Making a waterproof survival shelter?

I am a big believer of using bark as shingling when possible.. I did not read this anywhere but rather came to it on my own after spending several nights in leaky huts.
Here is the start of a leaf covering on 1 I made last year
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Here it is with some shingling
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I spent 3 nights int here last in September of last year.. 2 or which where during heavy rains.. I stayed warm and dry

That being said however under the weight of the absorbed water the shelter sunk about 4 inches over the 3 days, But was still very fuctional, In fact I went back a year later.. to the very spot to tarp camp again after a heavy down pour to find the structure still standing and dry inside..so much so that I used the ribs under the leaf coating for dry kindling.
 
When I go on day hikes I have always stayed on the trails, and usually do not pack a tarp (unless I hear there might be rain). I don't bushwack. So that said, it is extremely unlikely that I would get lost and/or need to spend a night. But not impossible.

Should I skip the tarp, spend several hours making a debris shelter, burn an extra few hundred calories, risk injury building it, and quite possibly have a wet night (which might lead to some serious sickness).

Would it make more sense to carry a 1/4 lb plastic tarp along in my day pack just in case? Open the tarp, spend 20 minutes making a shelter, and be dry?

I'll try making a waterproof shelter next time I'm out. But from now on, always be prepared with a tarp.
 
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I don;t think anyone is suggesting buiding a debris shelter over carrying a tarp..
a tarp or poncho in terms or waterproofing and ease of set up will always trump a natual shelter, (though a natural shelter may be warmer if done right) however If we choose soley to rely on gear than there is no need to learn any of these skills.. I don;t need a fire if I have a stove right? don't need to know a bow drill if I have a lighter.
don;t need to navigate because I have gps?
for me and I'm sure I don;t just speak for myself here.. the skills are more than about being prepared. rather than a means to an end, they are an end unto themselves.
but that's just my 2 cents ymmv
as far as carrying a poncho for shelter puropses, I always carry one.. and have camped out many nights under one specifically because I wanted to be familiar with incase I had to use it. sometimes I stay on trails someties I don;t either way my core gear varies little.. a shattered leg fracture on an infrequently travelled trail, or even on a well used one in inclement weather is just as dangerous as one in the middle of nowhere.. and you don;t need fancy knots or allot of energy to pull a ponch over you if your are busted up and it starts to rain.
But to be able to fabricate the basic components of survival (shelter, Fire, water, food) consistently from the goodies God gave us out in the woods, is a different type of outdoor fun than hiking or camping or whatever.. but in my limited experience I can say that it is very rewarding.

as a side note all the bark I use as shingling in my shelters is pre shed from trees (easy to find here) or stripped from dead trees.
 
tonym said:
I would never venture in the woods with out my tarp/poncho.
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This not pointed at you Tony or discussing your skills.. but its a sentence i read a LOT of time.You can get lost too.. if you go outside or go hiking in unknown place.. or survive a plan crash on a crazy island with smoke monsters..

I would get a tarp too, if i "planned" to get "lost" in the woods.. but its still possible to get in a survival situation unplanned without even i knife.. and obviously no tarp.. and rely purely 100% on skills... flintknaping, shelter building, etc.. never know!
 
On that married couple survival show, they made a lean to shelter out of split bamboo ~3-4 " in diameter. They overlapped like this....

nunununununun

Thats the best description I can do using letters. Imagine they overlapped though. The bamboo made a natural gutter system. There was a piece across the bottom for run off. It was awesome and completely waterproof.
 
Riley,

In regards to your shelter shown above, how did the ground underneath you stay dry? I would think that no matter how well you are covered from above the ground beneath would get soaked if you are not elevated? Also did you cover the front of the shelter once it rained? I know you can judge the wind but in many cases the wind swirls all over the place and especially in a storm depending on turrain etc.
 
DocBurN said:
This not pointed at you Tony or discussing your skills.. but its a sentence i read a LOT of time.You can get lost too.. if you go outside or go hiking in unknown place.. or survive a plan crash on a crazy island with smoke monsters..

I would get a tarp too, if i "planned" to get "lost" in the woods.. but its still possible to get in a survival situation unplanned without even i knife.. and obviously no tarp.. and rely purely 100% on skills... flintknaping, shelter building, etc.. never know!
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Ah yes: "Plans rarely fail according to plan."
 
Barabbas its not visible, but there is a debris bed of compressed leaf litter leaf litter with body lenght sticks as a base which kept me about 2 inches off the ground.

as far as a door.. I cheated and used my poncho for that... after the amount of time it tok to construct the bed, the shelter, layer on the leaves, and hunt up the bark.. I didn;t have it in me to twine up a door plug.
 
