Deconstruct Your Shelter Building Skills
TO BUILD RESILIENCY, DECONSTRUCT YOUR SHELTER-BUILDING SKILLS.
One of the 5 basic skills of wilderness living is shelter building. In fact, it may be one of the most important skills you can learn. We often think finding food or water is the most important, but knowing how to build a shelter in a blizzard is far more important than finding food. Like everything else these days, you really don’t have to know much about shelter building to live comfortably in the woods. In fact, the newest technology is called an “instant tent.” Throw one of these down and in one minute you’ll have an adequate shelter for the night’s stay. Watch this video to see just how speedy they really are.
As you can see, these instant tents take the work out of things. However, I’d encourage every outdoorsman to develop a bit more skill than this tent requires. The reason is that the skill is something you can take with you wherever you go. If you’ve read much on this website, you probably realize that I encourage people to develop skills and layer technology on those skills. I think about it like a multiplication problem. Skill Level x Technology = Output. You can have 10 technology, but if you only have 1 skill then you’re a 10. But, if you have 10 skill and layer level 10 technology on that skill, you’re at 100. Also, technology is dependent on the work and ingenuity of other people. When it comes to skills and knowledge, it’s all dependent on you.
One way you can develop a skill is by deconstructing a task. In this article, we’ll take a look at the deconstruction idea using shelter building as the topic. Although there are many different ways to deconstruct shelter-building skills, here is one way you can think about it.
CAMPER/CAR CAMPING
As the most technologically advanced method of camping, camping with a camper or vehicle tent is easy. You basically have to know how to drive, make a reservation, and plug into an electrical box. Comfortable, fast, and easy, it’s how many people create shelter in the outdoors. However, the skill and knowledge levels here are very low. Also, you generally have to camp in designated areas with other people surrounding you. If you’d ever like to ditch the crowds, you’ve got to learn how to go off the beaten path.
TENT CAMPING
Tent camping is one technology step down from a camper. It definitely takes more skill and knowledge to set up a tent, but tents are still pretty easy. That being said, if you can camp in a tent, you can really open up the places you can go. Of course, that depends on how heavy your tent is and how much other gear you bring. There is also some difference between kinds of tents and materials.
The downside to tent camping is that it is less comfortable than sleeping in a camper. There are some ways around the discomforts of tent camping. Honestly, though, if comfort is your ultimate goal, you’re probably on the wrong website. The goal here is to encourage people to develop their skills, knowledge, and character. Rarely are any of those things developed in moments of comfort.
TARP CAMPING
The next step in the deconstruction process is to do away with the tent and take a simple tarp for shelter. Tarp shelters are great because you can change the design depending on the weather or terrain. They are also extremely light. I’ve gone on backpacking trips into the wilderness with only a tarp, some paracord, and a few stakes. When you’re carrying all your gear, you quickly appreciate the lightweight tarp.
Another good thing about tarp camping is that the tarp is multifunctional. I’ve used tarps for shelters, shade canopies, ground cloths, and rain slickers. They also only cost a few dollars and a good one is fairly rugged.
The downside of course is the simplicity of the item. Tarps are only as good as the person setting them up. Currently, it is pouring rain outside my house. It reminds me of times I’ve slept in the rain in a tarp shelter. They work, but you’ve got to use a good design. A simple open-front design might leave you wet by the end of the night.
The other downside is the vulnerability you may feel using a tarp. This is heightened in areas where there may be predators such as bears or mountain lions. In other areas, you may leave yourself open to bugs, snakes, and mosquitoes. It’s not that tarps have to be more vulnerable than tents, it’s just that unless you know how to make (and take the time and energy to make) a better shelter, you may find yourself with inadequate shelter.
A good tarp shelter for the situation. However, this design would not be ideal for all situations. Knowing different styles and setups is important when tarp camping.
Bivy Sack/Bedroll
Here is where we start to get really simple. A bivy sack and a bedroll are essentially the same things. In either case, you have a protective shell around your insulation (sleeping bag/blanket) and that’s it. They are super simple and very light on technology. That being the case, you have to be smart about where you set up and pay attention to weather conditions a little more. Getting caught in a bivy sack in a blizzard is not a good idea.
However, if you can camp effectively with either of these, you’ll really open up the places you can travel. Any little spot becomes a camping spot within just a few minutes.
Natural Materials
Removing all the technology and you’re left with only natural materials. There are many different natural materials you can build a shelter with. Personally, I have the most experience with two types. One is called a debris shelter. Debris shelters use plant debris like grass or leaves piled on a structure of sticks to create an insulated barrier between you and the outside world. They are surprisingly comfortable. However, they do take lots of time and some knowledge to know how to create one.
A basic debris shelter with open front.
The other primitive option I have experience with is camping with a buffalo robe. I’ve slept in these during wintertime with temperatures in the teens. A buffalo robe is very bulky, but the thick hair of a good hide is really good insulation if you are properly dressed. However, hides do get wet and are heavy. There are many stories of the old frontiersmen who slept with these for long periods of time. Although I don’t often camp with one, I do understand what it is like and how to get by sleeping with one.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, these are not necessarily “the” steps in deconstructing shelter-building skills. However, it should give you some ideas to think about if you’d like to develop your camping skill set.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that just because you can camp in a debris shelter does not mean that you always will. The purpose of this process is not to return to the caveman days. The purpose of this method is to develop skills and knowledge by using more primitive methods of shelter. Then, once the skill is developed, you can layer technology on it to be more effective. Simply put, a person who can camp effectively in a debris shelter would easily be able to show up with a dome tent and have a good experience.
It’s also worth stating, if you are currently camper camping, I wouldn’t recommend going with a tarp on your next trip. You might find out that you are biting off more than you can chew until you get some more experience.
In the end, if you want to build your shelter-building skills, this deconstruction process might be worth your consideration. It will challenge you to think about how you are dependent on technology in the outdoors. If you can build the skills and knowledge, you will only have better results when you layer on technology.