There are many types of shelters you can build in the wilderness and one of the easiest is probably the lean-to. Basically it’s simply some sticks laid up against a cross member with whatever you can find to help make it water proof. In the field I’ve made small ones using my poncho and big ones using tarps. I’ve even made them using nothing but what the forest has to offer such as wood covered with fir tree limbs angled in such a way to help shed water. If you put a fire in front of one with a heat relfector it will stay relatively warm inside. If possible put the back of the lean-to into the wind so that if it rains it doesn’t blow right in on you.
This is a big lean-to made from a tarp. I spent a couple of nights under it.
One thing to remember about a lean-to using all natural materials is that it’s very difficult to make it completely waterproof, especially if you’re going to be setting it up as a quick overnight shelter.
Something to know about any type of wilderness shelter is that it takes a lot of work no matter how simple it looks. That’s why it’s best to build your shelter with as much natural help as you can get. If you have a fallen tree that looks like it will support the weight of some branches go ahead and use it. It’s much easier than trying to set one up from scratch and that’s the idea behind the survival game.
The more calories you save doing one thing the more you’ll have for something else. I usually think of it as, “spending calories.” Do I want to spend 500 to 1000 calories or more setting up a shelter or would I rather spend them foraging or hunting? Both are important, but if I can find a shelter already half made that might give me time to carve up some figure four traps that will hopefully put me ahead of the game.
Tools
The more modern your tools the easier it becomes as well. You can build a shelter with no tools at all, but it’s a lot of work. If you have your survival knife and a small saw your life just got a lot easier because you can now easily cut wood big enough and to size for your shelter. Also, a poncho or large piece of plastic will go a long way towards helping waterproof it if you happen to have these materials with you or can find them in the woods.
You’d be surprised what you can find in the deep woods. There have been many occasions when I’ve been hunting or hiking way out in the middle of nowhere and thought to myself, “Man, I’ll bet nobody has ever set foot here before,” then came across a wine bottle or an old metal pail. Keep an eye out for these kinds of things if you’re in the woods as they can help you immeasurably if you’re in a survival situation.
If you’re making your shelter with just what the forest has to offer you’ll find that birch bark cut in long strips and layered properly can provide pretty good shelter from the rain. Did I mention that these kinds of shelter are a lot of work? When you’re hiking in the back country and you decide to make a shelter from natural materials make sure you give yourself enough daylight to build it.
Practice practice practice! If you wait until you’re in a survival situation to try and build a survival shelter of any kind you might be surprised at how much work it can be. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You need to practice your wilderness skills. You can read about it all you want, but until you actually get out there with your knife and firesteel it’s all theory. Easy to read about, but far more difficult in practice.
Have you ever built a survival shelter? Tell me about it in the comments below.
-Jarhead Survivor
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{ 11 comments }
Shelter one of the key elements in survival good post.
You brought a key thing out LOOK for things that might be useful. You mentioned a pail when shelter shopping look for natural shelters or things that could turn into shelter with little effort. Sometimes a giant pile of leaves makes an effective shelter even in winter if theres no rain. It will insulate and retain body heat it will stop the wind to some degree and will stop cold penetration from bottom and top.
easily assembled just rake together.
Sometimes deadfal trees will make an effective shelter just by throw a few branches across them.
Situational awareness will save steps and calories when you take advantage of natural things practice thinking outside the conventiopnal as you hike through the woods and you might be amazed at how many good sheltering naturally made helps are there.
One of my favorite things to pack in a survival set up is a mylar blanket to duct tape to the inside of a poncho (used as a tarp) to reflect heat from my fire back down on me more effectively when using an emergency lean to. I got the idea from modifying the technique used on Dual Survival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvKLOMgtM1Q
Lean To’s are great for nice weather, but I prefer a debris shelter for cooler temps or SERE applications. The debris hut allows more warmth and the ability to observe light discipline and hide a bit as well, if you build it right.
Lean-tos are fine for temperate nights. But I side with survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt, who comments that it is virtually impossible for the great majority of people to construct a waterproof survival structure out of natural materials.
I agree. I have built many survival shelters from scratch. That’s why I always carry a tarp and space blanket as part of my Ten Essentials.
As an Eagle Scout and later an Adult Scout Leader we did a lot of wilderness camping. It was always fun and educational experiences. Especially in the winter…May I suggest getting a copy of the Boy Scout Manual for boys from the 1950′s. They are available at BoyScoutstore.com for about $15.00. There is a wealth of survival information.
Carl
For smaller folk like teenagers or kids, the alpha rubicon poncho cover might be very useful. Google the term, it looks like a pretty sweet shelter, espeically if you live in ‘skeeter’ country.
Carl, thanks for that link to old BSA manual, those indeed have a lot of great information.
The one I got is fifth edition – fourth printing 1951. It is in pristine condition. It is the edition my older brother got and was handed down to me. My trrrop insisted I get a current version in 1962 or so when I was doing Eaagle work. I was thrilled to find this now. I am recreating my entire Scout patch collection. My mother seems to have lost or gave away all my stuff late in her life. I am also buying Scout equipment off of Ebay.
Only once when I was 11 years old. Lost in the woods in the Appalachia Mts. My mom always told me to stay put once I figured i was lost, and she would find me. My sister and I (she was 10) found a bunch of long branches on the ground and laid them across the top of a circular blackberry briar MESS. The were wedged in there so tight, it was still there years later. We then used our knife and cut a small crawl way, tied our jacket on the outside, and then stayed inside the circular briar patch under the branch “pregola”" while it rained. Our parents found us later that evening.
They are not ideal for shelter but better than nothing , and at least will keep you dry .
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