DocBurN said:
This not pointed at you Tony or discussing your skills.. but its a sentence i read a LOT of time.You can get lost too.. if you go outside or go hiking in unknown place.. or survive a plan crash on a crazy island with smoke monsters..

I would get a tarp too, if i "planned" to get "lost" in the woods.. but its still possible to get in a survival situation unplanned without even i knife.. and obviously no tarp.. and rely purely 100% on skills... flintknaping, shelter building, etc.. never know!
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You're absolutely correct:thumbup:

That is why we practice all these skills DocBurN.

My above post was regarding issues with Pack weight while outdoors. I was noting that I feel a tarp/ponch is an essential piece of equipment to be carried. I also keep one in my car as well as other items that would make an unforseen few nights away from home more comfortable.
 
Im gona add my 2 cents, building natural shelters is fun but to get them to a level where there water tight takes ages. debris shelters are great until it gets windy, thatched roofs are great if youve got all the time in the world,

All I know is that after a hard days hiking or hunting, when the weather is shit, the thought of stuffing around building a thatched roof or debris shelter makes me cringe, I just want to have a whisky and a cigar and fart away in my sleeping bag(fart sack). I believe anyone can go into the wild and rough it with nothing and survive, it takes a more cunning individual to go out with minimal gear and be very comfortable. as JUST1MOR's dad says work smarter not harder.

so to answer your question yes ive done it, would I bother doing it again? not unless I really had to or It was a just for kicks exercise, a tarp is just an amazing invention so versitile and waterproof get one and dont look back

building natural shelters is a vital skill to have if you ever get thrust in to a real survival situation so learn the skill, but for the effort required on my regular outings I dont bother
 
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stewey1 said:
building natural shelters is a vital skill to have if you ever get thrust in to a real survival situation so learn the skill, but for the effort required on my regular outings I dont bother
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Wow, thanks for all the inputs. I didn't think this thread would go so far! Next time out I will try to spend the time to make a waterproof shelter. Unlikely I would ever need it, especially with a tarp packed from now on.

But like its been said, I may find myself in a situation and I will want to KNOW I can make a waterproof shelter. I always want to be prepared.
 
jackman2 said:
On that married couple survival show, they made a lean to shelter out of split bamboo ~3-4 " in diameter. They overlapped like this....

nunununununun

Thats the best description I can do using letters. Imagine they overlapped though. The bamboo made a natural gutter system. There was a piece across the bottom for run off. It was awesome and completely waterproof.
Click to expand...

bamboo_roof.gif


i didn't see the show but one of my uncles is a fisherman/lives near the ocean in his bamboo hut in the philippines...that's why i know exactly what you're describing :D
 
If you are using leaves for a debris type shelter or lean-to, it makes a huge difference when it rains if you scoop them with your hands and lay down them down on the supporting structure so they are arranged in a way that is 'flatter' than if you just throw or rake them on there. Obviously put them on like shingles bottom to top... and it will take a little longer, but in this manner it sheds the rain better.
 
adaman04 said:
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I didn't read the whole linked thread but seriously the "test" as shown on picture above doesn't mean much. Big serious rain could as be as intense as this while lasting hours. Unless you thrown several hundreds watering can on the thing, it probably isn't even close to the real thing.

Piling on debris will work to some extend but will ultimately get soaked if weather's too bad.
"Shingling" material will obviously work better.
Maybe using dirt (notably clay type) could work too.
 
Douglas fir boughs, just pile them on your shelter from the bottom to the top like they hang from the tree. Never got it completely waterproof doing that, but you can get damn close.
 
Ravaillac said:
I didn't read the whole linked thread but seriously the "test" as shown on picture above doesn't mean much. Big serious rain could as be as intense as this while lasting hours. Unless you thrown several hundreds watering can on the thing, it probably isn't even close to the real thing.

Piling on debris will work to some extend but will ultimately get soaked if weather's too bad.
"Shingling" material will obviously work better.
Maybe using dirt (notably clay type) could work too.
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You're right. Never been a waterproof debris shelter. Hopefully the shingling is done before the rain starts.
 
G'day Tony

tonym said:
Thought I have proven myself over the years, but hey you are getting older and the memory is the first thing to go they say.. :p:p

(Mick, thats a joke)

[youtube]YqlEwkejjQE[/youtube]
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Now that's what I like to see :thumbup:

Even though I have no doubt I'm getting grumpier as I get older, thank God I haven't lost my sense of humour :D

Take care Tony.



Kind regards
Mick
 
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