Found a good "Survival Shelter" link? Let Us Know!

Jump to Section:

Army Survival Manual FM-64-4 [15 JULY 1985 ed. AF REGULATION 64-4~ 580 pgs - A bit different than 21-76 and in some areas - more detailed] This regulation describes the various environmental conditions affecting human survival, and describes individual activities necessary to enable that survival. This regulation is for instructor and student use in formal and USAF survival and survival continuation training. This regulation also applies to US Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units and members.

Survival Field Manual 21-76 [5 June 1992 ed.] 646 pgs in 72.79mb PDF: As a soldier you can be sent to any area of the world. It may be in a temperate, tropical, arctic, or subarctic region. You expect to have all your personal equipment and your unit or other members of your unit with you wherever you go. There is, however, no guarantee it will be so. You could find yourself alone in a remote area-possibly enemy territory— with little or no personal gear. This manual provides information and describes basic techniques to enable you to survive and return alive should you find yourself in such a situation.

Caves

Caves of South Dakota Speleologists (or cave scientists) consider South Dakota to be one of the premier cave regions of the world! Located beneath South Dakota are some of the world's largest and most interesting caves. These caves are useful to both wildlife and humans alike...

Caves - natural and dry, these are sometimes the ideal shelter, especially in winter

The Underground: Bomb Shelters and Bat Caves By Kirsten Anderberg: The Underground: it connotes many images from subterranean hide-outs, to guerilla militants operating outside the law. But those images are actually correlated. Few military conflicts in history have been conducted without the use of caves, tunnels and underground spaces. Whether it was the warring sides of a conflict, or the innocents caught in between the battles, subterranean places have been wombs of safety for perhaps as long as humans have had violent conflict. In American history, Jesse James hid out in caves, and in 1863, during the American Civil War, citizens of Vicksburg, Miss., dug cave homes into the sides of hills to get away from the nonstop artillery...

Half-Cave Shelter The first object of a roof of any kind is protection against the weather; no shelter is necessary in fair weather unless the sun in the day or the dampness or coolness of the night cause discomfort. In parts of the West there is so little rain that a tent is often an unnecessary burden, but in the East and the other parts of the country some sort of shelter is necessary for health and comfort...

Bills Cave and Lean To Outdoor Shelters There are many ways to survive in an outdoor environment with little or no equipment to depend on. In an emergency situation the best resource you have is your mind and determination... See also: Bills Main Outdoor Shelters Page

History of Human Use of Caves Caves have captured the imagination of many poets and authors, and have conjured the spirit of adventure and exploration. Human use of caves has come a long way throughout our history, from living space to hiding place and from commercial production to exploration. Despite the long existence of caves, we continue to learn from them and about them..

Stock Photograph of Fall out shelter in cave with food supplies ... Just what it says. Just a photo.

"Field Expedient" (Mixed)

Building Shelter on a Trapline: Having decided upon the seat of operations, the young trappers should immediately set to work at building their shanties and boats. The home shanty is of the greatest importance, and should be constructed first.

THE BEST CAMP TO USE: The best camp to use. Building a lean-to. Shacks. Tepees. Tents. Permanent camps. Excerpt from the: "Book of Camping" By A. Hyatt Verrill, 1917; Chapter Two

Hasty Field Expedient Shelters. Under adverse conditions shelter can be essential to survival. In any case a good shelter will always be a morale boost, think how much better you feel after a good night's sleep. Here are some basic shelter designs which should not be beyond the skills of most people.

Backwoods Shelters (100Kb) Survival shelters constructed from natural materials (ScoutWeb South Africa)

Expedient Shelters Just so you know, I'm only covering shelters that other survival sites don't usually talk about, and if they do, I'll bet you'll prefer the way I teach it. Wanna bet? What's a shelter? A shelter is a means by which you can protect yourself from the weather, temperature, and surrounding terrain. Such as by using it to keep warm, dry, cool, reduce thirst, retain body heat, and get a good night sleep too. Utilizes the "GI Joe" demonstration method...

