Survival Shelters
Survival shelters are a place to get out of the weather. Even on a clear and balmy night you will want to escape the bugs.
To create a tie point  on your tarp where there is no grommet, wrap a small stone inside the tarp and tie it there. (Use either the clove hitch, mooring hitch, or the cinch knot for this purpose.) This will give you a secure anchor for tying to ground stakes or whatever is handy.
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Modern survival shelters:
- Tents. Tents come in all shapes and sizes. Everyone has their personal preference. For a survival kit you would want something light, compact, and easy to set up. The Texsport Trail Tent meets this criterion.
- Waterproof sleeping bags. A wet bag makes for miserable sleep. Bag weight depends on the season of the year. i.e. a 40 degree rating is good for late spring through early fall. In some areas in the winter you need one rated for minus 30 degrees.
- Tarps or plastic sheeting for a makeshift tent and/or ground cloth to keep the moisture from permeating your bones.
Rustic shelters
- Caves make excellent survival shelters but beware the possibility of current inhabitants.
- A rock shelf overhang can offer temporary shelter from the elements as long as the wind direction is cooperative.
- Lee side of an uprooted tree or a large log. (Note: the lee side of anything is the side away from the wind.) could be quite homey if you have a tarp to create shelter using the uprooted tree as one wall.
- Hollow tree if it is big enough.
- A lean-to made with a tarp or pine boughs tied together offers minimal shelter from the elements but will work in an emergency situation.
A debris hut is very work intensive but well worth it if you will be at the same location for more than a day. It will take at least two hours to construct one, or longer if you are inexperienced. A well placed camp fire strongly increases the comfort zone for any shelter.
Shelter site selections:
- A site that is suitable for signaling from, if necessary, near a clearing large enough to build a signal fire or place some signs that could be seen from a plane.
- If possible, place your shelter within a reasonable distance to a water source.
- Try to pick a spot where enough building and campfire materials are available.
- The site for a survival shelter should offer protection from prevailing conditions such as high water or flood, high wind, and falling trees.
Tools needed to build a basic survival shelter: These few items should be included in your
survival kit.
Any shelter should keep the warmth in and the sun, wind, rain or snow out and have good ventilation.
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- Knife, the bigger the better
- Axe
- Cordage
- Shovel
- Plastic tarp (approx. 8 x 10 )
Avoid:
- Rock or mud slide areas
- Dry river beds may look safe but a storm many miles away could send a serious torrent of water cascading down the river bed washing away everything in its path, including you if you are there.
- Boggy earth
- Ant hills and ground wasps
The more attention you can pay to the details of your survival shelter, the more comfortable you will be.
