Shelters

Not A Bomb Shelter, But Necessary Nevertheless

Why would you want to build your own shelter? One reason of course is simply for the fun and challenge of building something with your own hands that you can sleep in. But another reason is more vital: what if you are out in the wilderness, and in need of rescue?  If you realize that you are lost, and have calmly decided you need a plan, what should come next?  It is time to construct a shelter for the night.  In a survival situation, not being able to regulate your core body temperature and keep it around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is one of the biggest dangers, so it is important to know what to do.  

Before we dive into specific shelters, it is important to note a few key aspects that are common to any sort of shelter, regardless of how it is made.  The most important of these is keeping in mind the ground.  Having direct contact with the ground is one of the quickest ways to lose body heat.  While ground contact could be a good strategy in very hot and arid climates, it is not recommended in colder areas, as it will pull heat away from your body faster than almost anything else.  In any shelter, make sure that there is plenty of insulation between you as you are laying down to sleep, and the ground.  If you don't have a compact sleeping pad, then layer any sort of debris and brush like grasses and leaves as a makeshift sleeping pad.  Adding a layer of tree boughs (hopefully as smooth as possible) can also create ample space between you the ground, however having the layer of brush will also act as a cushion.  Positioning for your shelter is also important, in order to make it most visible to rescuers.  Always have it in the largest clearing you can find, so it will be visible from the air.  If your shelter uses primarily brush and sticks, build it as close as possible to the forest where these materials will be easy to find, while still having it be in an opening so it is visible.  With this in mind, here are a few shelters that are both easy to make and effective:

A-Frame - This is likely the most basic tarp shelter, but still provides weather protection and shade from many angles.  You will need two trees or other anchor points to tie a string between, parallel to a flat ground.  Drape the tarp over the string, with the long sides parallel to it (this works better to shelter taller people when lying down), and adjust accordingly.  Especially when rain is caught by the wind and comes down at an angle, it is often a good idea to have one end of the tarp closer to the ground than the other on the side where rain is coming.  This also gives more room for a fire to be put on the other side without burning your tarp.  Tie each corner to a stake or anchor it on the ground.  Having a string extend from the grommets (metal rings that are generally at the corners of tarps) and tied down will be more secure than simply putting a stake through the grommet, and also leaves more tarp area to be used underneath.  Generally this is the best tarp setup when paired with a hammock.  As long as the hammock is as close underneath the tarp as possible, it will keep it dry.

Square Cave - Another, slightly more advanced type of tarp shelter, is a square cave. This is similar to an A-Frame but only needs one anchor point.  This shelter type has three corners (long and short side don't matter with this shelter) anchored to the ground, and one connecting to a tree.  This is done with a centerline string going from the tree, through the grommet on the raised corner, diagonally across the tarp, down through the opposite grommet, and then secured to the ground.  The string should be tied about 3 feet up the tree, or however high it needs to be to create a fairly small angle with the ground, always less than 45 degrees.  To make sure the raised grommet and the opposite one doesn't slide down the centerline, make sure the line is looped around the edge of the tarp and back through the grommet once or twice on each one.  Then make sure the string is above the tarp, and not under it where you will sleep.  The last thing you want to happen is have a perfectly set up shelter, but then have rainwater run down the string and drip on you all night.  The other two corners can be tied off to a stake or other anchor.  If this shelter is used to offer shade from the sun when it isn't raining, it often helps to take one of the side corners and tie it to a higher anchor point, giving it more airflow.  

Lean-To - This shelter can be made with any materials available - debris, tarp, or anything you can find that will do the trick.  This shelter starts out with a stick or line of string with two anchor points, parallel to a flat ground, about neck height.  If no anchor points are available, you can use two sticks with a "Y" at the top which are the correct height.  Whatever material is used, have it go down to the ground from the horizontal stick at about a 45 degree angle (or more, but this will take a lot of material).  A tarp can simply have all four corners tied to make it stay in the 45 degree angle frame, as long as it is big enough to reach up to your neck.  If it doesn't, it may still work but it is likely to be too small.  Using sticks and brush, start with long, sturdy sticks placed close together so the next layer won't fall through, leaning up on the horizontal beam.  Once there is a full layer of strong sticks going at a 45 degree angle to the beam, start piling on any and all brush you can find: leaves, grasses, small branches, and anything you can find to create a thick layer of brush on top of the stick framework.  Ideally, this layer should be about 18 inches thick, to stop any rain coming down.  After this, try and find some twiggy branches and slightly heavier boughs to keep the brush in place if it gets windy.

Debris Hut - This is a very simple shelter, and designed to be made completely from materials found in nature.  To start you will need a centerline stick.  To find the size of this stick, stand straight with your arm pointing straight up.  Now find a sturdy stick about that length.  If it has a "Y" shape at the end, this can be used to prop up against a tree, or use two more sticks to make a tripod with one leg being much longer than the others. Whichever way you use, the top of the long stick should be about at your upper waist. To create the insulation, start laying sticks on each side slanting down to the ground, to make a basic skeleton of the debris hut. Next, start taking any debris you can find (live boughs, pine needles, leaves, grasses, etc.) and pile it on the stick frame. This layering process should be very similar to the lean-to above, but should have a much thicker layer of brush.  This will be responsible for not only keeping you dry, but insulating you enough to keep you warm during a cold night.