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A shelter can be a tricky thing. You know, some people enjoy building forts in the woods and hanging out in them when the weather is nice. This is a very different prospect than surviving a wilderness emergency when all has gone wrong.
In the face of a cold-weather or bad weather wilderness emergency, you are going to need an answer for viable shelter in a hurry. It’s not a time to sit around and cut down poles to make a lean-to or gather wet leaves for a debris shelter.
In this article, we are going to talk about the three things everyone needs to make a quick, effective shelter in an emergency. These items will go up fast and keep you warm and dry. Those are the needs you will have.
Tarp
The tarp, or even a large poncho, is number one. A nice big tarp is best. These things not only keep you dry, they also keep body heat in. You could opt for an all-weather blanked that will reflect your body heat even better than a typical tarp.
No matter what a tarp is one of the most important items to have on hand.
Cordage
Cordage and shelter go hand in hand. Whether you decide on paracord or bank line doesn’t really make a difference but you should be well equipped with cordage. Don’t play around here. Have 5 times more than you need. It’s light and gets all sorts of jobs don’t outside of simply putting up shelter.
Insulation
This next one might surprise you but insulation is the final piece. You don’t want to be in a hammock or on the ground without some form of insulation, in the cold. Even cool nights the cold ground can steal all your body heat through conduction.
Consider some cheap sleep pads or bivvy sacks for your bag to assure you can keep some of that heat for yourself! A good wool blanket can go a long way too.
