PSK Basics #2 SHELTER

pict

pict

Joined
Jan 7, 2003
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NOTE: These PSK threads are intended to focus in on one topic at at time rather than provide generalized PSK discussion.

The Bladeforums wilderness board is full of discussion that hits this topic in general terms. There are plenty of lists here for anyone who wants to search. There is also plenty of discussion on general pack contents and EDC items. I’d like to (attempt) to limit the discussion to actual items in a pocket sized PSK. The intention is to discuss only one topic is discussed per thread, with separate threads covering the basics of: FIRE, WATER, SHELTER, NAVIGATION, LIGHT, SIGNALS, FOOD GATHERING, MINOR MEDS, SHARPS, and MISC. (Please don’t take these as an order of importance)

Try to keep comments focused on the incidents and accidents that drove your choices. As Solomon stated in Proverbs, “There is much wisdom in the multitude of counselors.” As each thread winds down or runs off topic I’ll start another in the series. Mac

SHELTER – One early trip (early teens) with my brother Carl saw us soaking wet at about 2:00 AM. The weather report was for dry conditions. To save weight we didn’t bother with a tent, or a tarp, or garbage bags, not even a chopper blade between us. We were budding mountain men at the time, with visions of Osborn Russel dancing in our heads. The upshot was a seven- mile walk home. We got washed out of the woods and had to keep walking to ward off hypothermia. (more on this one later)

On an early spring trip the weather was supposed to be partly cloudy. We had decent sleeping bags but again no proper shelter. Mid afternoon the temps plunged and it started to snow. I had two contractor bags in my “Survival Kit”. We used these, sapling snad pine boughs to rig up a decent three- man lean-to. We were a bit cramped in there but it worked out well.

Getting serious shelter assets into a PSK is a challenge. I do have a supply of waxed #4 line that is strong enough for lashings. Think “outside the box” regarding emergency shelter. On my Becker BK-7 sheath I have a space blanket attached below the pouch by ranger bands. I left the blanket in this plastic bag and wrapped several feet of duct tape around it. I also have a tight bundle of 15 feet of paracord tied onto the bottom. I figure that with the Becker/Paracord I can make good use of natural materials with the space blanket as the last line of defense against the cold and draft. I always carry adequate shelter in the pack, my minimum being a bivy sack and poncho/liner. I also carry a pair of contractor bags.

I have always been struck by the amount of TIME it takes to make a shelter and fire with nothing but a knife. If you need either of these you can’t afford to spend the better part of the day making them. My PSK is designed to cut this time factor and get me warm, dry and in front of a fire asap.

SHELTER SUB CATEGORY - CLOTHING REPAIR – I took a ten-day canoe trip in Canada. Fantastic! Day one stepping into my canoe I slipped and ripped the crotch out of my BDU’s! I had a black swimsuit on underneath. No needle, no thread, no safety pins, lots of little comments for the next ten days from members of the group. This was an embarrassing situation not a survival situation but clothing getting shredded is a very real possibility. Climb out (or in and out of) wreckage, or slide down a ravine and you could easily be dressed in rags. My PSK now has a heavy gauge needle and a meter of #4 waxed line. That waxed line can be taken apart to make two very solid threads for sewing cloth or be used as is for packs. I used to use a travel size roll of dental floss for this and still have a pack that has been held together with it going on 15 years now. Mac
 
My only experience with shelter was a trial run I made while backpacking. The idea was to construct a single ridgepole, debris-walled shelter. One long pole tied to a tree trunk formed the spine. Short pieces of windfall were lashed vertically to the spine to make the ribs. That's as far as I got with the experiment after spending about an hour.

It gave me an idea of the interior space and the amount of cordage needed.

I suppose I needn't have tied the ribs to the spine, but it made the whole thing seem a lot more stable. It might have been worth the effort to lash an X together and prop the ridgepole up on that to allow a fire at the opening.

I'm thinking ahead now. The next thing would have been to spread a split-open trash bag over the frame, then pile on debris. But how would I keep the frame from poking holes in the trash bag? Especially along the ridge where the ribs stuck up above the ridgepole. Maybe a layer of debris, then the bag, then more debris.

