- Joined
- Apr 25, 2010
- Messages
- 289
Woodland Bushcraft Shelter Building
Hello all, this is a free tutorial of a shelter that can be built in a wooded area (like Mount Charleston).
First up is a list of the equipment you may need to construct this shelter.
1. Knife
(For specifications of MY ideal knife, see my tutorial at) :
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=735681&highlight=survival+knife
2. Paracord
Paracord is a the cord that is used in military parachutes. It can have either 5 or 7 strands, but there are other kinds available. The most common is 550 paracord. It is made up of 5 strands, and can support up to 550 pounds. Paracord is relatively thin, and very easy to work with. That, coupled with the fact that it is so strong and it the inner strands are removable and can be used for other tasks, make it MY rope of choice. I recommend you carry AT LEAST 50 feet, but 100 feet would be better.
3. Tarp
I recommend a small tarp (8x8), WATER PROOF, and of the highest quality you can find. The tarp is optional to carry, but it is a great asset to have once you get out in the woods, as it gives you a guaranteed barrier from rain and wind, as well as a way to capture rainwater for drinking. Be sure the tarp has lots of REINFORCED grommets!!
Hopefully, by the end of this tutorial, you will be able to construct a nice and comfortable shelter with nothing but the above materials.
Most people seem to associate wilderness survival with being sick and cold and drenched and hungry and surrounded by wild animals and darkness etc.., but with the proper training and tools it is EASY to THRIVE, not just survive! That is my goal for you, as well as me!
The shelter is a debris shelter, or an easy a-frame.
First you must find a downed log. The log should be about 3 ft longer than you are tall. It should be about 3-4 inches thick. This log will serve as the main beam, and it will go directly above your head. Once you have your log (which should be as strait as possible with only a minimal taper, and completely de-limbed), see if it is still attached to the tree trunk or not. If it is, it will make this easier.
Lets assume it is attached to the tree trunk. It should make a sort of triangle shape. Now, go to where the log meets the ground, and move it slightly to the side (like 1 or 2 feet). Now in the spot where the log previously was, dig a pit with your knife about 6 inches deep. Lift the end of the log that was just there and place it into the pit you just dug, and the cover it over. This will make your shelter much more stable. Now where the log joins the tree trunk, make sure it is FRIMLY attached. If not, it will be a safety hazard.
Once you have done this, go find some smaller logs about 2 inches thick. Try to get them as similarly sized as possible. They will act sort of like cross-members (term.?). Now go to the tree trunk. From the side of the tree trunk that your main log is on, measure of about 3 feet. Use your knife to cut a small notch there (to mark the spot). Then keep making that mark at regular intervals of about 1 feet apart. At each mark, take two logs that as high as your main beam and lean them across, so that if you were standing on the side of the tree trunk thats facing in the direction of the fallen log, it would make a triangle. Make sure that the space between the place where each of the cross-member (term.?) logs touches the ground is at least 4 inches more than the width of your shoulders from each side. This is to give you room to toss and turn in the night.
When you lay the logs across at each of the 1 foot intervals you previously marked, make sure to lash them together with your handy dandy paracord you remembered to bring along.
If the shelter were to be seen from a birds eye view, the width between the logs nearer the tree trunk should be widest, and gradually taper down to a small size at the bottom (kind of like a mummy-style sleeping bag).
Now go and gather some GREEN (living) branches that have lots of leaves on them, and, starting at the bottom, wire them in and out between the logs of each wall of the shelter you have made. DO NOT WIRE THE WALLS TO EACH OTHER! Each wall should be wired individually and not have anything to do with the other wall! When you are finished, you should be starting to get an idea of what you shelter is going to look like. Once you have completed both walls (as tightly as you possibly can!), go and gather lots of broad, dead leaves, and keep the dirt that sticks/clumps to them. You are going to use this dirt. Gather as many leaves as you can. The more you have the warmer your shelter will be.
Pile up these leaves next to your shelter. Now, starting at the base of the outside walls of your shelter, pile the leaves first, BOTTOM TO TOP, and let them settle on their own weight. Remember those green branches you wired in and out of the cross-members (term.?) earlier? They will act as net to keep the leaves out of your shelter and clung to the outside walls. That is why it was important for you to wire them together tightly, like a mesh, or a fence even.
Next, on top of the approx. 1 foot thick wall of leaves of your shelter, starting at the base, throw lots of soft spongy dirt on top. This will add to the insulating properties of the leaves. Insulation works by trapping dead air. The leaves and dirt work well for this. After you have thrown on the dirt, throw on one more layer of leaves, starting at the base of each wall like the first, and compressed as tightly as possible.
Once this is done, take your tarp, and stake it over your now fully built shelter, so that it presses down on the leaves, and make sure it is SECURE and tightly put over the leaves. Now, take your knife, and dig a tiny moat about 4 inches deep all the way around your shelter. This will catch the rainwater that may have dripped off your tarp and keep it from flowing into your shelter. It is also wise to take some pine boughs ( small one, lots of leaves and not so many branches) and stack them up inside your shelter. This will help get you off the cold-draining ground and give you some insulation as well as act like the springs in your mattress.
Now your shelter is built. You can make it more permanent by burying the ends of the poles you laid across the main log, just like you did with the tapered end of the main log.
