Debris Shelter how-to article. SWAT magazine

R.A.T. said:
Debris shelters are just as waterproof as thatched shelters if done correctly. They are much warmer. They don't last as long. They are not needed (and too warm) in tropical environments where thatched shelters exist.
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And see, before this contest I would have built a lean-to in an emergency and probably frozen my ass off! I still stand by that the contest thread (titled "Yet Another Contest..." for the new folk) is one of the best collections of how-tos I've seen. Step by step, a few different designs, many lessons learned through DOING.
 
That was indeed an awesome contest. Probably the best we have ever had here.
 
Nice article, well done! I remember learning to build these when I was much younger and being very surprised at how effective it could be.
 
Great article. Inspired me to start a debris shelter on my lunch break at work. I'll try to finish it over the next few breaks I have.
 
I am always ready for a nother real shelter contest. I say we kick off another one.
 
Yeah! More than anything I'd just like to see some of the newer members get out and give it a whirl. Make sure you start the thread off like this again. This was epic.

R.A.T. said:
I've watched a lot of these threads and seen a lot of shelters built. For the most part I'm not impressed. Most of them look thrown together just so the person can say they "built a shelter." Bullshit.
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A well made debris shelter does work, and it works well. Making an effective, leak proof, warm one does take time. The three hours mentioned is for someone that knows what they are doing.

I learned how to make this sort of shelter when I was a laddie. My woods mentor was a master.
 
Tony's working on kicking off a new shelter contest
 
Mannlicher said:
A well made debris shelter does work, and it works well. Making an effective, leak proof, warm one does take time. The three hours mentioned is for someone that knows what they are doing.

I learned how to make this sort of shelter when I was a laddie. My woods mentor was a master.
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Totally agree. Time also depends on the abundance of debris on the ground. If you have plenty then you can easily make a 3 foot thick shelter in 3 hours by yourself. With good debris they get pretty damn waterproof at 3 feet thick ;)
 
Stormstaff said:
Now I have to find somewhere that I could try this without getting arrested, hehe
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One of our last entries has an pretty good shelter made in the guys front yard by the road using leaves from the ground. Of course, now that we're going into Spring there may not be a whole lot of leaves on someone's lawn ;)

Again, think of building a rat's nest or squirrel's nest. That's all a debris shelter is. A human squirrel nest.
 
I'm going to take the boy out this weekend and give it a go. Baseball is just getting going, so this may be the last weekend we have between now and football starting. It should be interesting, there are very few deciduous trees around, but where getting hit with 50 MPH winds right now, so there should be a lot of evergreen material in the woods.
 
Another tip is to make sure you document your attempt really well. When I made mine last year I only posted a couple of pictures in addition to the video, but when I added the detailed photos of the inside later I think that made a difference in the end.

Take pictures showing the time and effort you put into it, and post the best ones. I'm also sure the video I made helped as well. :)
 
Awesome article. Couple questions:

1. Any idea of the temperature differential that can be maintained in a well built debris shelter? For instance if I'm stranded in the Rockies of Colorado and it gets down to say 10 degrees F or so, how warm will it be in the best debris shelter? Or in these conditions is one better off coupling a shelter like this with a fire and firewall?

2. If I'm stranded with someone, is it better to share a slightly larger shelter, with twice the body heat or have your own shelter? I suspect the answer is to share but wanna get your opinion.
 
To be honest, there is a formula for the temperature to tell you how much debris you need on top. It's all about the R factor but I don't have that formula off the top of my head. The colder it is the more you close off the surrounding world and the warmer and safer you will be. Think snow cave.


I would say add the extra body but be sure to only build the shelter big enough for the two people. Any lost air space equals cold
 
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