ALL ABOUT SHELTER AND SHELTER-BUILDING
A shelter is an object, position or location that provides an are of protection from the elements or some other danger. As well as providing physical protection, well-made shelters should offer the occupants as comfortable and as safe an environment as possible. This is difficult to achieve, especially in a hurriedly-constructed, makeshift shelter.
Nevertheless, you should aim to build a temporary dwelling that you can sleep in. In a survival situation, you become tired amazingly quickly and even the simplest task requires mammoth physical and mental effort. The more sleep you get, the better your chances. Unfortunately, sleeping in survival situations is not easy. Always sleep when you are tired, and forget about your normal sleep patterns. Catnapping helps you to cope in hostile situations and environments, as well as conserving your energy.
Over the years, I have found that in the early stages of a survival situation it is easiest to sleep well during daylight. This is no problem, as long as you have done enough to sustain yourself. Trying to sleep at night in wet and cold conditions, with unfamiliar, threatening noises, can quickly sap your will. You are better off staying awake and tending the fire. This will keep you relatively warm and occupied and you’ll probably doze quite a lot, which will help to conserve your energy.
HOW TO DETERMINING YOUR SHELTER TYPE
If you need to construct an emergency shelter somewhere remote, you will probably have arrived at your location by transport. It can be worth utilizing any vehicle or its remains when building your shelter. Do not use vehicles as shelters, though. They are usually made of metal and will lethally act as a refrigerator in cold weather and an oven when it is hot. It is better to construct a shelter using a mixture of vehicle panels and interior fittings with local shelter-building materials. If you do decide to use a vehicle, make sure that it is free from hazards such as leaking fuel or precarious positioning.
You also have to consider whether or not you want to be found. You may be in politically hostile territory, where being found by the locals is dangerous. In such cases, move away from any wreckage or broken-down vehicles, as these can easily be spotted. Obviously, if you want to be found, staying nearby will help.
In general terms, the type of shelter you need is determined by:
- The elements which threaten you
- Your geographical location
- Material you arrived with, local vegetation and geological features
- The length of time for which you anticipate staying – this can vary immensely
- Whether you wish to be found
- The number of people in the party and their level of ability, fitness (physical and psychological) and injuries
FIRST CONSIDERATIONS
Your first consideration when building a shelter should be picking in a suitable site. This is relatively easy on a nice, sunny day with plenty of time before sunset, but in reality your first shelter may merely be a hurriedly-constructed windbreak using a hollow or vegetation.
If you are at high altitude, you should try hard to move lower down. You will be less exposed, reducing risk of freezing. However, unless you are sure that you can complete the move and that it is safe, stay where you are while you properly plan a descent. In any event, avoid following streams and rivers. These tend to find the quickest route down a hill or mountain – usually straight off a concealed cliff!
SHELTERS AND THE LANDSCAPE
Study your surroundings and take a close look at the geology. In limestone areas and rocky shorelines, you may find caves. These can make quick shelters, but be aware that they are usually formed by regular water, either from tides or underground rivers and have a tendency to flood. If you do decide on a cave, remember that people and water do not usually mix! Also, many caves are already home to animals and insects – especially bats and bears.
Other rock formations can offer the basis of a decent shelter. Sedimentary rocks such as sand-stones are often weathered, and have fissures and hollows that offer good protection. These features are made by prevailing winds and weather, so choose one with the elements in mind. Rocks may break off rom time to time, especially if the days are hot and the nights freeing. If your site is in the shadow of high rocks, use natural, sturdy overhangs as a roof protection from falling fragments. If you cannot find adequate protection, build your shelter far enough away to avoid rock-falls.
Hard, igneous rocks, such as granite, usually contain horizontal cracks and joins formed during the rock’s cooling, expanded by thousands of years of erosion. These can be the foundation of a good, safe shelter. However, such rocks are often highly magnetized, and may distort readings on your navigation instruments.
WOODLAND SHELTERS
Woodland areas offer an ample supply of materials, but there are some issues you should note. Trees rot. They can become extremely unstable, and may shed bits as small as twigs or as a large as huge boughs. In the worst case, the whole lot can come down without any prior warning. Rotten tress also harbour a great deal of insect life, which can be unpleasant – even dangerous.
Dead timber soon becomes weak and is unsafe house for shelter-building. It may sees fine when you construct the frame for your shelter, but will become very unstable with the weight of a shelter covering, especially when the covering is further weighed down with the rainwater or a heavy fall of snow. Whenever possible, use only fresh, green, flexible timber for shelter frame construction.
Taking refuge in the branches with a Tarzan-type tree hut has a romantic appeal. In reality, however, trees are constantly moving and bending with the wind. Tree huts are unnecessarily dangerous. Using a tree trunk as a centre pole for your shelter may also seem like a good idea. Remember, though, that tree trunks move in windy conditions and when it rains, water flows down the trunk to the ground. However, heavy snow on evergreens such as spruce can create excellent havens.
HOW TO DEAL WITH LIGHTNING
Lone trees can be dangerous. Lightning like to find earth and often chooses to do this by way of a decent conductor. If there are no buildings, communication masts, wreckage or umbrellas, it will use a tree instead.
Using a felled tree’s foliage as a barrier between you and the outside world can turn into a decent dwelling.
You can feel the build-up to an electric storm. The air feels heavier-thicker, even. The sky is likely to contain huge, anvil-shaped clouds called cumulonimbus. In exposed situations, you may also experience a tingling feeling. Once you see a flas of lightning, count the seconds until you hear the thunder. Three seconds equates to one kilometre, so you can work out how far away the lightning is and how long you have to get safe. If you are on an exposed ridge, you need to move down off it, even if the storm is upon you. Lightning strikes come quickly as the storm approaches a mountain, slowing as it passes over. Get into the mountain’s lee to reduce the chances of strikes. If you have no shelter, it sit or lie in the open on luggage, thick vegetation, a coiled rope or some other insulator. After the storm, felled trees can form a very effective shelter.
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Survival