At Home in the Wilderness Part I : Shelter Any person who knows how to provide his or her necessities, without having to depend on manufactured commodities, can endure even if a calamity severs all ties with the rest of society.

At Home In The Wilderness Part IX: Advanced Survival Shelters, pg 68 (Sep-Oct 1985) Mother Earth News #95: Back in MOTHER NO. 71, wilderness survival expert Tom Brown Jr. (known worldwide as The Tracker) showed us how to construct the leaf hut-an expedient and reliable short-term survival shelter. In this article, the ninth installment of The Tracker's ongoing wilderness survival series, Tom discusses the basics of building two different long-term survival shelters.

Survival Shelters In most survival situations, shelter should be your first concern. Shelter not only provides the necessary protection from heat, cold, wind or rain, but also serves as a base of operations and provides a boost to morale against the deteriorating affects of noises in the night.

A PRIMER ON FIELD EXPEDIENT SHELTERS by Dwayne Seale One of the most underutilized pieces of equipment in many reenacting units is the shelter half or "dog tent".  Part of the problem, other than the predominant use of common tents at most events, is the lack of knowledge on the part of recruits and heavy campers on how to use them.   This primer is intended for those who desire to do it the way the common infantry soldier of 61-65 did.

Desert Survival An Inconclusive Experiment in Field Expedient Desert Survival Shelter: When I think of desert shelter, I think of protection from the sun, not protection from the ground. It would appear as though I may need to alter my thinking about this subject as my short encounter with the rock bench raised the issue of the importance of shelter from the ground as well as from the sun.

The Basic Expedient Shelter Building your own expedient shelter in the woods is a rather simple matter but I suggest that for now you try my ideas, at least until you have a bit of experience at this. Many will tell you to build a lean to and a nice big fire with a reflector fireplace. Those are nice but not always terribly smart. With this method you can stay warm without a fire at all.

The debris shelter. This is an option where you have access to trees and other plant material.

Hasty & Field Expedient Shelters. Excellent page, with graphics.

Expedient Shelters When you just want to get out of the elements for a little while, one of these may be the answer, they provide minimal protection and could never be described as comfortable, but they may make the difference between life and death if you are too tired or injured to construct anything more elaborate.

Long Term Shelters. Very cool page on field expedient LTS’s, with graphics.

Pits/Dugouts

Chinese Earth Shelter Dwellings- By Paul Long Few buildings in China exist that were built prior to the 1300's because many early buildings were built of insubstantial construction of wood and rice paper and others were destroyed during wars and invasions. Of the remaining historic structures, there are a few examples of earth shelters. Man-made cave dwellings have been used as shelter in China since 2,000 BC. Today there are an estimated 40 million Chinese living in cave shelters...

Scout Pit by Bill Scherer: Every year at the Rattlesnake Rendezvous I try different types of bedding. This year's arrangement was a modified "Scout Pit" as I had read about them in a few different books and magazines. The scout pit is basically a camouflaged and insulated trench in the ground used for sleeping. Properly constructed, it can be used in all types of weather for extended periods of time and will be almost invisible to anyone walking by. Since I was planning on using it for a only a few days in warm weather and did not want to hide it from by fellow campers, it was not as deep or camouflaged as it might have been.

The Firebed by Ron Hood The firebed is a basic survival technique used by many cultures during periods of cold weather when adequate insulation isn’t readily available. It remains one of the best ways to stay warm in the coldest weather...

The construction of underground shelters - Basic considerations for the construction of underground shelters in the wilderness.

Scout Pits - stealth shelters dug into the ground - a couple different ones

Prefabricated/Modern(ized)

Tent Making At Home: SHOULD one wish to try tent making at home, one is at once confronted with the choice of materials. Waterproofed balloon silk as a tent fabric stands in a class by itself. Superseding the antiquated heavy duck and flimsy drill cloth, balloon silk has been the chief item in revolutionizing tent making and thereby rendering extended hike trips at all feasible. It is really not a silk at all but a closely woven cotton cloth with a weight of but three and three-fifth ounces per yard. It is rot-, vermin-, and mildew-proof and exceedingly durable.

