WEEK 46
Building Temporary Shelters
If you find yourself lost in the woods, or for any other reason you’re left to your own devices overnight in the field, the ability to cobble together a shelter may save your life. Weather conditions may make it almost impossible to get a fire going to keep you warm. Or there may be other reasons that you may not wish to advertise your presence with a campfire. Being able to get out of the elements is not only going to be a great boon to your state of mind, but it’ll help prevent hypothermia and other ill effects.
One of the simplest shelters is called a debris hut. Given plentiful materials at hand, you can build one in less than an hour. You’ll need a long branch or log, at least a few feet longer than you are tall. It should be fairly thick and sturdy, to serve as the “spine” of your shelter. Prop one end of the branch or log on a large rock or against a branch of a standing tree. Ideally, the log will be about three feet or so off the ground. This end is going to be the opening of your shelter. If possible, arrange the shelter so this opening faces away from the prevailing winds.
Next, lean branches against the spine of your structure. Go along both sides, from the mouth of the shelter all the way to the other end. These are the “ribs” of your shelter. Keep the ribs as close together as you can. Now, pile leaves, moss, grass, even dirt, onto the ribs. This is the insulation, so lay it on thick. The more insulation, the warmer your shelter.
Finally, lay more sticks down on top of the insulation to keep it in place. If you don’t have something to use for a ground cover, like an emergency blanket, pile grass and moss on the floor of your shelter.
Slide into the shelter feet first, and wiggle your way in. Go as far into the shelter as you can. While this isn’t exactly five-star accommodations, it’ll keep you warm and relatively dry until morning.
A variation on this is the simple lean-to. This was my favorite type of fort to build when I was a kid tramping through the woods near my home. My friends and I built many of them, using them as “Army bases” when we were playing commando. Take a thick branch about six or seven feet long and suspend it about four feet from the ground between two trees. Take long branches and lean them against this suspended branch. We found that the ideal for these branches was about eight or nine feet in length. Take shorter branches and lean them against the sides, to create more of a hut shape. Then, pile on the insulating material. The lean-to can be quite comfortable, especially if you build a campfire near the opening and construct a reflecting wall of logs on the opposite side of the fire.
In the winter months, you can put together a snow cave. Simply make a large pile of snow, four or five feet high and six feet across. From the side of the pile that faces away from the wind, start digging a tunnel into the pile. All you need is a space big enough for you to curl up inside. Pile loose snow in front of the opening once you’re inside. Again, it’s not the most comfortable arrangement, but certainly better than the alternative.
When we were kids, we built forts like these using nothing but our hands. Sure, we might have had the use of a snow shovel for a snow cave, but that’d be about it. Having access to a sharp knife or hatchet as well as cordage like paracord would have made things much easier. And a couple of emergency blankets would also help a great deal.
The point of building temporary shelters is to get you out of the elements for a night or two, not to live in long-term. Let’s hope that a survival situation that requires the use of such shelters is over quickly.
WEEK 46 ASSIGNMENTS
TASKS
1. Get outside and practice building temporary shelters. Get creative with the materials available to you. The smaller the interior size of the shelter, the less space you’ll need to warm with your body heat. Make it just big enough to crawl into.
2. Explore the area around your home and look for animal tracks. Get a book from your local library and practice identifying them. This’ll give you a good idea of what’s living in your area. There may come a time when you will need to augment your food supplies through hunting and trapping.
SAVINGS
Add $15 to your Prepper Savings Account.
TOTAL PREPPER SAVINGS ACCOUNT: 
Water Storage
One gallon (or two 2-liter bottles) per person or a case of bottled water for the household.
TOTAL WATER STORAGE:
GROCERY LIST
3 cans vegetables, your choice
2 cans fruit, your choice, but stick with those packed in water or juice, rather than syrup
2 cans meat (tuna, chicken, beef), your choice
2 cans soup, not condensed (they require water)
1 jar instant coffee (even if you don’t drink coffee, this is an excellent barter item)
1 jar pasta sauce, your choice
1 canister flavored drink mix, the type that has sugar already added
1 lb white rice