Anyway. Back to the point of the thread. My only survival shelter experience supports the idea of carrying a space blanket or trash bag and mason's cord. Ten feet of cord is good, but twenty would be better.

More theory. There's an analogy to shelter and clothing. The three-layer clothing system uses a base layer to keep you dry, an insulating layer to keep you warm, and a shell or barrier layer to keep you dry and prevent convection heat loss.

The same threefold model can be applied to shelter. Your clothing constitutes the base layer. Down, debris, or trapped air constitues the insulation layer, and the poncho or trash bag makes the wind and waterproof shell.

Pict is right in saying that a PSK can't really hold much actual shelter material. The shell layer and cordage is about it -- but that's better than nothing by a long shot. I also like the idea of the sewing kit being about maintenance for shelter-type equipment.

And still more theory... In my scheme of things, I classify protective devices in the Shelter group. So things like sunscreen, bug juice, and latex gloves (in larger kits) go in my Shelter group.

In my urban amblings I use either an Altoids tin kit or one of Doug Ritter's AMK kits repacked into a cloth sewing kit pouch. My backpacking PSK is in a larger camera pouch. While my urban PSK doesn't include a trash bag, my backpacking PSK carries either a trash bag or a Tacoma Mountain Rescue tube tent.

While trying to find a way to keep warm in a hammock in the winter (still above freezing in Florida) I concluded that simple closed-cell foam was a great insulator. Way to big for a PSK. Even a collapsible Therma-Rest pad is too big.

Bear
 
I have always left the needle and thread out of my kits because I never considered it vital. (Nor am I particularly good at sewing!) I carry duck tape which can be used (and by me far more easily) to fix ripped clothing. It can also be used to reinfoce my Space Blanket where I might want to drive stakes through it into the ground. I also have a selection of safty pins in my first kit.

I realize the needle and thread doesn't really take up much space, and appears to be a standard in most kits. Am I missing another vital use for it, and is it worth adding? I try to keep my PSK as absolutly small and light as possible to ensure it is with me should I need it.

Will
 
All my PSKs have 25'+ of paracord attached to the outside, and I'm pretty sure I could lash some shelter together almost anywhere I'm likely to be. With the exception of the kit in my Big Knife Pouch all of my PSKs also have one of those cheap disposable ponchos, or a couple of lawn/leaf bags. My thinking is if that's what I'm down to that's enough to keep me alive (if uncomfortable.) Larger kits/packs - including my hunting day pack - include one large orange contractor bag.

Harder to build a tight debris hut in the Rockies, but there's always some place to get out of the wind and start piling stuff up. Getting wet was always my biggest worry, whether from precipitation or persipration.
 
Clothing is our first line of defense against the elements. Adding a few safety pins, a small nail, large eye sewing needle for leather and a smaller needle to the food gathering group of my PSK added a lot of versatility and covered repairs to boots and clothing as well as shelter buiding. I carry spiderwire fishing line, dental floss and 550 on or in my pocket kit. To enhance my pocket PSK, I carry an industrial grade 55gal. drum liner and paracord in anoher pocket.

Like Pict, I have a BK-7 and for shelter, besides the above, I have a space blanket wrapped in an industrial grade 55gal. drum liner, several feet of speed tape tucked inside and 10' of 7 strand shroud line coiled from the sheath and 5' of cordage coiled from the lanyard of the becker.

My experience at building shelters has grown over the years, from simple canopies and wind breaks to a debris hut, using the basic design of the sweat lodge, weaving several saplings into a domed type structure and then filling in the gaps with smaller deadfall debris and branches removed from the saplings and then covering with bark and other debris. Not something that I'd want to undertake unless I knew I were going to be there for an extended period of time, but having the knowledge and ability to put it up is invaluable.
 