Yurt - a traditional style of shelter, although not quite as primitive (or basic) as others featured here.

Care & Feeding of Cloth Tents. A collection of interesting, very informative newsgroup articles.

Fabrics and treatments to use in tents. A collection of interesting, very informative newsgroup articles.

Pavilion poles, stakes and ropes, including a bit of load-bearing physics. A collection of interesting, very informative newsgroup articles.

Various tent styles in bad weather. An extremely interesting collection of informative newsgroup articles – sometimes tragic and other times hilarious.

Snow

How to Build an Igloo by Susan Witmore: During the winter season, a companion and I spent two nights in an igloo near Carson Pass, California. At 8,570 feet the snow was too deep for hiking without snowshoes, and night temperatures dipped to minus five degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the cold, we kept relatively warm in our igloo. I learned to make igloos from Kim Grandfield's Snow and Igloo classes at Sunrise Mountain Sports, not from an Inuit elder. If you have an opportunity to watch and participate in building an igloo with someone who knows the process, that is the best way to learn...

Emergency Winter Shelter It is important to consider what a shelter provides: it protects us from the wind, the cold, and the wet. It does not necessarily provide comfort, convenience, aesthetics, or enjoyment. In its most basic form, it offers pure survival. Emergency conditions dictate a reasoned compromise between that survival and the extra time and energy consumed trying to make something spacious and comfortable.

Options for shelters in the snowy wilderness Three strong people can construct a cave in three to four hours with two people shoveling and another getting rid of the snow that is shoveled out.

Building a Quinze or Snow Cave TIP#17- BUILDING A QUINZE OR SNOW CAVE might save your life. A Quinze is an above ground "Igloo-like" structure formed from snow rather than blocks of ice. It can be built for one person or groups of three or four. It may provide an environment up to forty-degrees warmer than the outside environment. It is fairly hard work, so pace yourself.

Snow Shelters (from NASA) Chapter 10: Snow Shelters: This chapter explains how to build different snow shelters in the Antarctic, as well as the relative merits of each type of shelter and the time required to build each type of shelter. The choice of shelter to build will be dictated by the local snow conditions.

Creating A Survival Snow Shelter - PageWise One of the most important things you can learn before venturing into the back country is how to built shelter.At higher elevations the weather can be sunny one minute, then a snow storm can roll in quickly. Do not be fooled by the summer months either because in high elevations freak snow storms happen even in July.

Guide to Snow Shelters - Princeton University Outdoor Action Winter travel can be hazardous. The information provided here is designed for educational use only and is not a substitute for specific training or experience. Princeton University and the author assume no liability for any individual's use of or reliance upon any material contained or referenced herein. When going into cold weather conditions it is your responsibility to have the proper knowledge, experience, and equipment to travel safely.

How To Build A Quinzee (snow tent) Here is a description of how to build a snow quinzee or snow mound hut. These, like most other snow shelters, require a fair bit of work to complete, therefore start well before dark. These are usually used when you plan on spending more than one night in the same spot due to the effort involved in making this. If built properly a quinzee hut will be much warmer to sleep in than any tent.

How To Build An Igloo - PageWise The native peoples of the frozen northlands of Canada and Greenland have dozens of words to describe snow and one of the most important is the type of snow suitable for building an igloo. The word igloo is derived from the Inuit word "igdlu," meaning "house." Igloos aren't as prevalent as they once were, having been replaced by woods and metals introduced by Western interlopers. Still, the knowledge of how to construct an igloo for temporary shelter can mean the difference between life and death when bad weather strikes on a hunt away from home or for a shelter of several rooms for those without access to modern building materials.

Quinzhee Hut Building - Baie d'Urf¹ Wolf Cub Pack Quinzhee is the Inuit word for snow shelter. A quinzhee can keep you cozy in the brutal cold, freezing wind and heavy snow. They are be built with loose snow as alternative to an igloo.  They are a fun activity for Cubs, but overnight camping in a quinzhee is not recommended for this level of Scouting and constructing one requires utmost supervision. However building a quinzhee is a great and memorable day-time winter activity for Cubs.

