How to Build a Survival Shelter
Sleeping outside in a primitive survival shelter with no tent and no sleeping bag?! In the rain? Are you crazy?
This idea may indeed seem crazy and a bit daunting to many of us. However, with a couple of hours, proper materials and the right mindset, constructing and sleeping in a primitive survival shelter can be a life-changing experience. Although there are many types of group and individual primitive shelters, at Wilderness Awareness School, we often begin by teaching our students how to build a survival shelter called a debris hut. These structures are fairly easy to construct and can be a warm, dry place to spend the night.
First of all, location is key. Aside from the normal criteria which includes avoiding low spots, steering clear of standing dead trees, etc….proximity to materials can save a lot of time and energy. Take the time to find a spot that feels right.
For construction, the first thing you’ll need to build a survival shelter is a strong ridegepole that is at least a little taller than you are with your arm stretched above your head. You’ll also need something for one end of the ridgepole to securely rest on—a stump, boulder, fork of a tree, some kind of prop. The other end rests on the ground. At the high end, the ridgepole should be at about hip height.
Once your ridgepole is in place, you’ll need ribbing. Lean the ribs against the ridgepole fairly close together leaving a door at the high end. Once ribs are in place, crawl inside feet first checking to see that you have a little room to move, but that it is still snug and cozy. If your survival shelter is too big, you will have trouble staying warm. Imagine you are making a sleeping bag out of natural materials!
Next, add a layer of lattice, something to act as a net to hold debris in place when it is piled on next. Brush and twiggy branches may work well. The debris that you have available can help determine how small the spaces in your lattice can be.
The structure is now in place and it is time for the essential component of insulation. Of all the things you’ll learn about how to build a survival shelter, not having enough insulation on a cold night will teach you quickly what is required. Get ready to shuffle your feet or make yourself a rake and start gathering debris! For good insulation, you’ll want material that can trap air. Obviously, dry material is optimal. Pile on your leaves, ferns, grass, or other available debris.
Keep piling, keep piling, go for TWO FEET THICK or more if you might get rained on. Be sure to close up the door area so that you have just enough room to squeeze in without disturbing the structure. Crawl in to see how your cocoon feels. Finish up your insulation by adding some small branches that will hold the debris in case of wind, maintaining as much loft as possible.
Now that the outer layer is complete, it is time to stuff your primitive survival shelter with dry soft debris. If you only have wet leaves, use them anyway, you may get wet, but you can still be warm. Once your shelter is full of debris, wiggle in to compress a space for your body. Add more debris as needed, and don’t forget the foot area! Fill up the spaces if you are concerned about being cold. Before you crawl in for the night in your primitive shelter, gather a pile of leaves near the door so that you can close yourself in most of the way.
Aside from having a great story to tell your grandkids one day — or from being able to teach others how to build a survival shelter, spending a night in a primitive shelter is an opportunity to overcome fears and gain feelings of freedom and confidence. Pushing our mental and physical comfort edges also brings us chances to find greater comfort and appreciation in our daily lives. HAPPY BUILDING AND SWEET DREAMS!
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i made 5 shelters in the rain like this and i was bone dry i used the info from here as a guide and i used these shelters when on my 20 day get a ways in the woods of newfoundland i rate this info 5/5 stars
This is vey helpful to me as a FCF Frontiersman, as Sean did i rate this 5/5 Stars!
Nice Job. I call this shelter a double lean-to. I use it quite a bit when I spend a couple a days in the mountains. I never take a sleeping bag or tent. I always build my shelter. I like to build mine against fallen tree roots. The root and dirt wall make an excellent starting point and cuts down on build time. Also you can build your campfire right against the dirt wall and the heat will be reflected into your shelter keeping you nice and cozy. I like the fact that you mentioned covering thickness. This is the mistake made the most by rookies. In too big of a hurry to get finished and skimp on wall thickness. Like you said, when it rains it pours.
I also have used this shelter several times before. I am getting ready to live in the woods and have been for a while now. I often go stay in the woods for a week at a time just to keep up on my survival skills. I give this article a 5 star plus. It is one of the easiest and quickest shelters to throw together. Be sure, and I never see this mentioned, to not grab the little weeds with little flowers on them for bedding. If you do, you may be living in chigger hell for the next 7 to 9 days. I recently made that mistake a few days ago and it made me cut my trip short and come home.
Greetings, The debris hut here is in my opinion among the finest shelters for wilderness shelter. I spent a week in one some time ago in some of the worst weather conditions I have faced in the wild. I was three miles from the coast and weathered a hurricane quite well. Location of my shelter prevented me from harm, and the breathability of the shelter itself prevented it from blowing away. I awoke one morning to find tents washed into a pile while I was high and dry.
What do you use for ribbing?
very useful
The first time I tried this I ran out of daylight, and did not make it thick enough. That was a cold night, luckily it was not raining, but I still went back to the truck to get warm. Anyway the rest of the second day added plenty of insulation and top debris, that worked a lot better stayed fairly warm. Thanks Laura this was a great learning experience.
Chad.
Now I want to go across the road ( which I shall describe later) and build a debris house. But, sadly, I live with my mom, and she would never allow me to actually sleep outside, at night, alone, with no sleeping bag or tent, in the middle of cougar (and bear, and rattlesnake, and coyote, and bobcat) country. So then, I’m going to describe what it’s like across the road, because I want to let everyone know how awesome it is! So, it has a semi-large waterfall, which is surrounded by twenty to thirty foot cliffs. Scattered around in the cliffs, there are many large and small caves, which can be anywhere from two to three inches to six or seven feet deep. There is a small stream, where at one point it runs under a tree, with rocks scattered around it. There is a large meadow, which used to be an American Indian camp.