Shelter

The answer you're going to get to a question like this is "DEPENDS". No, not the undergarment...

You should be able to build a shelter using only natural means for whatever terrain type you plan to be in. I highly recommend that you do so on more than one occasion in bad weather so you will have a realistic idea of what it will be like.

If you carry a bivy and a poncho with liner you can make any field expedient shelter liveable. The poncho in itself will give you enough of a roof to keep dry. The poncho liner and bivy with your (dry) clothes will give you enough of a blanket effect to stave off the cold and damp provided you dressed for the weather.

For instance, a debris shelter will keep you warm enough and dry enough if you build enough of it and have good materials to do it with. You never do in reality. A debris shelter made with whatever nature provides in the best place available, with a bivy and poncho w/ liner is not too bad a deal.

The Alpha Tent is a good low cost alternative, especially combined with a bivy. The Alpha tent is a US Army poncho with crossed tent poles that make it into a low dome tent. I have never personally slept under one but the concept is sound.

In Brazil I am a HUGE fan of the hammock. I have a light weight nylon hammock and I throw a tarp up over it if it's going to rain. Hammocks are best in hot weather because they naturally keep you cool. They allow you to set up for the night over steep, rocky, or swampy ground you could never sleep on. Mac
 
Go to Walmart and in the paint section you will find the small packaged disposable plastic drop cloths. A prepackaged 9X10 1mil tarp is several onzes and gives you a heck of a waterproof shelter. Five smooth round pebbles and some twine and you have a lean-to, or a tent, depending on how you rig it.
 
I have been using a US GI Poncho for along time now, I really like the fact that it has multi uses.


pict,
That Alpha Tent, sounds pretty neat. I have to make me one of those one of these days. :D

Ron
 
Right now I use a couple of US issue ponchos, a poncho liner and debris. Makes a snug and waterproof/windproof shelter. If a lack of debris, then the two ponchos make an adquate shelter. I also carry a Ridgerest foam mat that works better than other foam mats I've used.

I've read some possitive expriences with hammocks on another site and have given some thought to getting one of the ultralite tarp/hammock combos. Lots of places to hang one where I usually trek and they don't weigh much.
 
longbow50,
Keep us posted if you get a hammock, I have been thinking of getting one for awhile now, but I need someone to help too push me over the edge.

Thanks -Ron
 
Ron, since it could take me a few months to get one, take a look at BCUK

These folks use the hammocks and have quite a bit to say about them. :)
 
Wish I still had the hammock my dad had when I was a kid. Some kind of Army issue OD thing with a roof and zippered mosquito netting. Spent many a summer night sleeping foot to foot in that thing with my brother. When the skeeters got in we kilt 'em with a spray of DDT from an OD can. Great stuff. Army issue also. I wonder why skeeters don't bother me anymore.... :confused:
I have a nylon whatchamacallit that goes over a dome tent to keep the sun off? Sort of creates an air space to keep a tent cooler thingie from a destroyed dome tent...you know? It is about 6' across and has bungee loops in 5 places. I added a dose of Camp Dry. Light and rolls up to about the size of a banana.
 
Merek, you can still get the US jungle hammock for around 30.00 or so. Try places like sportsmansguide.com or cheaper than dirt. Majors surplus here in California might have them.

I wanted to add that I have a couple of the rain fly's like you are talking about. If you get a spray product called "Camp Dry" you can pretty much insure that the nylon rain cover will keep the water at bay.
 
pict said:
You should be able to build a shelter using only natural means for whatever terrain type you plan to be in. I highly recommend that you do so on more than one occasion in bad weather so you will have a realistic idea of what it will be like.
Click to expand...


What happens if he is in the Desert? ;)
 
Deserts are not flat featureless terrain unless you want to camp at Death Valley or the Gobi. Then, like mountain climbing, preparation is vital and you don't cut corners. Hopefully no-one will go into a desert for recreational camping unprepared. As I have said before survival ain't necessarily easy or instant gratitude. Like voting, you must think how well you want to live and be prepared to accept consequences of improper education.
 
For shelter on hiking trips I usually carry a tent.For shelter needs that come unexpected I always carry a US issue poncho and liner.For the ultimate in shelter when carring the family I have come to rely on my new 30' fifthwheel camper.Shelter with a few other luxuries as well. :D
 
You may want to look at a small Tarp at walmart. They are bigger than a Poncho and will be better in a down poor. Rolls up easy and can be used over and over.
 
jackknife said:
Go to Walmart and in the paint section you will find the small packaged disposable plastic drop cloths. A prepackaged 9X10 1mil tarp is several onzes and gives you a heck of a waterproof shelter. Five smooth round pebbles and some twine and you have a lean-to, or a tent, depending on how you rig it.
Click to expand...

1 mil plastic will not hold up if there is significant wind unless it is (very carefully) buried inside a brush shelter. I'd want something more substantial as suggested above to rig a shelter.
 
Hi All

My wife made me an old time mountain mans diamond shelter for cowboy action shoots

It is made from canvas to be period correct but if made from nylon would be great for survival

Knifesmith
 
Temper,

If were just talking camping then he should take whatever he needs to be comfortable wherever he goes. If he's going to be in a desert he still needs to know how to adapt his surroundings to survive if the need arises. That is what wilderness survival is all about. I try to always carry the minimum gear necessary to make adapting the environment a viable option. No climate zone that I have ever done a "survival trip" in ever cooperates fully to make shelter building quick, easy, waterproof, and warm.

My point is that if you don't know how to fully make use of the terrain wherever you are then the resources that you did carry along will not be put to their best use either. Even in a desert of bare sand if you have a bivy sack, poncho, and liner, you are light years ahead of a simple hole in the ground. If you don't have those items in the desert and you don't know what to do with sand you will bake by day and freeze by night. Mac
 
I use a cocoon hammock (not the traditional squarish one, but a cocoon shaped version). It needs a nylon rope extension but is cheap and really works well. Carries up to 100kg no problem. Only cost me $5!
 
Check out Tarptents as a lightweight alternative to regular tents. On the site Henry Shires even has patterns and instructions for making your own, if you don't want to buy one of their pre-made ones.
http://www.tarptent.com/

Another alternative to tarps is a lightweight, waterproof, woven-polyester painter's dropcloth available at home centers (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc) or possibly at hardware & paint stores. One side is a slightly fuzzy fabric material and the other is a plastic-like coating. The weight of the fabric feels to me about like 1.0 oz nylon. While it is not super-sturdy, it is sturdier than plain plastic, including the 2-3 ounce "stick it in your pocket" lightweight mylar Space Blanket. I have one of these dropcloths that I've used for several painting jobs that has only a few very small holes in it and some spots that are wearing thin where stepladder feet were resting on the cloth during the painting job.
 
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