Wilderness Survival Shelters

Improvised Shelters
During the summer months the need for shelter is not at once driven home to the survivor. Even in winter, he may be tempted to set up his signals the first night, rather than tackle the job of building a shelter before dark. He will not make this mistake the second night. A shelter provides protection from the elements, particularly wind and precipitation. Even the rudes of shelters helps you to gain more use from the heat of the fire. It improves your morale, by providing some degree of comfort, and a sense that you are accomplishing something towels your own survival.

Materials
Bush - The woods are full of materials to assist you in building, furnishing and improving a shelter. Poles, logs and boughs abound, and with these alone a man can make a home. Slabs of bark can be stripped from some trees, or picked up in a deadfall, and sods cut from the natural turf can be a great aid. Rocks, where available, can be most helpful.

Location - Selecting the spot for your camp is a process deserving some considerat6ion. It will affect your comfort intimately for the duration of your stay, and moving camp after several days exposure will seem a far more strenuous process than setting up the first time. There are several factors you should consider in selecting a campsite:
(a) Site your shelter near building material, and conserve energy;
(b) Locate near a source of fuel. Particularly in the cold months of the year, a great deal of your energy will be expended carrying fuel. The shorter the carry the smaller expenditure of energy.
(c) Locate as near practical to a source of drinking water. In most cases, this will also be a fishing ground, and considerable effort can be saved if both are nearby.
(d) A spot should be selected which provides dry footing to begin with, and drainage of future rains. Keep back from rivers or lakes which may flood after a rain.
(e)Shelter from the wind should be sought from boulders, hillsides, trees or whatever source may be available. Remember however, that a little breeze in summer is pleasant, and will reduce the number of insects. Also with regard to wind, your shelter should be sited with the prevailing wind blowing across the open side. If the shelter faces leeward, rain or snow will swirl over, and drop inside. If it faces windward, smoke and ashes from the fire will blow in. Place it end on to the wind.
(f) Avoid overhanging rocks which may spill snow, rock or gravel on you. A single large boulder may form a good back wall, but an overhanging cliff does not.

**REMEMBER JUST IMPROVISE** Use whatever is availible to you to make a good shelter that will protect you from the elements.