YOU CAN SURVIVE-SHELTERS

Let's face it, planning is lots easier if you already anticipated the possibility that you might someday find yourself in a situation and equipped yourself for it. If there are more than just you, its time to pull together and S.T.O.P.

There are a few basic fundamentals to survival. You must maintain your body temperature at or near 98.6 degrees. Too cold (hypothermia) or too hot (hyperthermia) and you will die. Ok, so I am exagerating for effect. Yes, you may eventually die but not right away.

You need to conserve your energy. Don't waste your energy by "doing" before "thinking."

Water is vital for your body and mind to function properly. You need your mind and body working as good as possible.

Finally, remember that your only responsibilities are to stay alive, and if at all possible, make yourself easier to find by actively working at attracting attention to yourself.

Improvise for your survival:

Improvisation is a survivor's most important tool to accomplish. It's not what things you bought at this point that's important, it's what they can become, what they can be used for. Think of everything i.e. personal belongings, survival equipment and the natural environment as your own private equipment store. With a little thought and effort, you can improvise nearly everything you need to survive, though admittedly, having some basic equipment makes it much easier. Myself, I like it easier!

The five rules of survival improvisation are:

1. Determine what you really need. Shelter, Water, Fire and Signaling

2. Inventory your available materials, man made and natural.

3. Consider all alternatives.

4. Select the best one that takes the least amount of time, energy and materials.

5. Do it, making sure it is safe as possible and durable.


Sheltering Ideas:

Shelter is a basic necessity and second only to immediate medical care on your immediate action list. Set up, make or find temporary shelter. Heat and cold can sap the lifeblood from you very quickly. Wind, rain, snow or other inclement weather hastens this process. You can't check in at a hotel, so pick the best convenient location for your immediate action shelter, as dry as possible, away from natural hazards. This is simply a place to retreat from the weather while you get your act together. You may stay there or later move to a better location or construct a more substantial shelter.

Place a single opening shelter like a lean-to with the back to the prevailing winds. A simple tent should be situated at right angles to the wind.

As inviting as it may be, you may want to avoid the completely enclosed interior of the your car or truck in very hot or frigid weather. With minimal ventilation and little insulation it can act as an oven in high heat circumstances, especially if out in the open. In cold weather it may be difficult to insulate yourself from the cold metal and the minimal insulation and relatively large space volume make it difficult to raise the interior temperature without some external heat source. Lack of ventilation will trap moisture which may drip on you if it warms during the day. Opening windows or leaving doors open can provide air circulation which can fix some of these problems, but the closed vehicle isn't automatically the best choice, no matter how inviting it may be. Ofcourse some situations will leave you without a choice but to stay with the vehicle. I have some thoughts on vehicle preparedness in my other articles.

Take advantage of natural shelter. A lean-to can be constructed against a fallen tree using deadwood and layered boughs, a tarp or sections from the vehicle. I carry as part of my basic survival gear a small tarp and 50' of paracord. The small tarp and cord can be used to construct a quick shelter by getting under it immediatley or tieing it out as a shelter. Beneath the bottom branches of a large tree there is often a clear dry area, even in heavy snow. A simple snow trench can be quickly excavated and covered with boughs. The floor of your shelter can be insulated from the snow or ground using seat cushions, carpet, floor mats, small boughs, dead leaves or other materials which will get you off the ground and trap air. Huddle together for warmth. Do not let any personal inhibitions prevent you from taking advantage of the significant warming effect of bodies in contact.

In the desert, shade is vital. Surface temperatures may be as much as 40 degrees hotter in the sun! The surface is where heat is retained and given up. Temperatures can be up to 30 degrees cooler 12 - 18 inches below or above the surface. Temperatures in desert climates can also drop as much as 40 degrees, sometimes more, at night which can take you well below freezing during winter months. Prepare your desert shelter with these extremes in mind. In the desert it is best to work at night or early morning when it is cooler and rest during the hot daytime temperatures.

A large plastic trash bag or two can make a very effective emergency shelter or poncho. To use, hold upside down and go to one of the corners (bottom corner, but now on top), drop down about eight inches along the crease, and using your knife cut a slit or hole only big enough for your face. Pull the bag over your body so that the corner rests on top of your head and your nose and mouth sticks through the hole. Pull another bag up from your feet for more coverage, since most aren't long enough. If you can, stuff the bags and your clothing with dry leaves and such for added insulation, but be careful not to introduce any unwelcome pests into your improvised shelter.

Don't forget about a small tarp and cord. These items are light wieght and can be packed down very small.
Get yourself a medium sized pouch and put these items in it. This will be the start of your personal survivial kit.