h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For the first couple of times I tried creating fire (in the wind no less), I attempted the tipi-style fire starter. However, I soon found that balancing all the little sticks in a tipi-ish fashion was rather harder than it looked. The same went for the log cabin style I was taught in Boy Scouts.

No, I have come to the conclusion that finding a large piece of wood on which to lean a line of very small sticks under which one lights the fire (with dried grass or whatever is handy) works best. Think of the log as providing one side to a right triangle. The thin, fire starting sticks are the hypotenuse and the flat third side is the ground on which one piles highly flammable material in order to catch the hypotenuse on fire. Plus, if one finds wind blowing, one can position the log so as to build the fire on the leeward side. Hooray!!

We've used the tipi fire in most of the camps I've been on without much difficulty. I lit the last one with a flint and steel, using thistledown and birch bark, which was very satisfying.

Your method will give a handy alternative, though. It's always useful to be able to be flexible.

What's the log cabin style? (I'm presuming it's making a lattice of the wood?)