When Storms Rage OR How To Build A Snow Cave - Enviro-Tech International During the winter season it is critical that we are proficient in the use of various survival skills. One of the most vital is knowing how to construct a snow shelter. There are many different types of snow shelters used throughout the world, but one of the most common and easiest to construct is the snow cave. Almost any improvised tool can be used, even hands if nothing else is available. But for a planned and comfortable cave a shovel is best to use. There are four main steps to follow in building a snow cave. These are; Choosing a site, tunneling in, shaping the cave, and adding finishing touches.

Snow Shelters - versatile and easy to make winter shelters - a half-dozen varieties

Options for shelters in the snowy wilderness By KAREN SYKES.  Three strong people can construct a cave in three to four hours with two people shoveling and another getting rid of the snow that is shoveled out. On a steep slope, the person getting rid of the snow throws it down slope. On a flat area, a tarp can be used to haul it away.

BUILDING A QUINZE OR SNOW CAVE A Quinze is an above ground "Igloo-like" structure formed from snow rather than blocks of ice. It can be built for one person or groups of three or four. It may provide an environment up to forty-degrees warmer than the outside environment.

Creating a survival snow shelter (all text) One of the most important things you can learn before venturing into the back country is how to build a shelter. At higher elevations the weather can be sunny one minute, then a snow storm can roll in quickly. Do not be fooled by the summer months either because in high elevations freak snow storms happen even in July.

When Storms Rage (or how to build a snow cave) By Randy Gerke. During the winter season it is critical that we are proficient in the use of various survival skills. One of the most vital is knowing how to construct a snow shelter.

Digging a snow shelter You’re in the mountains above the snowline. You didn’t bring a tent with you because you thought you would be back in the valley before dark - but you are not going to get down in time. The wind is getting up and you are starting to get cold. There is nothing around you apart from snow and maybe a few rocks but you have to find some shelter for the night. What are you going to do? Well one option is to dig yourself a snow hole.

Snow Shelters Chapter 10 Nasa Antarctica Manual This chapter explains how to build different snow shelters in the Antarctic, as well as the relative merits of each type of shelter and the time required to build each type of shelter. The choice of shelter to build will be dictated by the local snow conditions.

How to build an igloo The native peoples of the frozen northlands of Canada and Greenland have dozens of words to describe snow and one of the most important is the type of snow suitable for building an igloo. The word igloo is derived from the Inuit word "igdlu," meaning "house." Igloos aren't as prevalent as they once were, having been replaced by woods and metals introduced by Western interlopers.

Emergency Winter Shelter It is important to consider what a shelter provides: it protects us from the wind, the cold, and the wet. It does not necessarily provide comfort, convenience, aesthetics, or enjoyment. In its most basic form, it offers pure survival. Emergency conditions dictate a reasoned compromise between that survival and the extra time and energy consumed trying to make something spacious and comfortable.

Outdoor Action Guide to Snow Shelters Winter travel can be hazardous. The information provided here is designed for educational use only and is not a substitute for specific training or experience. Princeton University and the author assume no liability for any individual's use of or reliance upon any material contained or referenced herein. When going into cold weather conditions it is your responsibility to have the proper knowledge, experience, and equipment to travel safely. Excellent graphics, little text. Not much needed.

How To Build A Quinzee Here is a description of how to build a snow quinzee or snow mound hut. These, like most other snow shelters, require a fair bit of work to complete, therefore start well before dark. These are usually used when you plan on spending more than one night in the same spot due to the effort involved in making this. If built properly a quinzee hut will be much warmer to sleep in than any tent.

Stone/Sod (Turf)

A Quick and Inexpensive Sod Igloo, My predicament was starkly simple. With winter just a few months away, I had only a couple of hundred dollars, some basic tools, and my own two hands with which to build myself a temporary shelter for the cold season. To compound the problem, I wanted more than a mere refuge ... I hoped to create a dwelling that was not only warm and comfortable, but also structurally graceful and in harmony with the landscape of the northern Vermont forests where I make my home...

