Basic Info About Survival Shelters

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When you find yourself in an emergency situation in the outdoors or in the wilderness, your first priority will be finding appropriate shelter. Survival shelters will help protect you from insects, wild animals, and from the elements which is important in order to make sure your body temperature stays within a normal range.

When choosing where you will hunker down, you have many options. Hopefully you have something in your gear that functions as a shelter. If not, you will need to construct a temporary or a semi-permanent structure.

Survival Shelters: Three Key Considerations

With most survival shelters, there are usually three important considerations. First, will the shelter protect you against all threats? For example, a tent will likely not protect you if a pack of hungry wolves were to attack. Make sure you know the threats you are facing and build your structure accordingly.

Second, you will need to ensure that the area where your structure is placed is safe. Try to put it on higher ground and look for an area that will conceal it naturally.

And third, ensure that your shelter is big enough to hold you and any other people who will be with you. If you must, build a temporary structure to hold you while you construct one that is more permanent.

Tents, Caves, and Lean To Shelters

Tents, caves, and lean-to shelters are just three types of survival shelters. Be creative and make use of whatever materials that you have on hand.

A lean-to is basically setting up poles (such as sturdy tree branches) and sticks set up against a cross-beam or top support. You can then use available materials like smaller branches to construct the sides and the base. Work from the bottom up when constructing this type of structure to make it waterproof.

Snow Caves

Snow caves may also be used as survival shelters. Although the first type of snow cave you may think of is an igloo, a snow cave can be simply a hold dug into a hillside that is covered in snow. Lay materials such as a tarp, plastic, leaves, or branches down on the floor in order to protect you from the cold and install an exhaust hole for use when heating the shelter.

Don't hesitate to use existing natural formations as your shelter. Caves and rock hangs are two such formations. Look for natural formations that are dry and that are free from animals. Even a tree can be used for shelter. It's all a matter of making use of what is on hand.

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