Mistwalker
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 19,228
I recently bought a few AMK Heatsheets emergency blankets for emergency kits in the cars and for our backpacks. I had wanted to check one of these out as compared to the older "space" blankets which are usually a bit brittle and none flexible. In taking one out of the pack to check it out I noticed it has suggestions for uses as shelter. One of the suggestions is for a lean-to set up. While it does show the configuration it does not show how to attach the securing lines so I thought I’d do a thread and show one method for doing this. This method also works well for large sheets of visquine (actually visquine is stronger but also heavier and less compact), and you can do something like this with the heavy duty trash bags like the commercial ones as well. And you can make a more protected shelter by using to sheets of whatever tied to the same ridge line "opposing eachother" creating an overlapping mirror image. Before the critiques begin this no this is not an example of great location, it was spur of the moment on how to attach the lines because some people might think they’d need to cut holes in it…, and with me thinking that would be a bad idea….,I thought I'd post a better way of doing this.
First I tied a ridge line between two trees and draped the blanket over it.
I then cut some stakes, This one I cut with a machete in two cuts.
Then I pre-tie some loops in four pieces of string, with the first two being only about a foot long or so, you may want to wait on the second two to avoid waste.
I pulled the e blanket across the ridge to a position of roughly ¾ on one side and pull the long side till it touched the ground and this was where I drove my stakes at an angle leaning away from the shelter and just a bit wider than the material to help keep it taught. The stakes can be driven with the pommel of a knife if it's all you have available. but a good sized rock works well also.
Then I take some debris, also known as duff, and place it on the corner and wrap the material around it making a ball
Then I take the loop and wrap it around the ball.
Then pull the working end of the cord through the loop and tighten it.
Then tie it to the stake
Repeat this step on all four corners doing the back ones that touch the ground first, then using the front ones to tighten it all up and the finished product should look something like this.
First I tied a ridge line between two trees and draped the blanket over it.
I then cut some stakes, This one I cut with a machete in two cuts.
Then I pre-tie some loops in four pieces of string, with the first two being only about a foot long or so, you may want to wait on the second two to avoid waste.
I pulled the e blanket across the ridge to a position of roughly ¾ on one side and pull the long side till it touched the ground and this was where I drove my stakes at an angle leaning away from the shelter and just a bit wider than the material to help keep it taught. The stakes can be driven with the pommel of a knife if it's all you have available. but a good sized rock works well also.
Then I take some debris, also known as duff, and place it on the corner and wrap the material around it making a ball
Then I take the loop and wrap it around the ball.
Then pull the working end of the cord through the loop and tighten it.
Then tie it to the stake
Repeat this step on all four corners doing the back ones that touch the ground first, then using the front ones to tighten it all up and the finished product should look something like this.
. I've seen people do it. Seeing those pics really enforces just how simple that common-sense idea is, yet some people just miss it. I think some of us take that kind of intuition for granted.