Before I start this section on shelter I would like to edit my previous statement about the order of importance Fire, Water, Shelter, and Food come in. Previously I stated that Fire is number one on the list, then Water, then Shelter. After doing some serious thinking, I want to edit my statement and place Shelter as number one on that list.
In any survival situation and during any time of the year, shelter is the most important key to survival. It is possible to suffer from hypothermia in the middle of the summer. You have to think about keeping your core body temperature when out in the wild. Your clothing will only take you so far; and especially in winter conditions, too many layers can contribute to hypothermia when traveling on foot in the wild. This is because regardless to how cold it is, your body still generates heat during strenuous activities like walking, running, building a shelter. Your body will produce sweat, and if you have too many layers on, that sweat gets trapped and your clothing will be wet. Once that happens, your bodies core heat will begin to drop and hypothermia can set in. One way to prevent hypothermia is to build a shelter.
A shelter can be anything from a house or cabin, tent and sleeping bags, tarp and space blanket, to some basic brush and forest debris. The first in this list is pretty obvious; a house or cabin is the best form of shelter to get you out of the elements. A tent and sleeping bag is great for campers to keep warm and out of the elements. Tents are waterproof and great to use in a survival situation. They can be erected pretty much anywhere (though you may want to think of a strategic place when setting it up). Next on the list is a tarp and a space blanket. These are what most backpackers and survivalist taking a back country hike should carry with them. The tarp is light weight, waterproof, and pretty cheap ($15 for a 12X16 feet piece). The space blanket can run you about $5 and can fit in your pocket. It is also made of a reflective material that can be used as a signaling device (remember to find multiple uses for you gear).
The last thing on the list is a last resorts method- using brush and forest debris. If you are ever in a situation where you you have become stranded in the wild with no camping equipment, tarps, sleeping bags, ect; this is a neat trick to learn. The best type of shelter you can find will be in the brush or wooded area. If you can find a hanging branch (not a broken branch, but one that has grown in a hanging position), cave (beware of bears) or some other shelf that has potential to place brush and debris on, you should be in business. You can then take a few branches (shown in the link below) and create the frame of your shelter. Bush brush and forest debris can be used as insulation and roofing material.
The key to building a shelter is to get yourself out of the harsh elements and to keep yourself warm.
Next time I will be discussing water.
Thanks for reading.
In Frith!
Ragnar
Here are the Youtube links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-xxmNzlCdc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4o7Z2pD4iI
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