HUNTINGsmart! USA Knowledge Base

The type of survival shelter you build will depend on the type of natural materials you have to work with—so will it be brush or snow?

Brush Shelters

A partially fallen tree will be the quickest and easiest brush shelter foundation to work with—as long as the fallen tree is secure enough. Set up your shelter under the uplifted roots or under the leaning trunk. Use branches from other trees to thatch together the walls and roof.

A lean-to can also be made easily enough using a large branch or log as a ridgepole. Look for forks in nearby trees or if the landscape is barren, place a tree pole upright and drive it into the ground to create a supportive beam for the shelter structure. Lean the branches against the supportive beam with their butt-end down and weave branches together to make walls for the shelter.