Everything here by:
Micro-Bevel
Have a beautiful day!
Hello all, this is a free tutorial of a shelter that can be built in a wooded area (like Mount Charleston).
First up is a list of the equipment you may need to construct this shelter.
1. Knife
(For specifications of MY ideal knife, see my tutorial at) :
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=735681&highlight=survival+knife
2. Paracord
Paracord is a the cord that is used in military parachutes. It can have either 5 or 7 strands, but there are other kinds available. The most common is 550 paracord. It is made up of 5 strands, and can support up to 550 pounds. Paracord is relatively thin, and very easy to work with. That, coupled with the fact that it is so strong and it the inner strands are removable and can be used for other tasks, make it MY rope of choice. I recommend you carry AT LEAST 50 feet, but 100 feet would be better.
3. Tarp
I recommend a small tarp (8x8), WATER PROOF, and of the highest quality you can find. The tarp is optional to carry, but it is a great asset to have once you get out in the woods, as it gives you a guaranteed barrier from rain and wind, as well as a way to capture rainwater for drinking. Be sure the tarp has lots of REINFORCED grommets!!
Hopefully, by the end of this tutorial, you will be able to construct a nice and comfortable shelter with nothing but the above materials.
Most people seem to associate wilderness survival with being sick and cold and drenched and hungry and surrounded by wild animals and darkness etc.., but with the proper training and tools it is EASY to THRIVE, not just survive! That is my goal for you, as well as me!
The shelter is a debris shelter, or an easy a-frame.
First you must find a downed log. The log should be about 3 ft longer than you are tall. It should be about 3-4 inches thick. This log will serve as the main beam, and it will go directly above your head. Once you have your log (which should be as strait as possible with only a minimal taper, and completely de-limbed), see if it is still attached to the tree trunk or not. If it is, it will make this easier.
Lets assume it is attached to the tree trunk. It should make a sort of triangle shape. Now, go to where the log meets the ground, and move it slightly to the side (like 1 or 2 feet). Now in the spot where the log previously was, dig a pit with your knife about 6 inches deep. Lift the end of the log that was just there and place it into the pit you just dug, and the cover it over. This will make your shelter much more stable. Now where the log joins the tree trunk, make sure it is FRIMLY attached. If not, it will be a safety hazard.
Once you have done this, go find some smaller logs about 2 inches thick. Try to get them as similarly sized as possible. They will act sort of like cross-members (term.?). Now go to the tree trunk. From the side of the tree trunk that your main log is on, measure of about 3 feet. Use your knife to cut a small notch there (to mark the spot). Then keep making that mark at regular intervals of about 1 feet apart. At each mark, take two logs that as high as your main beam and lean them across, so that if you were standing on the side of the tree trunk thats facing in the direction of the fallen log, it would make a triangle. Make sure that the space between the place where each of the cross-member (term.?) logs touches the ground is at least 4 inches more than the width of your shoulders from each side. This is to give you room to toss and turn in the night.
When you lay the logs across at each of the 1 foot intervals you previously marked, make sure to lash them together with your handy dandy paracord you remembered to bring along.
If the shelter were to be seen from a birds eye view, the width between the logs nearer the tree trunk should be widest, and gradually taper down to a small size at the bottom (kind of like a mummy-style sleeping bag).
Now go and gather some GREEN (living) branches that have lots of leaves on them, and, starting at the bottom, wire them in and out between the logs of each wall of the shelter you have made. DO NOT WIRE THE WALLS TO EACH OTHER! Each wall should be wired individually and not have anything to do with the other wall! When you are finished, you should be starting to get an idea of what you shelter is going to look like. Once you have completed both walls (as tightly as you possibly can!), go and gather lots of broad, dead leaves, and keep the dirt that sticks/clumps to them. You are going to use this dirt. Gather as many leaves as you can. The more you have the warmer your shelter will be.
Pile up these leaves next to your shelter. Now, starting at the base of the outside walls of your shelter, pile the leaves first, BOTTOM TO TOP, and let them settle on their own weight. Remember those green branches you wired in and out of the cross-members (term.?) earlier? They will act as net to keep the leaves out of your shelter and clung to the outside walls. That is why it was important for you to wire them together tightly, like a mesh, or a fence even.
Next, on top of the approx. 1 foot thick wall of leaves of your shelter, starting at the base, throw lots of soft spongy dirt on top. This will add to the insulating properties of the leaves. Insulation works by trapping dead air. The leaves and dirt work well for this. After you have thrown on the dirt, throw on one more layer of leaves, starting at the base of each wall like the first, and compressed as tightly as possible.
Once this is done, take your tarp, and stake it over your now fully built shelter, so that it presses down on the leaves, and make sure it is SECURE and tightly put over the leaves. Now, take your knife, and dig a tiny moat about 4 inches deep all the way around your shelter. This will catch the rainwater that may have dripped off your tarp and keep it from flowing into your shelter. It is also wise to take some pine boughs ( small one, lots of leaves and not so many branches) and stack them up inside your shelter. This will help get you off the cold-draining ground and give you some insulation as well as act like the springs in your mattress.
Now your shelter is built. You can make it more permanent by burying the ends of the poles you laid across the main log, just like you did with the tapered end of the main log.
Everything here by:
Micro-Bevel
Have a beautiful day!
Last edited: