Shelter building!

[Scotty]

I do like my shelter building, to my mind it's "proper" bushcraft, being one of the core skills you always see covered in books and on courses...

Don't get to do it that often, because of the effort involved and I have no particular fixed shrafting location, but it's nice when you can get out and dedicate a few hours to it. So what shelter types have you had a go at and which would you like to?

The other week on a whim I decide to start building a 2 man leaf shelter in a secluded spot on my local patch, though I didn't get to finish it, now that autumn is in full swing I'll go back soon and if it's still standing finish it off:

http://www.bushcraftliving.com/gallery/images/3/large/1_phppUET3dPM.jpg
(http://www.bushcraftliving.com/gallery/index.php?n=293)

[Bernie Garland]

Looks good Scott:)Built a few like that myself:)

Bernie

[Silverback]

Stick a Guy on the top a few tatties in foil round the base and I'll bring the rockets :lmao::lmao:

[spiritofold]

I think the best thing about building a shelter is when its done. That getting comfy feeling. Fire, food and a beer!

[SimonM]

It's time to confess ... I have never built a natural shelter (other than a snow hole).

My area of woodland is quite large (50 hectares) but is very young (planted in stages 10 - 15 years ago) so will not support that sort of activity, yet.

It is something that i am looking forward to trying though...

Simon

[spiritofold]

Its the best thing ever to do with the kids! Mine love shelter building :) I think they see it as a real adventure going off into the darker parts of the woods and setting up camp. Theres a kind of ritual to the stages of setting it all up, that ends in hot food! :)

I suppose if you've not got the woodland though its a bit difficult!

[Beau Brown]

Shelters are fun, and building them is one of my favorite parts of Bushcraft.

I own a book known as Shelters, Shacks and Shanties which was written by Daniel Carter Beard (for those who don't know of him, he was one of the founders of the Boy Scouts Association, even though I've never been a part of it). The book was written in the early 20th century. While some of his instructions are a little bit odd (for example, un-raised beds!), he definitely knows how to build a good shelter (the book can be purchased from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Shelters-Shacks-Shanties-Build-Them/dp/1599213338/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225663048&sr=8-2)).

There's one shelter of his which I love, but I've never actually tried to build it. This is mostly because it requires cutting down saplings to make the frames, so it's obviously meant for a long-term excursion.

The structure is a dome, and is crafted by sticking saplings into the ground, making an arch and tying two together. You eventually do this until it makes a framework of a rough dome shape, and then you get onto the thatching. This is seen in figures 30 and 31 in the image below (from the book itself):

http://www.rogueturtle.com/articles/images/nashelter1.jpg

How else could one build a shelter like that without having to cut down saplings?

[Kepis]

Its the best thing ever to do with the kids! Mine love shelter building :) I think they see it as a real adventure going off into the darker parts of the woods and setting up camp. Theres a kind of ritual to the stages of setting it all up, that ends in hot food! :)

I suppose if you've not got the woodland though its a bit difficult!


You're not wrong there, the boys love building shelters :biggrin:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll141/kepisbushcraft/Dscn0994.jpg

[Rancid Badger]

Yep, one of the basic fundamentals
they come in numerous shapes and sizes ( on my courses anyway:finga:)
This is one I built as a demonstration piece for our "Forest Festival"
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x125/stalch/CNV00002copyresizedleanto.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x125/stalch/CNV00011copyresizedleanto.jpg
while these, are examples of debris shelters built by our students on various courses:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x125/stalch/P3020026dcopyreszdymca.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x125/stalch/P3020021acopyreszdsheltermark.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x125/stalch
/P3020030bcopyreszdshelter2.jpg

Cheers
R.B.

[Spamel]

I've done a couple of leaf litter type shelter and spent the warmest nights out in one of them. i started construction of a leaf mould over timber frame shelter with an outer thatching when i was based in germany, but alas my time ended there and i never got the time to complete it. It was in a completely unused piece of woodland, it would be interesting to see if it is still standing. I used to spend my weekends there, and there were loads of mushrooms and wild deer in the area.

My daughter constructed a simple shelter using a small tree as the supporting part of her shelter. It has a fork which she laid branches into and placed more and more on as her Dad wisely told her she would need loads or the leaf mould would fall through! She didn't listen to my advice of not using a tree as part of your shelter though, but it is a fairly good little shelter and she learnt a few lessons from it.

[Addo]

Ive help build two large fellas, have a photo on the stairs of the second one, brings back great memories as spent 4 days and 3 nights in it with a fire going the whole time (technically). It almost went out on the second day when I went fishing and others were gathering food and we felt liked cr4p as it was started with bowdrill in the rain, and that was our method of re-starting.:o
My mate had left a horses hoof fungi bracket drying on the rocks to take home after the course, but luckely it fell in and smoldered away nicely so a few hours later it blew back into life with a bit of dry tinder and stick.

A very satisfied second and third night was had, and as said always reminds me of bushcraft or more natural camping whatever you want to call it. Not always practical but bloomin good fun.:)

[Spamel]

This was one I made in Germany, the first proper one and I spent a very warm night in it without a fire.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/Spamel/HPIM2572.jpg

This was it earlier on, we were gonna make a two bay shelter but the plan changed halfway through. i think our version was better, no need for a fire as our body heat kept us incredibly warm.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/Spamel/HPIM2542.jpg

The area had a lot going for it, masses of red deer were in the area and a woodpecker used to fly in through the woods when we were there. We also used to get the odd Wald Adler flying through, Germanys' Wood Eagle, an impressive sight. There were also many choice mushrooms to be had, parasols, puffballs and boletes such as these:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/Spamel/HPIM2553.jpg

Waking up in a nice wood to a view like this was one of lifes simple pleasures:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/Spamel/HPIM2552.jpg

[Addo]

The first pics great, can hardley tell where the shelter and the background meet, love to try out the old thermal A frame (is that right?). Did you use a sleeping bag?

[Spamel]

I was in a Softie 6 as I recall, and it was Autumn time if I remember right. It was tipping it down too, so we used bivvy bags just in case and I got a small patch at the foot end wet, but that was it. I remember spending the night sweating away as I was so hot, dos bag was open and the bivvy bag pushed down to my waist to try and cool off. We didn't even block the doorway, and we were still redders!

[Addo]

Nice one, must admit the first time I 'did it' in a debris shelter I was very warm in bivi and bag, The second time there was no kit other that clothes for sleeping but as long as the fire was on all was well. Makes you apprieciate a simple modern sleeping system, saves some time and effort!