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’s plenty of different types of shelter out there you can build depending on your needs, but whatever kind of shelter you decided to make there’s a few things that you should keep in mind before getting started.
1) Look out for cold wells
If you’re in hilly terrain or any kind of valley, avoid making your shelter in the lowest part of the area as this will collect cold air that forms during the night. It will be much warmer half way up the side of a hill than it will be on the valley floor in the morning, and if your in an extremely cold climate this could make a bigger difference than you’d realise.
2) Wind direction
Even if the air is calm when you start building, you should always note which direction the wind is blowing in relation to 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.
3) Water run off
If your 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 your on a slight slope and it rains you may get a small stream flowing right through your shelter or even worse, your bed.
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 nights sleep and one of your walls flying off in the middle of the night.
5) Wild life and water sources
If your 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 your in an area where there’s ant mounds or some kind of natural insect swarm its 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.