Stone Shelter by the Walna Scar Road - Large Photo Just a picture

SHELTERS 1 The book does not document the process of making the shelters, nor is it a critical evaluation of the sculpture. Its intention is to ‘place’ Shelters within a wider vision – to describe how a longing for wilderness could answer to our inner solitude. It also puts the Shelters physically on the map so that they can be found... whatever that means. Neat blurry pictures.

NSHS Educational Leaflet No. 3 - The Sod House On the prairies, away from the streams which provided logs and timber for cabins, the settler turned to materials furnished by his environment to build his home. Like the Indian who had constructed lodges of earth, the pioneer found most of his building materials in the native soil. Bricks made of sod, which some jokingly called "Nebraska marble," made a satisfactory and reasonably comfortable home...

Tarps & Ponchos, 

Tenting & Camping in 1876: The more desirable form of Tent—The Lodge of the Savage — The Sibley Tent — The Bell Tent — The Gable-ended Tent — The Miner's Tent — Half-shelter Tent — Poles and Pegs — How to pitch a Tent and make it secure. Excerpt from: "At Home In The Wilderness" By John Keast Lord, 1876; Chapter 6

Tarp Shelters  Everything you want to know about making a shelter from a tarp, from "Equipped to Survive"

Create a Survival Shelter with Grip Clips, Tarp Fasteners Shelter is the primary concern for any survival situation. This lightweight, easy-to-set-up shelter is ideal.

Bill Qualls - Expedient Shelter in the Desert- An experiment using GI Poncho and space blanket.

The 5 x 8' Poncho as Shelter and Rain Gear by Paul AYCE Nanian: The road to ultralite hiking is simple: carry the lightest gear possible and carry only what’s necessary...

Bivouac Equipment (ArmyStudyGuide.com) The poncho is made of coated nylon and is waterproof. It can be used as a rain garment, ground cloth, or sleeping bag. It can also be used to make a shelter or tent. Two ponchos can be snapped together to make a two-person shelter. If possible, air-dry the poncho before folding it up.

Poncho Lean-To: It takes only a short time and minimal equipment to build this lean-to You need a poncho, 2 to 3 meters of rope or parachute suspension line, three stakes about 30 centimeters long, and two trees or two poles 2 to 3 meters apart. Before selecting the trees you will use or the location of your poles, check the wind direction. Ensure that the back of your lean-to will be into the wind...

Poncho Tent - This tent provides a low silhouette. It also protects you from the elements on two sides. It has, however, less usable space and observation area than a lean-to, decreasing your reaction time to enemy detection. To make this tent, you need a poncho, two 1.5- to 2.5-meter ropes, six sharpened sticks about 30 centimeters long, and two trees 2 to 3 meters apart.

FAQ - Tarp Shelters - an introduction by DBM

Trees/Wood/Grass

MEG's "Live Tree" Wigwam When I got kicked out of the house (as a youngster, this happened frequently) I used to head for a particular patch of woods filled with young poplar. There, I would find a patch of saplings that looked about right and (if I forgot string or rope) start stripping some 2-3 foot lengths of bark...

The Treehouse Guide Not really a "survival Shelter" (unless you are part of the Swiss Family Robinson) but fun anyway.

Strawbale Emergency Shelter Plans Based on work by Matts Myhrman and Judy Knox, and information in the book Build It With Bales.

Plains-Indian Tepee The tepee of the Plains Indians is a fine dwelling, where poles are available and a permanent camp is in order. It is a roomy structure in which a fire may be built, and is comfortable in extremes of heat or cold. This page presents a sort of pattern for constructing your own. 

Wickiups by R. Edward Moore A pictorial page with step-by-step text instructions for constructing your own wickiup.

Debris Huts - a simple and almost universal shelter. 4 styles.

Brush Shelters - shelters made from live branches etc.

