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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:14:37 GMT
 Building Shelters...
Survival Shelters: 15 Best Designs and How to Build Them
Shelter is your top priority in most survival emergencies. Severe weather conditions can kill within a few hours if you don’t have some type of shelter to defend you from the elements. Luckily, there are a wide array of techniques and materials for escaping the elements. Check out my top 15 favorite survival shelters.
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:29:26 GMT
 #1) Round Lodge The round lodge is a hybrid from many cultures. Part tipi, part wicki-up, and influenced by many architectural styles, a round lodge can block wind, rain, cold, and sun. It is structured like a tipi, with the addition of a solid doorway. These typically have a smoke hole through the roof, and can accommodate a tiny fire for heat and light. This shelter can be thatched with grass or mats; or it can be buried with a thick coat of leaf litter. Lodge styles like this abounded in the historic and prehistoric American west. This architecture worked equally well in wetter climates, and was used in pre-Roman Britain. |
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:30:50 GMT
 #2) Ramada Sunny, hot environments require a shelter that offers shade. The ramada’s flat roof doesn’t give you leak-proof rain protection, but it does block all of the sun from beating down on you. Many ramada variations exist, but most are based on four posts, some lightweight beams and a suitable covering. Tarps, mats, or even brush will do well enough on the ramada’s roof as a sun block. Add some removable walls to cut the evening breeze if temps cool down, and you have a very versatile desert shelter. |
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:35:25 GMT
 #6) Tarp Wing This unorthodox tarp configuration is great for rain protection over a large area if you have a large tarp; or it can provide coverage to a smaller area when using smaller tarps. I use a 20 by 40 tarp in this shape over my campfire area when teaching classes. But, I have also camped under one that was 8 by 10 feet. The wing ties up opposing corners of a tarp, two up high and two in lower positions. It can billow like a loose sail in wind, but it works well to keep off both sun and rain. |
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:37:13 GMT
 #8) Tarp Tipi A bit of rope, some poles and a tarp can give you all you need to build one of the most versatile and mobile shelters that Native Americans have ever employed – the tipi. Traditional tipis were once covered with large hides, then later with canvas. For our purposes, any large fabric will work, from parachute material, to sails, or a tarp. There are many traditions with tipi building, but for a quick field shelter, just call it like you see it. Use rope to bundle a few straight pole together or hook a few forked poles to lock in the first three or four poles. Then place other poles in a circle around the main supports. Pull the tarp or other covering into place, and tie down well. Try to size the framework so that you tarp covers it completely. |
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:39:53 GMT
 #13) Wicki-Up The wicki-up is a bit like a small tipi made from poles, brush and vegetation. This shelter can be found across the globe, but has been most frequently documented in the American Southwest. Thicker brush, grass, and leaf coverings along with a steeper roof can make this shelter suitable for climates with occasional rain. A broader, squattier structure covered with light brush can give you a shady, ventilated shelter for hot, dry climates. Collect several dozen poles, some with forks at the top. Lock a few of these forks together to build a freestanding tripod. Then lay the other poles around to create the tipi frame. Finish with the vegetation layer. If the wicki-up is large enough, and the vegetation covering the roof is wet or green material, it may be safe enough to risk lighting a tiny fire inside. |
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:40:56 GMT
 #14) Leaf Hut The leaf hut is a two-sided, wedge-shaped lean-to with much better weatherproofing and insulating qualities. To build one, select a long, sturdy pole 9 to12 feet long. Prop it up in the fork of a tree; or set it on a rock, stump, or two forked prop sticks. Then, cover the sides of the pole with tree branches to act as ribs. These are placed at an angle along both sides of the ridge pole. Place the ribs close together so that your hut covering won’t fall through. Next, heap vegetation over the framework (this can be anything that traps air, including grass, ferns, moss, pine needles, brush, or pine boughs). Two to 3 feet of vegetation covering all sides of the shelter is enough to keep you dry inside. Finally, fill the inside of the hut with a thick pile of vegetation for your bedding. In case of high winds: A layer of brush, sticks, twigs or branches should be thrown over the whole hut to keep the wind from stripping the vegetation away. |
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Post by laughingpygmy on Mar 14, 2015 4:42:53 GMT
 \ #15) Lean-To The lean-to is one of the simplest and most frequently constructed primitive shelters. It can be set up in less than an hour with a variety of materials. This basic, one-sided design will give you a haven from wind and rain that the wilderness might throw at you. Securely support a long, stout pole between two trees. Cover one side with poles, brush or branches. Then, heap leaves, grasses, palm fronds, or any other vegetation that is available on top. This shelter has two main flaws: 1) it doesn’t hold in heat well; 2) If the wind or rain changes direction you’ll no longer be sheltered. Think of it as a house with only one wall and half of a roof. It offers little in the way of insulation; and merely deflects wind and reflects the heat of the nearby fire. On the upside, it’s quick and easy to build. Don’t forget: Natural shelters like this are difficult to see from a distance, so hang up something bright like a flag to mark the shelter. |
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