How To Build A Debris Shelter

Should you ever find yourself stranded in the wilderness with no survival equipment and need shelter, a debris shelter can be built without the aid of equipment. A debris shelter is a basic shelter put together by logically piling together resources found in your surrounding environment.

If you find yourself in the mountains surrounded by trees and brush, you have all you need to build a shelter that could save your life. Locate a downed tree large enough to lay limbs across that will hold debris to make walls. Clear the ground where you will be laying so that it will provide a flat comfortable surface. Later you can make a bed by adding layers of spruce or pine boughs. If you have access to a camp fire you can heat up rocks to bury under your sleeping area. Make sure the rocks are deep enough to provide heat without burning the sleeper.

Pine tree limbs and other dense type limbs can be placed over the frame you made with limbs to help block out the wind. You may even get lucky and be in an area where the outer bark of dead trees are loose enough to peel off to make a good rain proof roof and walls.

When adding the branches and other materials, start at the bottom and work your way up. This forms an overlapping layer that allows rain to run down the outer side of the shelter instead of being forced inside.

The shelter should be just larger enough for the number of people that will be using it. The larger the shelter the harder it is to warm it up. The entrance to the shelter should have a door cover that can be closed after you have entered the shelter.

Make sure the location you pick for your shelter is not in a possible flood zone. Pick a location that is flat on a hill side away from the blowing winds. Also, check the trees around your chosen area to make sure none of them appear as if it could fall on your shelter. And never choose a site near a game trail or too close to a watering spot.

Different shelter configurations can be made using this technique. Use your imagination.

Stay Prepared! Stay Alive!

Charlie