Thatch & Grass Shelters - made from long grasses. One of each

Using Trees as shelters - sometimes you can take advantage of a fallen tree as a ready-made shelter framework

Thatched Ohlone Style House by Norm Kidder: A summary from John P. Harrington's notes on the Chumash and Ohlone Indians, and the author's personal experience. This spring and summer of 1999, we built a watertight, thatched house similar to those used by the First People of the California Bay area. We cut poles using stone tools, dug holes with sharp sticks, and learned how to bind the frame together using all natural materials. This was part of an experimental archaeology project.

The Tule House Project On June 11 - 12, 2005, we cut the willow trees and stripped off the bark. The bark strips were used for binding the frame and cross pieces. The holes for the main willow poles were dug. The construction of the willow frame began...

Charcoal burners hut: Charcoal burning finally died out at the beginning of the 20th century, when charcoal production in the traditional way was no longer profitable. That it took place at all in the Forest of Essex is recorded in the place name Collier Row, a mile or so distant from the present Hainault Forest and is in large part responsible for the characteristic woodland appearance today. Vic George, a Countryside Warden at Hainault Forest Country Park, had researched the charcoal burners life and was to fulfill a dream of recreating a Charcoal burners camp including hut, fire, cord of wood and saw-horse, for the Parks Open Day in May 1989. Here is his story of the reconstruction by the Country Park Staff.

Building a Hogan - Navajo Homepage In the land of the Navajo, comparatively few people still live in hogans, however they are still in use today all over the reservation. There are two types of hogans, the male and the female hogan. More permanent than "survival", but still interesting

How To Build A Round House (Celtic) - The World Of Celts The round house design first appears in Britain towards the end of the Neolithic period (New Stone Age) at around 2500BC. The round house was in use alongside other structures, both square and rectangular, and it is possible that it became a symbol of status within a class structure. More permanent than "survival", but still interesting.

Thatched Ohlone Style House - Primitive Ways This spring and summer of 1999, we built a watertight, thatched house similar to those used by the First People of the California Bay area. We cut poles using stone tools, dug holes with sharp sticks, and learned how to bind the frame together using all natural materials. This was part of an experimental archaeology project.

Plains-Indian Tepee & Wickiups

Teepees - the traditional Native Indian shelter

Wigwam - the traditional Ojibway wigwam type of shelter, made from bark on a stick frame

General Manuals/Mixed

Shelter [FM21-76c15] Your environment and the equipment you carry with you will determine the type of shelter you can build. You can build shelters in wooded areas, open country, and barren areas. Wooded areas usually provide the best location, while barren areas have only snow as building material. Wooded areas provide timber for shelter construction, wood for fire, concealment from observation, and protection from the wind. Also available HERE and HERE and HERE

Shelter [FM21-76c5] Shelter Site Selection & Types of Shelters: A shelter can protect you from the sun, insects, wind, rain, snow, hot or cold temperatures, and enemy observation. It can give you a feeling of well-being. It can help you maintain your will to survive. In some areas, your need for shelter may take precedence over your need for food and possibly even your need for water. For example, prolonged exposure to cold can cause excessive fatigue and weakness (exhaustion). An exhausted person may develop a "passive" outlook, thereby losing the will to survive. The most common error in making a shelter is to make it too large. A shelter must be large enough to protect you. It must also be small enough to contain your body heat, especially in cold climates. Also available HERE and HERE and HERE

SHELTERS Consider for a moment what your world would be like if all of the nice comfortable amenities we cherish so much were not available. Could you build a shelter that would protect you in a snowstorm? Or simply from the rain or sun? Shelter should be considered your first priority in the wilderness.

Shelters Shelters are made to protect you from the elements and give you psychological satisfaction. A shelter will greatly increase your chances of survival. InsaneScouter's Website

Types Of Shelters When looking for a shelter site, keep in mind the type of shelter (protection) you need. However, you must also consider--

Shelter Construction Shelter is necessary to give shade, to repel wind, rain and to keep warmth. Sleep and adequate rest are essential and the time and the effort you put into making your shelter comfortable will make them easier to get.

