5 Things to keep in mind when choosing a shelter location

Building a survival shelter is one of the first things you should think about doing if you are stranded in a survival situation, as they can quickly make the difference between life and death under the right circumstances. There are many different types of shelter you can build depending on your needs, but whatever kind of shelter you decide to make, there are a few things you should keep in mind before getting started.

Knowing where to build a shelter is as important as the construction of it, and can make the difference between freezing to death and a good night’s sleep.

1) Look out for cold wells

If you’re in hilly terrain or any kind of valley, avoid making your shelter in the lowest laying area of land as this will collect cold air that forms during the night. It will be much warmer halfway up the side of a hill than it will be on the valley floor in the morning, and if you’re in an extremely cold climate this could make a bigger difference than you’d realize. It would depend on the surrounding terrain and trees as to where you choose to build it, and weighing up the benefits of a sheltered valley floor against how cold it could get is a personal call.

2) Wind direction

Even if the air is calm when you start building, you should always note which direction the wind is blowing concerning which direction your shelter is facing. The opening or door of your shelter should always face away from the wind, and this is even more important in making a sloped wall shelter. Also, be careful when building a fire and consider what might happen if the wind starts to blow in another direction, something that’s important with the classic lean-to shelter.

(These lean-to shelters rely on having a long fire that can warm your entire body during the night, but can be very dangerous if the wind changes direction while you’re asleep)

3) Water runoff

If you are making a shelter on the ground, such as one under a fallen tree branch, you may have waterproofed the walls as best you could, but if you’re on a slight slope and it rains you may get a small stream flowing right through your shelter or even worse, your bed. If being on a slope or somewhere that might get wet is unavoidable, then take a shovel or strong stick and scrap a small trench in the ground running around your shelter so if it does rain it’ll go round instead of through.

4) High Places

This includes the peaks of hills or mountains along with any kind of exposed elevated position. These areas get the worst of the wind and rain in the event of a storm and could make the difference between a good night’s sleep and one of your walls flying off in the middle of the night. You should always properly secure a shelter to protect against high winds, even if it seems calm at the time of building.

5) Wildlife and water sources

If you’re sleeping on the ground near some kind of water source there are a few risks you should be aware of. In some cases hungry rats have been known to attack sleeping people and stagnant lakes and ponds can home nasty critters like mosquitoes. It goes without saying that if you’re in an area where there are ant mounds or some kind of natural insect swarm it’s a good idea to keep walking for a bit. Also, it can be risky to sleep near the entrance of badger burrows and obvious fox hunting grounds such as woodland clearings. This is something to be aware of only in certain situations and areas though, as wild animals very rarely attack people and mosquito swarms are seasonal and mostly affect the warmer regions.