I'll always remember my first night out attempt in a debris hut. I was not very good at it (my only excuse being I was a kid, maybe 12 years old). I knew it would take a while to build it, so I had left early and started making shelter right after mid day. I was cutting down my rib poles when I noticed the mosquitoes being hyperactive, and the bees rushing the work, and the air feeling weird. I looked up and saw the sky. It was basically black. I thought "whew, better make the roof slope steep, make it thick and hurry up". And so I did. It started raining a little by the time I was about halfway done. I kept on cutting some boughs until it started raining for good, placed them on the roof, and took cover in my shelter to wait it out... I hoped it would keep most of the rain away...

Well it didn't.

10 minutes later, water was pouring from everywhere through my roof, and as the wind got worse and lightnings started to fall all around, I felt just like a lonesome baby bird in an abandoned nest. I was so wet I thought it was stupid to stay emprisoned under that darn roof, so I went out in the rain, sat on a log and started re-sharpening my machete... LOL

The rainstorm lasted more than an hour, and then it kept on raining more lightly until the end of the day. A light breeze kept on blowing, and I got pretty cold, so I decided to make a fire. Couldn't start it, as everything (including myself and my matches, which had no waterproof contained at the time) were soaking wet.

I came back home (2 miles hike), head down, humiliated, only to see my (reassured) mother smile at me and tell me "next time you'll find a way"...

Two days later I was mowing lawns to buy myself a poncho ;)

Morale of the story is : nothing beats plastic and nylon when you you need a waterproof roof. Summer rainstorms are not too cold, but the freezing rains of automn are not that friendly. I always carry at least a poncho, and a few cheap space blankets to act as a roof/reflector/signaling device.

Cheers,

David
 
Specific to shelter, I carry a mylar blanket. It is slightly larger than the Space one, has survival instraactions printed on it and is orange on one side for high visibility. I also have 20 feet of 2mm accessory cord. I find that is all that in necessary for lashing a small ridge pole or securing splints. I think 550 para cord is too heavy and bulky for my kit. I wonder if 20 feet is even enough concidering the many other uses for cord. Maybe I will add more.

Depending on the season and terrane, and keep a little bug repellent cream. Most of the places I go, a 0.5 oz bottle of it makes a world of difference! I also have a stick of sunblock which I consider very important for prevention. Nothing like second degree sunburns to complicate a survival situation.

I also have duck tape as mentioned in my post above.

Of course relating to shelter clothing is very important, and whenver I am out, regardless of the weather forcast, I have at the very least a light rain shell and some sort of insulating layer - a shirt, light fleece, or fibre fill jacket (again, depending on season). A hat and bandana are equaly importand for keeping off sun and bug, and the bandans has many other uses as well.

This all comes on even the shortest day excursions - on multi-day trips I add either a tarp or tent, and in winter a light shovel.

My PSK is a tiny light little thing designed to supliment what I already have with me. If I were putting together something more, I might add a silicon impregnated nylon tarp or poncho. GoLite and Integral Designs make ones that measure 8' x 5' and weigh 10. oz. I have often wondered about adding some light nails. As foolish as it might sound, it sure makes building shelters a lot faster and saves the cord for other things. But unlike the cord, I can't think of many other uses for nails, and they are heavy in comparison to adding more cordage.

Will
 
I have not spent as much time making strictly natural shelters as I would like to, but I have tried several natural/synthetic setups. On dayhikes I generally carry a cheapie tube tent or my trusty GI poncho (or both), some 550 cord and duct tape as my emergency shelter goods.

I mainly hike in semi desert areas here in southern California. Finding good ways of setting up a shelter is a challenge and I try all kinds of things. Like securing the tarp between a large rock and a bush. Or using a huge rock as the shelter back, then tapering the front of the tarp down to the ground leaving the sides open. This is especially handy on a blazing hot day because it provides great shade, and allows a cross breeze. Sometimes the rock is very cool to the touch which is a bonus to rest my back against.

