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Video Preview - Disc One

PREPARED TO SURVIVE

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SHELTER
The primary purpose of a shelter is to slow down your body’s loss of heat and water. A shelter does this by trapping your heat inside the shelter as well as protecting you from outside elements such as rain and cold. Constructing a shelter will also help maintain your will to live and give you confidence. Depending on your situation, shelter may not be as high of a priority. However, because conditions can change rapidly, constructing at least a temporary shelter is almost always a top priority, second only to first-aid. When you are in a survival situation you should start your search for shelter at least 2 hours before sunset.

When selecting a site for your shelter the most important criteria are:

• It has enough of the right material to construct the shelter you need
• It’s big enough and level enough to allow you to lie down comfortably
• It’s close to a site where you can signal for rescue
• It’s close to sources of food and water

Also examine the site to make sure it’s free from bugs and other pests. Pick a site that also gives you protection from wild animals and falling rocks and trees. Don’t set up camp too close to a high traffic area for animals. Evaluate your site for potential dangers such as flash floods, rising water, and avalanches.

Different seasons and climates demand different requirements for shelter sites. Before you begin to build your shelter ask yourself the following questions:

• How much time and effort will be required?
• Will it protect you from everything it needs to?
• Do you have or can you make the needed tools?
• Are there enough man-made or natural building materials?

Don’t make a shelter from scratch if you can modify a natural shelter such as a cave or overhang to meet your needs.

Shelters can be made from either manmade or natural materials, however you will save time and effort if you bring along materials that can be used to improvise a shelter. A tarp shelter is made of a lightweight and inexpensive material such as a poncho or even thick garbage bags. Metal grommets in your poncho or tarp can be useful when making a shelter from it. The brighter the color of your tarp, the better, since it will be more likely to attract attention from rescuers. A tarp shelter can be constructed using a number of different designs including A-tent, A-frame, or lean-to. You can also make a natural shelter from available materials such as tree trunks, tree boughs, moss, grass, etc. Lean-tos, A-frames and platform beds are designs you can construct from natural materials. In cold areas with deep snow, you can make a tree pit or snow cave shelter using a minimum of tools and materials.

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© 2008 LifeView Outdoors