Shelters

Worst case scenario. The world has gone to pot, the cities are no-go areas. All populated areas are too dangerous to live in. The only option is to live in the wilderness - but where?

How would you build shelter? What materials would you need? Would you be happy with a simple basha/tarp or would you be a bit more imaginative? would you camoflague it in some way? What would you consider to be a good site for such a dwelling?

My experience is really just digging holes and creating various types of overhead cover, be it a 2 foot deep shell-scrape for an OP with a basic basha to keep the rain off, or a 6 foot deep main battle trench with 2 feet of overhead earth cover. These would not be a long-term solution however.

Any responses from experts/enthusiastic amatures welcome!

[edit on 5-5-2007 by PaddyInf]

The problem with wilderness shelter is just that...because it's in the wild. A large house is just plain out of the question.Humping my ass around training areas, I've found a few things out the hard way:

1. In the summer, heaving some scrim on a groundsheet and tying it up gives you a perfectly excellent shelter...until it rains. Put in a shell scrape beneath it, and use the spoiling to make a little wall to keep the rain that your godly tarp deflected from just flowing right back in. Takes practice.

2. don't expect you can live in a tent in the winter for more than four days. The amount of resources you spend will be obscene, the experience will be vastly unpleasant, and unless you have either a really good tent or a really mild winter, all you will want to do is hide in your three sleeping bags with your Cone of Silence on all day when it gets below -30 C. Even with proper training, it's not much fun. Moving is hard, you need lots of toys, and it wears you out.

Have a place set up, people. Something more than a groundsheet and a prayer.

DE

There are quite a few underground houses around the Yorkshire area.

Find one and claim it for yourself, you may have to errr re-decorate the locals, but if as you say the world has gone to the dogs. It's winner takes all baby.

That whole living out in the wilderness thing, no chance I hate it when dirt get between my butt cheeks. At the end of the day it has to be a hot shower and a hard loufah aha ha.

For a short term a lean-to is a pretty good option, you can make one out from just about anything.

For a longer term living in cold area, dig underground. A military accomodation log bunker is a good model to follow, but you can make the roof much lighter as you don't have to make it artillery proof. Living underground allows you to use less energy on heating your accommodation. (Don't even think about living long term in subzero conditions without a fire place. If anyone has good designs for a makeshift stove i'm interested.)

Permanent Lean-to aka Laavu

Temporary one can be made form a paracord streched between trees and fir brances placed as roof/backwall.

example of an underground shelter finnish style, our troops lived 2 years on these while fighting in the eastern carelia.



Tent type used for Finnish army, it's livable in very cold conditions if you have the heater stove. I've spent weeks in these things.
Savotta

[edit on 5-5-2007 by northwolf]

preparing now is the key

i have seen prefab wooden 10x14 storage buildings for less than 400 bucks

with a little investment and a few willing hands one could erect it in your bug out spot
a little investment in insulation etc... and your in business

all you need now is a fallout shelter to run too
again with several friends and 500 bucks its easier

dig 10 long and 5 wide trenchfor 2 bigger for more people
rented bobcats are cheap and easy too
line it with a rubber liner
cover it with logs with cheap plywood on top
cover with plastic and cover with back fill 36 inches of it

just look up ventilation techniques as they are essential or any fallout shelter could become a death trap if not ventilated properly

all this your shelter and fallout shelter could be within 10 yards of each other

[edit on 9-5-2007 by tom_roberts]

[edit on 9-5-2007 by tom_roberts]

[edit on 9-5-2007 by tom_roberts]