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BSA TROOP 555

• Shelter building 101

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Basics

• A healthy human can survive for several weeks
  without food, and several days without water, but
  in many cases only several hours without proper
  shelter from the elements. Evaluate the weather
  for where you are, and to what extremes it may
  go. Shelter from the elements or a fire may well
  be your first priority. There are multiple items
  in a decent survival kit to help you build a
  shelter or a fire. For shelter, a clear plastic
  painters tarp or a survival blanket can help
  immensely. A survival blanket can also help to
  reflect the warmth from a fire

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• Be careful not to damage any waterproof piece of
  gear. Example instead of poking holes in a tarp
  to tie it off, push a small pebble up from under
  the tarp, and tie off around it. Try using rocks
  instead of stakes to hold down corners, etc etc.
  Getting a good nights sleep will make everything
  easier on you. Try to build as good a shelter and
  bed as you can. The extra time and effort will
  pay off. Use everything you can think of for
  insulation. Crawling inside a big pile of leaves
  or pine needles is actually pretty warm and
  comfortable (do not attempt this near a fire !!).
  A large pile of fresh pine sprigs is not only a
  springy mattress, but is good insulation from the
  ground.
• There are LOTS of shelter materials and types.
  Any survival manual will teach you about most of
  these. The general rule for a survival shelter is
  that it is not much bigger than you are (just
  enough room to lie down). This allows your body
  heat to keep it, if not warm, at least warmer
  than the ambient temperature.

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A FEW SHELTER TYPES

• TARP SHELTERS - Probably the quickest and most
  basic shelters you can build.
• DUGOUT SHELTER - which is sometimes called a
  "Sniper Hole".
• DEBRIS HUT SHELTERS - One of the most basic and
  versatile shelter types. These can be made from
  many different materials.
• HILLSIDE SHELTER - This shelter is quite
  elaborate, and takes longer to construct. If you
  have some time and energy, this one is pretty
  decent as it has an internal fireplace.

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Tarp Shelters

• Tarp Shelters are probably the most basic
  structures you can build. There are a bunch of
  unique designs out there, but I'll just cover a
  couple basics. You need only a tarp or sheet of
  plastic and usually some rope or cord

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As you can see in the picture below, the cord has
been tied between two trees and the plastic sheet
draped over it. Rocks are used to hold down the
corners, as it is always best to not puncture it
by using stakes
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Low profile to protest against wind
steep
shallow
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More tarp shelters
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Lean To
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THE LEAN-TO

• If you find a fallen tree without enough room
  under it, or a rock or a small overhang, you can
  build a simple lean-to. Start by leaning fallen
  limbs against the object, such as the top edge of
  an overhang, to create a wall. Lean the limbs at
  an angle to help shield rain. Cover the leaning
  limbs with leaves, boughs, pine needles, bark or
  whatever the forest offers. When you have built a
  thick wall, you can crawl underneath into your
  shelter. Remember to make your shelter no bigger
  than you need to fit you and anybody else with
  you. The bigger the space, the harder it is to
  keep warm.
• You can also build a lean-to by placing one end
  of a long stick across a low limb of a tree and
  propping up the other end of the stick with two
  more sticks. Tie the ends of the sticks together
  with your boot laces or belt. Lean more sticks
  against the horizontal stick. Then pile leaves
  and other forest debris against the leaning
  sticks until you have a wall. Once again, a fire
  on the open side of the lean-to will add much
  heat to your room.

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BUILDING A QUINZEE

• Step 1 Shovel a pile of snow into a mound seven
  to eight feet high and big enough around to hold
  two people once it is hollowed out. Mix snow of
  different temperatures to cause it to harden, or
  sinter. Flip the snow over so it mixes when you
  pile it into a mound.

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• Step 2 Shape the mound into a dome and allow it
  to sinter for about 90 minutes. Then begin to
  hollow out the mound.
• Dig a small entrance on the downhill side. Smooth
  out the walls and ceiling. The walls should be
  one to two feet thick. Poke measuring sticks
  through from the outside of the mound, so you
  will know to stop hollowing out the inside when
  you see the ends of the sticks. Hollow the
  shelter out from the top down.

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• Step 3 Use the last foot of snow to make
  elevated snowbeds. Dig a narrow trench between
  the beds all the way to the ground. This allows
  cold air to flow down and out of the quinzee.
  Poke a small ventilation hole near the top of the
  dome.
• Step 4 Building a quinzee will make you sweat.
  Prevent hypothermia by changing into warm dry
  clothes after you finish building your shelter.
• Make sure you mark your entrance in case it gets
  covered with snow while you are away having fun.
  Keep a small shovel inside in case you need to
  dig your way out.

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Debris Shelter
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Dug Shelter

• Step One Clear all leaves and debris from hole.
  Save them, as you will need them later.
• Step Two Drag large branches and fallen deadwood
  over top of hole (if you are constructing this to
  last, use fresh cut (small) trees to make poles
  to cover the hole. Plug large gaps with sticks
  and brush as best you can.

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Step Three Use as much leaves and debris as you
can to cover this wood in a large leafpile (this
will typically waterproof the shelter pretty well
if the leaves are large (Oak, Maple, etc). If you
have a tarp, you can use it here, but my
instructions will continue to use all-natural
materials. Use the largest leaves you can find,
preferably live, but dead will do. Although I
have shown only a foot or so of leaves covering
the roof, you are actually better off with two
feet or more for decent waterproofing. I'm afraid
that my 3D rendering software gets a little
bogged down with hundreds of objects. The few
hundred leaves I 3D rendered here were already
quite taxing on my system, and I dared not keep
adding layers!
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Step Four At this point, pile earth on top of
the leaves (or tarp). This is primarily to keep
them from blowing away and should not be deep.
Use good judgment. If the wood you used to cover
the hole is not very strong, then a few inches of
dirt should do it. If you are building for
permanence (a hunting shelter you want to return
to), then build it strong with plenty of earth to
cover it.
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Another type of group shelter
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Short video of shelter building at a klondike
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The End!!!