For rainy weather, I like to stake the poncho very low over the ground, tapering from head down to the toe. The head area being maybe 2 feet high instead of several feet like a tent. I've played around with this, and even though it feels a little more clausterphobic, it provides a bigger dry footprint. (I tend to roll around alot when I sleep :))

As a side note, I get much of my inspiration from Eric Stoskopf, a true modern day mountain man. He's a genius in the woods and has come up with some amazing ideas, and he's a helluva nice guy too. For those who haven't visited it, he has an excellent website. http://www.woodsdrummer.com/
 
As a kid we lived at the edge of a huge forest. My brother and I each had our “forts” back in the woods. These were semi-permanent structures that we used almost on a daily basis to escape from a bad home situation.

My “fort” was made entirely of natural materials. The one side was built against two large oak trees to which a pole was lashed with vines and bark. The wall below the pole was made of vertical logs packed tightly together. Against this support I built a dome shaped frame using curved saplings and deadfall with cross pieces lashed on. The shelter was waterproofed with large bark shingles taken from a downed poplar. The floor was covered with a foot of pine straw. The thing held up for years.

Carl’s “fort” was made in a natural depression he found on a wooded hillside. He dug it out so the floor was level and covered the top with logs. The top was covered with dirt and debris. The back wall was covered with split logs and bark. There was an opening of 50 x 50 cm in the front for access near which was a fireplace carved into the hillside. His shelter was very war, especially in winter. He also had about a foot of pine straw on the floor.

Many, many ducks and pheasants were roasted at these shelters. The only season we respected was salt and pepper.

Another time I did a solo trip up on the AT. The weather report was for hot and partly cloudy. There’s a common theme in my disasters that revolves around trusting weathermen. I didn’t bother to take a shelter. That afternoon I was up at a place called Pinnacle Rock where I planned to spend the night under the stars. I looked back to the west and there was a huge thunderstorm developing. I climbed down into a cave to find a place to sleep and discovered that caves are nasty wet places with lots of mosquitoes. Back on the surface the wind was picking up and the sky had that eerie green look to it. I decided discretion was the better part of valor and took a side trail I dimly remembered from an earlier trip in the area to a campground in the valley. There I was able to rent a tin roofed shelter for the night. I ended up dragging a picnic table inside to sleep on that. It was a good thing I rented the shelter because marble sized hail pounded it for more than an hour. That tin roof was LOUD! If I had stayed on the mountain I would have been forced into that cave anyway.
My don’t-leave-home-without-it warm weather shelter system is a bivy-sack, poncho, and poncho liner. With these three I can take advantage of just about any “microclimate” to be found and expedient shelters are much easier to live in. These ride in the pack and if I lost the pack I’d have to suffer along with my PSK resources. I typically will rip up a thick mattress of grass to sleep on. I have also slept on pine boughs, ferns, and my favorite long pine needles. Natural material is great, but only if you have great natural material. Mac
 
Back in the 50s my father started us carrying a sheet of poly in our tackle boxes. He taught us to build fires with no more than 2 matches, check the weather, and generally how to get along in the woods, before we started grade school.
I still carry a folded sheet of poly and some matches as a backup, in the auto and field (its a tradition now).
I found that a couple of buttons, some safety pins and a needle when combined with some woven nylon fishing line (4 to 6 feet) will exceed the needs of most tailoring jobs in the field. This is based on knowlege imparted by both my father and mother when I was a tyke. (A good sized needle with fishing line is little bigger than a kitchen match.) Fishing line with a medium sized hook also allows you to fish (carry about 10 feet for this purpose).
Enjoy!
 
At the least I carry a Laplander saw and some 550 cord for shelter making. I am currently on the lookout for the Australian Hoochie and will carry that if I find one.
 
I remember after suffering along with improvised shelters and getting wet on most occasions we stopped off at a paint store on the way to the mountains and bought a 15x12 heavy duty clear plastic tarp. We used that same sheet of plastic for years. I didn't buy an actual tent until 1998!

Ric J,

I saw a really cool set-up that Ray Mears used in his Costa Rica episode. The tarp was attached kind of like a shower curtain. Set-up and take down was a snap. That's on my gotta-havit list. It wasn't until I got to Brazil that I discovered hammocks. They are my preferred shelter system now. Mac
 
Was that episode the one with Ewan McGregor tagging along? Saw that on the discovery channel a few years ago. It was great.
 
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