Basic Survival Skills Series: Part 1 - Temporary Shelter

Before I begin Part 1 of this Basic Survival Skills Series, I want to tell you that no matter how many skills you have in a time of complete chaos, not a single one will help you out if you don't take a deep breath, pull your head together, and keep your thoughts straight. Knowledge, practice, and confidence will get you through almost any ordeal, it's just a mater of getting it before you have to use it. This series is intended to provide you with the knowledge you need to practice and master (sounds cheesy) skills that will be most important for your survival. Then when the time does come to put them to use, you'll have the confidence to do so because you were already prepared. Now that that's out of the way, let's get started.

Basic Survival Skills Series: Part 1 - Temporary Shelter

It's probably a good idea to have a semi-permanent alternative shelter set up in case you have to leave your home for any worst case scenario, but there's still a possibility of not being able to reach it in events like natural or man-made disasters... or if some group of crazies take it over before you get there and you just don't know if you can fight them off (some may try, I probably wouldn't, I have kids). Anyway, knowing how to build a temporary shelter is vital if you're on the move until you can get back home, or if you're on foot seeking out your next semi-permanent/permanent shelter in a time of extreme crisis or collapse. There are a lot of temporary shelters to chose from, but instead of trying to make myself familiar with all of them or trying to load more weight into a backpack that I can already barely carry, I've watched probably hundreds of  tutorials and practiced building quite a few different kinds. Of all the different shelters I've tried out, there were two that were so simple and quick to construct, I just started focusing on them. One uses a few man-made materials, but none that weight much or take up a lot of room, and the other is constructed with natural materials, you probably won't even need a hatchet or anything. I've practiced building these numerous times and can construct either type in 30 minutes or less (although some suggest these take a couple hours to make). I'm hoping to be able to make a video tutorial of both of these temporary shelters in the near future, but for now these are just drawn out step-by-step.



Temporary Shelter #1: Tarp Tent

I guess this is the name for this shelter, this seems reasonable enough since it is just what I called it, a tent made out of a tarp.


What you'll need:

Terrain - of course you need an area, but try to scope out one that is relatively elevated and as flat as possible, also try to pick an area that has some sort of additional trees or boulders around to help block wind.

2 Trees - try to locate two trees that have branches low enough to tie onto, taking into consideration that these will need to be far enough apart to ensure your tarp fits in between them, but close enough together to be able to tie your rope/cord from one tree to the other.

Tarp - the size depends on you and how many people are with you, these aren't meant to be some luxurious and large shelter, remember it's just temporary.

Rope or Cord - again, this is somewhat your preference. I feel like having 100+ feet of whichever type you chose is way more than enough to set up with.

4 Stakes - there are lots of sizes, weights, and price ranges to chose from, just make sure they're strong enough to hold your tarp in place if it's windy.

A Rock - I'd hunt out a rock about as big as my hand to use to pound the stakes into the ground because I don't want to carry more than I have to, you could do the same or bring something to hammer the stakes in with, your choice.

Now that you know what you'll need, here's how to do it. (Get your giggles out now, I made these pictures on Paint... I really need a camera.)


Step 1:

Find the area you plan to set up in and clear the grounds in between the trees you plan to use.


Step 2:

Tie your rope/cord from one sturdy lower branch to the other tree's branch. You're going to have to know how to tie a good knot. This isn't my video, but you should still check out how to tie these three easy knots.


Step 3:

Drape your tarp over your rope/cord. I like to try and pull both flaps so they touch all the way to the ground, but sometimes the branches are too high. If this is the case, pull the side that blocks the most wind to the ground and then pull the other as far as it will go.


Step 4:

After you have your stakes out, you need to get the tarp tied up...

You'll need to tie the longest wall of your tarp to two of the stakes (one at each corner) and use something to hammer them into the ground. Tie the other wall's corners to the last two stakes and hammer them into the ground as well. Lay your bedding out inside if you have any and that's it for the tarp tent. let's move on to the next temporary shelter.



Temporary Shelter #2: Debris Hut

I've seen a couple different versions of a debris hut, but the one I'm going to lay out for you is my favorite and seems sturdier than the others. No man-made materials are needed for this, but you may or may not need a hatchet, I usually don't. It depends on what kind of debris is laying around.


What you'll need:

Terrain - again, try to find something relatively flat and as elevated as possible.

A tree - find one with a lower hanging branch, similar to the ones used for a tarp tent.

A Spine - a long branch, not connected to a tree of course, the longer the better and aim for one that's about 5+ inches thick.

Ribs (Loose branches) - you'll need a variety of sizes and lots of them, they'll need to be able to rest against your spine branch and ones that have twigs and leaves on them are ideal so you have some sort of texture to make covering it easier.

Leaves and Twigs - as many as you can scrounge up, these will be used for the outer walls and you may even try to find some kind of moss or something that you can use for better insulation too.


After you gather your materials, here's what to do.


Step 1:

Find a tree similar to the ones used for a tarp tent and clear the grounds around it.


Step 2:

Find a long branch that is at least 5 inches thick to use as the spine of your hut. The longer this branch is, the better. Rest one end in the V of a lower (sturdy) branch, giving about 8 to 12 inches of overhang if possible and then position the other end of the branch as far out onto the ground as it will reach.


Step 3:

Starting with longer branches first, rest one branch as close to the V as you can with at least 5 or 6 inches extending past the spine branch, branches with twigging are ideal because it gives texture and makes covering the walls easier. (Again, I wish I had a way to make a video but since I don't and am using Paint to do this, the branches will be odd colors so you can see the overlapping pattern you need to make).


Step 4:

On the other side of the spine branch, butt another long branch as close to the V as you can. Again with at least 5 of 6 inches overhang, and preferably with twigging branches for texture.


Step 5:

Continue to cover the entire spine branch, rotating sides, using shorter branches as you go, until you have completely walled both sides.

Step 6:

Starting with the tallest end of your hut (the entrance), begin laying small branches, loose leaves, twigs, weeds (make sure it isn't poison ivy), and dead grass over the rib branches (we'll call them ribs, I'm just making names up as I go).


Step 7:

Finish covering the outer walls of the hut. The more debris you put on, the better insulated it'll be. Your entrance will be at the tallest side of your hut, right under the V of the tree branch. If you choose to leave that entrance opened, I would so heat and light from a small nearby fire can come in, you'll be finished at this point. Otherwise, you can use additional branches, leaves, etc to close it in the entrance more using the same steps you did to create and cover the walls. All that's left now would be to throw your bedding in if you have any and your debris hut is ready to go.

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Although these step-by-steps look a little silly because they were done with the poor Paint program, I hope they are descriptive enough to understand how these two shelters are constructed. I'm hoping to get a camera soon so I can start making tutorial videos, but until then I suggest looking up tutorials on how to make these two shelters on YouTube or something. There's a good variety of preppers and survivalists who have excellent videos. Take some time to go out and practice building these, the more you practice the quicker you'll get. You'll also build your confidence enabling you to keep a calmness to you if 'S' really does ever 'HTF'...




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Please be sure and return for the next two posts in the Basic Survival Skills Series where we will be covering ways to start a fire and then options for making water drinkable. I really hope you'll find them all useful. Skills are much easier to lug around with you, rather than trying to carry a heavy backpack or bug out bag. Remember that I'm interested in checking out other prepper blogs and sites that I may not have stumbled across yet, so please share your favorites. Please take a second to subscribe, share this with others who may find this useful, and don't forget to comment.