch fire.

Consider the direction of the wind and how smoke might affect other people. Avoid enclosed spaces and never plan to use an open fire inside a tent, shelter, vehicle or other poorly ventilated area.

If you cannot identify a suitable location, do not force the setup into an unsuitable space. Choose another site or demonstrate the arrangement without lighting a fire.

2. Inspect the ground

Examine the proposed fire area carefully before placing any equipment.

Look for dry leaves, grass, pine needles, loose bark and other combustible material. Check for roots, peat, deep organic soil and other ground conditions where fire can spread beneath the surface. A fire can continue smouldering below ground even when the visible flames have disappeared.

Do not build a fire directly on peat or ground containing exposed roots. Avoid dry grass and other surfaces where heat or embers could ignite surrounding material.

Where permitted, use an established fire pit or a suitable purpose-made fire tray on an appropriate surface. Follow the site’s instructions rather than digging a new pit or removing vegetation without permission.

If the ground is dry, the wind is strong or there is a significant risk of fire spreading, abandon the open-fire setup. A stove or other permitted cooking method may be a safer option.

3. Establish a clear working area

Remove loose combustible debris from the immediate working area where you have permission to do so. Do not strip living vegetation, damage tree roots or disturb the ground unnecessarily.

Keep the proposed fire location clear of bags, spare rope, clothing, fuel containers and other items that could catch fire. Make sure there is enough room to approach the cooking pot without stepping over the fire or tripping over equipment.

Identify where you will stand when adding fuel, checking the pot and moving away from the cooking area. Keep access routes clear, including the route you would use to leave the area if conditions changed.

Think about where sparks and embers might travel. The surrounding area must be suitable for the expected fire conditions, not just clear immediately beneath the pot.

4. Position the pot-hanging support

Place your tripod or cooking frame on firm, level ground. Check that each leg or support point is stable and that the frame cannot rock, slide or tip easily.

Attach the hanging chain, hook or other intended suspension equipment according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Inspect it for damage and make sure it is suitable for the weight of the pot and its contents.

Hang an empty pot first. Check that the support remains stable and that the pot hangs securely without touching the ground, the support legs or nearby combustible materials.

If you are using an improvised support, do not assume that a structure is safe because it looks sturdy. Loose branches can split, slip or move as they heat and dry. For this challenge, a purpose-made, stable support is preferable.

5. Check the pot’s position

A pot-hanging setup needs enough clearance to allow safe cooking and access to the pot without placing your hands or body directly over the fire.

Check that the pot can hang centrally over the intended cooking area. Ensure that it cannot swing into nearby people, equipment or vegetation.

Consider how you would adjust the cooking height if the design allows it. Any adjustment must be possible without reaching across flames or touching hot metal. Do not improvise a height-adjustment system that could release the pot unexpectedly.

For this challenge, leave the pot empty and unheated. Test the arrangement gently and check that the support does not shift when the pot is attached or moved slightly.

6. Plan how you would manage the fire

Before lighting a fire, decide how you would keep it small and controlled, where you would obtain suitable fuel and how you would extinguish it completely.

Have an appropriate means of extinguishing the fire ready before ignition. Water may be suitable for many small campfires, but the method must match the fire site and any equipment manufacturer’s instructions. Where a designated fire facility provides specific procedures, follow them.

Keep children, other people and animals away from the immediate cooking area. Never leave a fire unattended, and do not add fuel simply to maintain flames larger than the cooking task requires.

If the wind increases, embers begin travelling beyond the fire area or the support becomes unstable, stop cooking and deal with the hazard immediately. If you cannot control the situation safely, move away and seek assistance as appropriate.

7. Carry out a final safety inspection

Walk around your completed setup and inspect it from several angles.

Check that the ground is suitable, the working area is clear and the support is stable. Confirm that the hanging pot is secure and that there is sufficient space to approach the cooking area without reaching across a fire.

Consider what could go wrong. Could someone trip over a support leg? Could the pot swing if it were knocked? Could a gust of wind carry sparks towards dry vegetation? Could the support collapse if the pot were filled?

Correct any problems before considering the setup ready for use. If you cannot make it safe, do not light a fire.

Check Your Results

You have completed the practical preparation when you can demonstrate that:

• You selected a location where the proposed fire activity is permitted.
• You checked the ground for combustible material, exposed roots, peat and other hazards.
• You established a clear working area with safe access around the setup.
• Your pot-hanging support remained stable with an empty pot attached.
• The pot hung securely without contacting the ground or surrounding hazards.
• You identified an appropriate fire-control and extinguishing plan.
• You could explain when the conditions would make an open fire unsuitable.

A successful setup is not simply one that looks good in a photograph. It must be stable, suitable for its surroundings and supported by sensible decisions about fire risk.

Complete the Challenge

Prepare your pot-hanging cooking area and carry out the final inspection. You do not need to light a fire or heat a pot to demonstrate the skills required.

Take a clear photograph showing the overall layout, including the ground around the proposed fire location, the cooking support and the suspended pot. Make sure your photograph demonstrates the preparation rather than just showing the equipment close up.

In your written submission, briefly explain how you selected the site, checked the ground and made sure the pot-hanging support was stable. If you decided that an open fire was unsuitable, explain the hazards you identified and how you would adapt your cooking plan.

How to Submit Your Challenge

1. Log in to your Pure Bushcraft account.
2. Visit your member profile and open the Social Activity section.
3. Create a post containing a photograph of your prepared pot-hanging cooking setup.
4. Include the hashtag #PureBushcraftChallenge100.
5. Briefly describe the safety checks you completed and explain why you considered the setup suitable, or why you chose not to light a fire.

Your submission will be checked before the challenge is marked as verified.

Challenge 100 Checklist

Want to Push Yourself?

Once you can prepare a suitable fire area, practise evaluating two different potential locations without lighting a fire. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of each, considering ground conditions, nearby vegetation, wind exposure, access and the stability of the cooking support.

Explain which location you would choose and why. If neither is suitable, identify a safer alternative, such as a permitted stove-based cooking setup.

You can also practise assembling and checking your pot-hanging support using an empty pot, then dismantling it and packing the equipment away safely. The aim is to develop a repeatable routine that you can use before every outdoor cooking session.

What’s Next?

Continue developing your practical outdoor skills by revisiting Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 99: Tie a Clove Hitch Under Tension if you haven’t completed it yet. That challenge focuses on tying and testing a knot under a controlled hand load.

You can complete the outdoor skills challenges in any order. Keep practising, assess the conditions before starting an activity and make safety part of your preparation rather than an afterthought.

Once you’ve shared your evidence and it has been verified, the Pure Bushcraft Outdoor Skills Challenge 100 is complete and the completed challenges figure will be updated on your profile.