How to build shelters in the wild.

A shelter can protect you from the sun, insects, wind, rain, snow, hot or cold temperatures, and undesirable observation from others. It can give you a feeling of well-being and help you maintain your will to survive. If in doubt about the importance of shelter, remember the “Rule of Threes”: You can survive 3 minutes…

A belowground (underground) shelter provides many advantages over an above-ground shelter. A belowground shelter can not only insulate you from the cold, it can reduce the midday heat as much as 16 to 22 degrees C (30 to 40 degrees F). A belowground shelter can also protect against enemy attacks, nuclear radiation, solar radiation, and…

In the dry, arid, desert environment, you must consider the time, effort, and material needed to make a shelter. Any unneeded body movement will consume precious water. You want your desert shelter to be effective but simple to construct.

The beach shade shelter protects you from the sun, wind, rain, and heat. It is easy to make using natural materials found in a beach environment.

If you are in a cold, deep, snow-covered area where evergreen trees grow and you have a digging tool, you can make a tree-pit snow shelter.

For warmth and ease of construction, the debris hut is one of the best. When shelter is essential to survival, and time is of the essence, build this shelter.

Swamp Bed In a marsh or swamp, or any area with standing water or continually wet ground, the swamp bed keeps you out of the water. When selecting such a site, consider the weather, wind, tides, and available materials. To make a swamp bed, you should: Look for four trees clustered in a rectangle or…

Survival Lean-To Shelter The importance of a Lean-To shelter In a survival situation, shelter takes precedence, even over food. A lean-to survival shelter will protect you from the wind, insects, sun, rain, and extreme temperatures (hot or cold). If you are in a wooded area and have enough natural materials available, you can make a…

One-Man Shelter A one-man shelter you can easily make using material, a tree and three poles. One pole should be about 4.5 meters (15 feet) long and the other two about 3 meters (10 feet) long. How to make a One-Man Shelter To make this shelter, you should: Secure the 4.5-meter (15-foot) pole to the…