Being able to build a long-term survival shelter might seem like a simple task, but without the right skills and knowledge, it can be much more difficult than you might think.
However, it is a great skill to have in an emergency situation, so you can keep yourself safe and protected if you ever needed to.
There could be a variety of situations that may arise, like a natural disaster or you could even get into trouble while camping in the wilderness. It doesn’t matter how severe the situation is, building a long-term survival shelter could save your life.
You might be able to throw together a temporary shelter to make it through a few days, but a long-term shelter is the ideal skill for anyone to have. You never know what situation that you might find yourself in, and being prepared is the best option.
With the necessary knowledge and practice, it shouldn’t take you too long, and it can have a life-saving impact in a survival situation. We are going to provide you with all the information that you need to know on how to build a long-term survival shelter and what you need to do so.
There are different designs and other factors that you need to consider, and we will explain them all for you here.
Considering the Right Type of Shelter
One of the first things that you will need to consider is what type of shelter that you are going to build.
There are a few to choose between when it comes to long-term survival shelters, and these usually depend on things like the location that you are building in and the weather that you are going to be living in.
However, both of these methods that we are about to explain are highly beneficial in their own ways.
Lean-To Shelter
A long term survival shelter that is one of the most popular options is the lean-to shelter. It is really simple and easy to create and doesn't take much time to complete.
The first thing that you will need to do to build this shelter is to locate two sturdy trees that are relatively close to each other. These will be the basis of the foundation that you will be creating for this type of shelter.
Avoid using dead trees or those that are weak, as these will not hold up your shelter over time.
You will then need a thick piece of wood that you will tie to the two trees, which will become the roof of the shelter. You might be able to wedge the wood between the two trees in an ideal circumstance, but you should still reinforce it.
Next, you can find wood or moss to create flooring inside your shelter, as this will help to keep you warmer by elevating you from the ground.
To finish your structure, you will need to find lots of longer sticks and place them against the support beam roof that you have created at a 45 degree angle.
You can then use leaves, moss, and other vegetation to pack your structure with. If you have any rope to hand, you can use it to strengthen your structure.
Teepee Shelter
A teepee shelter is one of the most common long-term survival shelters that has been used throughout history. It is a simple type of shelter that isn’t too difficult to make, and it is great at keeping you safe and protecting you from the weather.
You can build a teepee relatively easily, but for the best and strongest results, you will need to take your time. The more effort that you put into the foundation of your teepee, the better.
This will ensure that it is not going to collapse on you overnight. You can use three long sticks that will be tied together at the top for your base, and then find three small sticks to tie along each side of the pyramid at the top of it. This is a method of reinforcement that will make your teepee much more secure.
Next, you can keep adding more sticks to each side of the teepee structure until you are happy with the foundation. You can then begin to pack the walls with any vegetation and debris that you can find nearby like leaves and moss. This will help to keep the heat inside and the water from the rain outside.
Existing Shelters
It is unlikely that you are going to stumble across the perfect shelter, but you might be able to make use of a specific area to help you when building your long-term survival shelter.
Places like caves or overhanging cliffs are great places to start, and the natural landscape can help to shield you from the elements. If you are doing so, make sure that any overhanging cliffs are stable enough.
A cave is one of the best places to make shelter as it is typically going to be stronger and better than anything that you could create in just a few hours. You could even use it as a temporary shelter while you build something of your own.
The Location of Your Shelter
Don’t forget to consider the area in which you are building your shelter. A good tip is to try and build your shelter somewhere that is relatively close to a source of water.
Not only will you need water in a survival situation, but fast-moving water will also likely be home to fish that you can use as a food source. An area that has tree coverage can also be really useful for helping to protect you against different types of weather.
Save Materials
A material that can help you along the way is tarp, which is why you should consider having this with you on a camping trip, in case of an emergency. You can use tarp to help to reinforce your built structure to help make it more weather-proof and sturdy.
You can also use it on the ground to create a layer between you and the ground to help keep insects away, and keep the ground dryer and warmer.
If you were on a camping trip and you had a tent that didn’t hold up in the weather conditions, you could use the outer layers of the tent instead of tarp.
There are also things like cables that you could recover from your tent that could be really handy in a survival situation. You never know what materials could become of use to you in a survival situation. Hold on to anything that you think might be important for future use.