There are many types of survival shelters, but they mostly serve one basic purpose, and it isn’t to have an attractive home for the night. There might be some psychological value to certain styles, and there may ocassionally be a need for protection from animals, but the primary purpose of a survival shelter is to keep you from losing body heat.

Hypothermia (loss of body heat) is the single biggest cause of death in a survival situation. A shelter prevents this in the following ways:

1. It blocks the wind.

2. It keeps you dry.

3. It creates a space that can be heated by your body heat itself, or with a fire or other means.

Sometimes people with no skills survive in circumstances where others with survival knowledge have died. Why? Often it is because they have knowledge or intuition of the principles involved in survival. It can be a great help to know how to build a lean-to shelter using natural materials, but it is also possible that a lost hiker with no skills might be more likely to survive by burying himself for the night in a pile of dry leaves. He might simply recognize that it is easier for his body to heat the space under those leaves.

In other words, a little understanding of the principles involved and a willingness to think is more important than specific skills. Of course, best of all would be thinking, understanding and having Continue reading →