Chapter 5
SHELTERING

“Shelter provides a microenvironment that supplements inadequate clothing or allows you to shed cumbersome layers, especially when you want to stop moving or when you want to sleep in cold weather. Shelter also enhances the effect of a warming fire.”

—MORS KOCHANSKI

When planning for shelter you need to consider both long-term and short-term options. Even if you intend to build a base camp with a permanent shelter, you might still need to travel for a night or two to hunt, trap, or fish. For this reason, your kit should include a system that takes you easily from cabin to woods with supplies that will be useful in either situation. The base of this kit will include:

• Waterproof tarp (Egyptian cotton oilcloth works well here)
• Wool blanket
• Simple sleeve of canvas (like a painter’s canvas) if you plan to make a raised bed