How to Build An Emergency Shelter

You could be out in the woods you discover that you are lost. Or perhaps you’re driving along a rural road and your car stalls or gets a flat tyre. Maybe you’re doing some canoeing and it overturns on the lake, forcing you to swim to shore after which you find you’re many miles away from your camp and anyone else.

Regardless of the situation, when you’re stuck outdoors away from civilisation, lodging, or nearby help, you may need to build an emergency shelter. Especially when the weather conditions are cold and wet, or will be soon due to an approaching storm or nightfall, an emergency shelter could literally be a life saver. Here’s how to build a good one that will offer you protection from the elements and hold you over temporarily until you can get to safety or get rescued.

State of mind

Before you get started on a suitable shelter, though, you must be in the right frame of mind. Okay, so you’ve gotten into a sticky situation. The first thing you must resist is the urge to panic or make a hasty decision that makes a bad situation worse. Rather, do this instead:

• Stop and breathe slowly for a couple of minutes. Accept the situation as it is, and calm yourself. Think clearly and rationally.
• Assess your surroundings. What kind of environment are you in? Forest? Mountains? Countryside? What’s the weather and temperature like? How much daylight remains?
• What materials do you have with you? What’s out in the environment that you can use?

Choose a suitable location

Now that you’ve gotten your mental bearings, you can begin planning your shelter. And that first requires picking a location. This is the part where the evaluation you performed earlier comes into play. You’ll want to set up your shelter on dry ground, out of the wind if possible, and near resources such as trees and bushes. If a stream of clean drinking water is nearby, even better.

Assess your materials

The purpose of an emergency shelter isn’t to be all fancy and super comfortable. It’s to get you through the night alive and stave off hypothermia. So don’t worry about having the perfect materials lying around, since all you need is the basics. First, check your own belongings. Do you have a weather parka/poncho? Emergency blanket? Any kind of tarp or plastic bags that can act as covering?

Assess your environment

Now, look at the surrounding environment. Do you have tree branches, boughs, ferns, dead wood, leaves, and bushes around? Is there any “natural” shelter around such as an overhang, rock wall, or cave that can act as part of, or all of the shelter?

Decide what kind of shelter to build

After you’ve evaluated your location, materials, and environment, now it’s time to decide what kind of shelter to build. Keep in mind that it may be cold, dusk may be approaching, or you may be tired, hurt, or ill. So again, nothing fancy, just a quick overnight shelter to protect from the elements. There are dozens of outdoor shelter types you could build ranging from simple to complex, but the one of the quickest to construct is a basic double lean-to or A-frame shelter.

The A-frame shelter, 

For an A-frame, you’ll need to start with a long, thick branch or log about one and a half times your body length. This is the backbone of your shelter. Then, either prop one end against something sturdy like a fallen tree or an upright tree at a low angle and the other end into the ground. Next, place smaller branches along the sides to form “ribs.” The ribs or the walls should be lined up along both sides so that the skeleton of the shelter takes on an “A” shape.

Once the frame of the shelter is erected, you then begin filling in the space with leaves, branches, moss, and ferns. Keep working until you have the entire shelter covered, as you’ll need to keep the wind and rain out, and also trap heat from a fire if you can manage to build one. If you have a tarp, garbage bag, or poncho, you can drape it over the shelter for added insulation. And make the shelter as compact as possible, to help retain body heat. Of course, if there are others with you, then alter the size accordingly.

Try to be comfortable

You’ve got a shelter that should keep the wind, rain, and snow off of you, but it will still be quite cold.  So be sure to insulate your body from the cold ground, which sucks away body heat quickly. Lay down a bed of the same materials you used for the frame right on the ground to lay atop of. Bundle up under an emergency blanket or anything extra on hand, And of course get a fire started if at all possible. Be sure to build the fire close enough to the shelter so that you get some of the radiant heat, but not so close that your shelter catches fire.

When dawn breaks, you might be a bit worse for wear, but you’ll be alive. You feel a sense of accomplishment that you were able to take care of yourself (and others if they’re with you). And you can reassess your situation anew, and determine the best plan to get back to safety.

Hypothermia and How to Avoid It

Hydration, nutrition, proper clothing, layering and good rest management are all key to preventing hypothermia. Learn how to prevent, recognise, and treat this threat.

Cool to cold temperatures, light precipitation, exposure to wind, extended time outside. It sounds just like an autumn or winter hike in the Lake District! Unfortunately, these descriptors also characterise ideal conditions for hypothermia.

Hypothermia is a fairly common condition for mountain travellers. Mild hypothermia is a discomfort, but it’s dangerous in that it can progress rapidly. Left untreated, it can be lead to shock and it can be fatal. It’s important to know how to prevent hypothermia, how to identify if someone is hypothermic, and how to treat that person.

As a huge fan of winter camping, I focus most of my efforts against hypothermia in the prevention stage. Like dehydration, it’s much easier either to not allow it to happen, or to catch it early.

To understand prevention, it’s best to know what causes hypothermia:

• Inadequate protection from exposure

• Lack of proper hydration and nutrition

• Improper planning for the activity or the conditions

When one is out exercising in cool weather, if the exercise rate is high enough and breaks are short, the body will keep itself warm (provided there is enough fuel and water on board). But down time due to unexpected delays, extended time out due to conditions or human factors, and lack of extra food and clothing are common situations that heighten risk of exposure. Hypothermia is often a secondary problem that arises after a separate issue, such as a twisted ankle or busted gear.

Look at the weather forecast and plan accordingly. Regardless of the forecast, if you will be in mountainous terrain, having extra layers, food and water is always a good idea. I carry a very lightweight bivvy bag as well. It only takes up little space, but could be a lifesaver.

If someone in your group ends up with serious hypothermia, it’s a true “stop and fix” situation. Unfortunately, in doing so you are putting more of the group at risk due to extended exposure to the same conditions. Picture a group huddled around a team member in the cold rain, on a windy mountain ridge with fading light. Always remember that for the hiker, prevention is your first line of defence against hypothermia.

Preventative steps

• Hydration and nutrition. Have extra snacks and water, and keep them handy.

• Proper clothing. Remember that “cotton kills.” When you might run into rain or snow, it's best to wear synthetic materials or wool, which, unlike cotton, can keep you warm even when wet.

• Proper layering. Know how and when to make adjustments.

• Good rest management. Pick rest stops that are sheltered, encourage eating and hydration at each stop, but keep break times short.

Despite good planning, sometimes the best intentions don’t pan out. Or, you may come across a hiker from another party who you may suspect is in trouble. What are the signs to look for?

Signs and symptoms of mild hypothermia

• The “Umbles”: stumbles, mumbles, grumbles, fumbles

• Shivering

• Changes in personality, especially quiet

• Body temperature that is lower than normal, but usually above 90 to 92 degrees F

Signs and symptoms of severe hypothermia

• Body temperature below 32.22 degrees C

• No longer shivering, severe lack of coordination

• Incoherence

• Paradoxical undressing

Treatment of mild hypothermia

• Get out of areas of exposure

• Add insulating clothing layers

• Replace wet base layers with dry ones

• Exercise in short bursts to generate heat

• Treat dehydration and ensure that adequate energy is on board

Treatment of severe hypothermia

• A severely hypothermic patient is in a critical situation. Due to the potential for ventricular fibrillation, they must be treated very carefully. The best treatment involves protection from the elements and rewarming on the spot.