Long Term Shelters. Should you find yourself in a situation from which there is little hope of being rescued or indeed from which you don't care to be "rescued" you're going to have to look at making a more comfortable long term abode. Just as with the expedient shelters you'll have to take into account the conditions that you're likely to face and the materials you have to hand

Shelters, Frequently, when we think of shelter, we think of either our home or emergency protection -- such as a lean-to constructed out of cut branches -- from winter weather. While that is covered here, there is much more to this critical topic than emergency or cold-weather survival. Most of us are much more likely to be snow-bound on a highway than in the forest -- or left without a roof over our heads due to a hurricane or earthquake, than abandoned in the wilderness far from civilization.

SHELTERS - FM 21-76 Chapter 5 A shelter can protect you from the sun, insects, wind, rain, snow, hot or cold temperatures, and enemy observation. It can give you a feeling of well-being. It can help you maintain your will to survive. In some areas, your need for shelter may take precedence over your need for food and possibly even your need for water. For example, prolonged exposure to cold can cause excessive fatigue and weakness (exhaustion). An exhausted person may develop a "passive" outlook, thereby losing the will to survive. The most common error in making a shelter is to make it too large. A shelter must be large enough to protect you. It must also be small enough to contain your body heat, especially in cold climates.

Guidelines for your outdoor survival shelter A good outdoor survival shelter must protect you from the elements and be comfortably enough for resting and sleeping. Being able to rest and sleep are vital for your physical health - and your will to survive.

BASIC OUTDOOR SHELTERS A couple of quickies by Bill.

TYPES OF SHELTERS A whole bunch of ideas (text only) on one long, long page.

Build a Shelter - A small shelter which is insulated from the bottom, protected from wind and snow and contains a fire is extremely important in survival. Before building your shelter be sure that the surrounding area provides the materials needed to build a good fire, a good water source and shelter from the wind. Small segment is located about 2/3 of the way down the page.

Shelter Construction Written by Roger Perron and David R. Reed. Pretty good article, with a couple unique twists. Needs graphics, but still good.

"Shelter," from Capt. Dave's Survival Guide. Lengthy article covering a wide variety of situations and environments, but the information is somewhat generalized and lo-cal. Still a good read with some insightful information.

Ancient/Archeological

Stone Age Habitats Man's earliest ancestors sought protection from the elements and predators in natural shelters such as caves and rock overhangs. Gradually, they learned to improve their caves with inlaid stone floors, walls at the entrances and fireplaces. Ultimately they began creating entirely new habitats in locations that had no natural shelter...

Domestic Architecture at the Comanche Village Anthropological interest in Plains Indian architecture has long focused on the periodic ritual gatherings in which social structure was symbolized in the formal arrangement of the village, the camp circle. Features of domestic architecture have received little attention. William S. Soule's series of photographs of a Comanche village on Medicine Creek, Indian Territory, in the winter of 1872 - 1873, shows a number of lodges, with associated features, and allows a three-dimensional examination of the spatial arrangement and domestic architecture of a Comanche village in the late pre-reservation period.

ARCH-L archives -- February 2002 (#22) I've been giving some thought recently to how Paleoindians on the High Plains (and elsewhere) made the winter. That is, I'm trying to figure out how these people survived exposed to the elements for month after month after month, of what had to be fairly harsh winters...

Domestic Architecture at the Comanche Village on Medicine Creek, Indian Territory, Winter 1873 by Thomas Kavanagh, Curator of Collections, Mathers Museum - Indiana University. A scholarly text, highly informative, with numerous period photos. Very interesting. All the photos take a while to load, but worth the wait.

Please Read The Website Disclaimer!
Copyright 1986-2009, The Survival & Self-Reliance Studies Institute (SSRsi), All Rights Reserved
Site conceptualized, designed, created & maintained by MEG Raven
Snail Mail: SSRsi, PO Box 2572 Dillon, CO. 80435-2572