Yet another contest.

Damn great job guys! I might have to redo mine with all I've learned. I have an izula comming hope its here by thrusday. Any one have any sughestions for a two person setup?
 
Just wanted to take a moment to post a bit more about our shelter and what was learned from this experience...

First off, again, this was our first effort based off of articles I read and videos we watched of similar shelters. These resources were very helpful and I was very excited to put them to the test.

Speaking of test, I have to say that our water test was a bit extreme, and maybe next time I'll take a cue from Adam and use a watering can!

Beauty shelter by the way bro, nicely done!

The video was fun to put together but I'm not sure if it shows enough of the details, especially on the inside.

This first picture shows the attic (in progress) as well as the layers of leaves we used to insulate the floor.

100_3063.jpg


Here's a better shot of the inside and floor of the shelter.

100_3064.jpg


I'm 6'4" and 260 lbs, and I couldn't feel the ground. We packed that thing with leaves, compressed it, and packed it again... several times. It was very soft and quite warm.

VID00001.jpg


My brother-in-law is about 6'6" (for size comparison). We tried to shape the shelter like a loaf of bread... as suggested!

100_3061.jpg


100_3065.jpg


100_3066.jpg


I didn't get any video of this (maybe my brother-in-law did, I'll have to check) but after the water test we climbed on top of the ridge pole and it held my weight, even bounced up a down and it held! Strong design for sure!

So, what we learned from this first go around:

The tarp and "nature-made" rakes were a life saver. And I'd guess in a survival situation making the process more efficient can make all the difference. (If I didn't have the tarp I would have used the long-sleeved shirt I was wearing.)

Just when you think you have enough leaves, keep going.

The long grass made for effective "thatching" and base layer for the leaves.

Staking it out at the beginning helped, but I needed to give myself a little bit more length, would have been a bit more comfortable inside without sacrificing heat.

The door plug was the trickiest part and I had a hard time finding good information on how to seal the thing off. That's why practicing these skills in a safe environment and situation is important. I'll have to figure out something better.

Oh, and when you "see sunlight"...

VID00002.jpg


Stop dumping water! ;)

Here's the link to the video again in case anyone missed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO2pmHsF268

Looking forward to the next contest like this, it was very fun.

100_3069.jpg
 
Now it's a toss-up between Adaman04 and Joe Fowler. These are excellent debris shelters!
 
R.A.T. said:
Now it's a toss-up between Adaman04 and Joe Fowler. These are excellent debris shelters!
Click to expand...

In the spirit of competition, I just want to point out that I actually got in my shelter for the water test.

(Although I got soaked! :foot: )
 
Joe Fowler said:
In the spirit of competition, I just want to point out that I actually got in my shelter for the water test.
Click to expand...

Not to be an asshole, but so what? ;) Obviously everyone had some help with their shelters since there were too many good photos. Maybe they were shot from a tripod though. Now, if you really want to impress me then stay overnight in your shelter without a sleeping bag or any other gear while its raining :)
 
R.A.T. said:
Not to be an asshole, but so what? ;) Obviously everyone had some help with their shelters since there were too many good photos. Maybe they were shot from a tripod though. Now, if you really want to impress me then stay overnight in your shelter without a sleeping bag or any other gear while its raining :)
Click to expand...

Haha, good point! If it's neck and neck I've got to do something to pull ahead. I'll try to sleep in it overnight (after a few repairs!)

Part of bringing my wife's family up there with me was to help them learn how to build one as well. And isn't that the point of all this, passing on knowledge?
 
Absolutely!. No rules on the contest. But if someone builds one of these on their own, sleeps in it overnight and lugs a tripod up to take pics of themselves, now we have a serious contender! ;)
 
R.A.T. said:
Absolutely!. No rules on the contest. But if someone builds one of these on their own, sleeps in it overnight and lugs a tripod up to take pics of themselves, now we have a serious contender! ;)
Click to expand...

Sounds good, thanks Jeff!
 
I had mixed feelings about the competition part of it. The contest was to get us off our butts and to build something as best we could. I’m pleased with my shelter and you get in what you put in.

What you see is what you get. I wanted to be realistic, so I didn’t use anything I wouldn’t have with me in any regular situation (except the watering can!) I could probably make it better if I took between now and the end of the contest to add to it, but again let’s be realistic. If I was freezing on the first night I wouldn’t lay down on the bare ground and say “Eh, I’ll finish it next week.” The contest didn’t forbid anything really, since there are no rules, I just wanted to build it as I would if I really needed it.

It was just me out there. Heck, no one I know is going to spend their day to help me try and win a knife! I used a flexible mini-tripod that I wrapped around a low tree limb. All the pics I’m in were taken with a timer. I’d set it, then get back to work. All the rest were taken during breaks. I built a one-person shelter for myself.

Thanks for the opportunity, Jeff. If I take 32nd place, maybe you’ll hook me up with a RAT sticker. :D
 
I'm thoroughly impressed with both of your debris shelters!
 
The cool thing about this contest is those who are taking the time to do this are learning a real life saving skill. Pass that knowledge on.
 
Adam, I think you did a great job, and I'm impressed you did it on your own. I had two helpers and it still took us four hours!

I'm cool with however this contest is judged as well, it was fun to get outside with my friends and do something new. I was an "armchair outdoorsman" until this last summer. And it's forums like this that finally got me out there to have fun, enjoy the outdoors and teach my kids some wilderness appreciation.

100_2183.jpg


The thing is, we may never be in a situation where we'll have to build a shelter to save our lives, but the lessons on improvising, resourcefulness and hard work can be applied even at my office job!

I'm very grateful for an opportunity like this. :thumbup:
 
I'm surprised it took 3 people 4 hours to make that debris shelter. were you slacking off or actually working for 4 hours? and if you had to do it again how long do you think it would take 1 person?

I think I spent about 2 and a half hours on mine alone, and could have cut down on that time if i had just scavanged for branches instead of chomping them off. But it was just too much damn fun. I'm aware our shelters were completely different in design and function, mine was mostly just a waterproof bark dome. and probably crap by comparison, But what took the longest, gathering leaves?
 
Munky-

Yes gathering debris took the longest probably. Well at least it seemed like it because there wasn't a lot of "thinking" involved. I wasn't having to measure stuff in my mind or anything, it was just collect and pile, collect and pile. Over 2 feet of debris is a lot.
 
It also depends on the availability of the debris when it comes to time expended. The biggest problem is most people get in too big of a hurry when building shelter, then it either leaks, is not warm enough or very uncomfortable. Patience is a virtue in survivalism.
 
Agreed. You can see in my pics, all the little buckbrush here and there. Some of it briars, etc. There was a lot of good leaf debris right around the shelter, but that brush made it hard to gather. Couldn't really rake it efficiently because there was all that brush in the way of the good, packable debris.
 
We walked a few hundred yards away from our site to find materials. The tarp helped us make less trips, but we used a lot of debris... a lot!

We also took our time and enjoyed ourselves. Why not? :thumbup:
 
Right now it's a tie between Adaman04 and Joe Fowler. Both are excellent debris shelters!
 
Sweet!

Hey, seriously Jeff, the fact that you think we did a good job is a pretty awesome compliment!

Thanks again! :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top