survival shelter: chk rpt***

BASIC SHELTER REQUIREMENTS:

They are relatively easy to build if one has just a little knowledge 
of their constructrion. All of them are made from usually abundant 
materials at hand. Dead branches and saplings are employed to make the frames,
shorter sticks and branches form the roof latticework and wet leaves, snow, 
ferns, or just plain dirt can be used to seal out the elements. 

As with all other  aspects of survival,***imagination and ingenuity 
are the keys to success.**** ( 2 rpt in psy.)

COLD WEATHER IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE MOST COMMON LIFE THREATENING CONDITION
ANYONE IN A SSS SITUATION WILL FACE. 

WIND & FREEZING TEMPERATURES HAVE CAUSE THE DEATHS 
OF MORE WOODSMEN THAN ALL OTHER FACTORS COMBINED:

PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE AVERAGE OUTDOOR REACREATIONIST IS UNPREPARED TO
WEATHER A WINTER STORM.****

NEALY ALL COLD WEATHER FATALITIES OCCUR AMONG SPORT HUNTERS: 

A group  form whom taking to wilderness without proper clothing, 
preparation, or training is almost traditional...

In a study conducted by the NRA in 1978 it was determined that the person 
least like to survive in extended stay in the wildernes was the armed 
sport hunter.

Wet, rainy weather can be every bit as dangerous as freezing weather, 
even though temperatures may be wel abpve freezing. *** psy & cold

A cold downpour on a sixty degree day will literally wash away its 
victim's body heat, leaving him wet, cold and ill prepared for the
sudden drop in temperature that's SURE to come after the sun sets.

Most experienced woodsmen agree that the BEST CLOTHING FOR RETAINING
BODY HEAT IN WET WEATHER IS MADE FROM WOOL *** 2 RPT IN PSY & COLD.

Goretex welp to keep you dry. Thinsulate will keep you warm when you
are dry, but ONLY WOOL will keep you warm when you are soaking wet.**

Snow in and of itself is probably the LEAST THREATENING weather
condition. In fact a 20 degree day with snow on the ground will seem
noticeably warmer than the same day without snow. The same insulating
qualities that make a snow filled forest so quiet will also make it
feel warmer.

Snow can actually be used to protect oneself against the dangers of
cold weather, because it is abundant, easy to work with and entirely
effective for manufacturing windproof walls and roofs.

The MOST SERIOUS DANGER from the snow it its BRIGHTNESS, which causes
a debilitating -if temporary- affliction known as "snow blindness"
escpecially in bright sunlight. 

Snow blindness should ALWAYS BE GUARDED AGAINST BY WEARING SUNGLASSES
or a brimmed hat to shade the eyes. If neither is available, fashion 
emergency goggles by tying around your head a broad stip of Birch bark 
with narrow slits cut into it. ** see pix ?

On the other side, the sun can be as dangerous as any other weather
condition. Prolongued exposurre to a hot sun can cause dehydration,
heat exhaustion and finally heat stroke. Just as hot is the opposite
of cold, so are the requirements of a hot weather shelter the opposite
of the cold weather shelter. Where the cold weather shelter needs dead
air to retain the user's body heat, the hot weather shelter needs to
breather and have as much air circulation as possible. 

HOT SHELTERS:

An effective hot weather shelter can be made simply by erecting a
sloped lightproof roof over a frame, leaving the sides, front and back
open to allow any air currents to pass unobstructed. The space blanket
works very well here. 

The roof should face south to keep out as much sun as possible, 
and travelling throuhg open country MUST be restricted to the hours 
betwen dusk and dawn. 

The shade provided by the roof will be aproximately 10 degrees cooler 
than the outside temperature and should be comfortable enough to 
allow the survivalist to sleep throughout the heat of the day. 

Perspiration wastes water.

COLD SHELTERS:

A thick, insulating bed is ABSOLUTELY VITAL IN COLD WEATHER and is
even a good idea on a summer night. The earth is the world's best heat
sink and it will absorb a human's body heaet faster than it can be
generated, resulting in hypotermia that can range from mild to life
threatening.

WINTER BEDS:

They need not to be fancy or difficult to make. My own favorite winter
bed is made from lenghts of dead poplar or cottonwood logs. When these
short-lived softwoods die the tops break off in the wind, leaving
sections of the trunk sticking above the winter hard-pack. These dead
trunks are easy to break off and several of them laid side by side on
the snow with a thick covering of pine boughs will provide as much
insulation from the ground as possible. 

WINTER FIRE OFF THE GROUND:

Building a fire on a similar platform next to the bed will allow you
to keep warm while sleeping outside in clear weather. If one is
traveling and can avoid building a shelter at the end of the day's
trek, why waste the effort?

FIRE HARNESSING & REFLECTORS:

Fire is one of the survivalist's best friends. It allow him to cook
his food, light the darkness and most important to keep warm. But
there is more to keeping warm than just lighting a fire. you need to
harness as much heat from the flames as possible. Sitting in front of
blazing fire in subzero weather will keep only the front of teh body
warm.

To BE AS EFFECTIVE a heater as possible the warmth of the flames needs
to be focused throuhg the use of a reflector, either a natural feature
or one erected by the survivalist himself. A rock cliff or dirt bank
makes an excellent reflector as does a space blanket suspended
vertically on two poles.

Place your body between the reflector and the fire. Direct heat from
the flames willwarm the portion of you body facing the fire while
reflected heat from behind will warm the pther side.

(The principle is the same as that used in convection oven). For maximum heat
reflection, place reflectors on 3 or 4 sides of the fire. Additional
reflectors can be made from a dense latticework of branches stood on
end to form a wall and stationed a minimum of 4 feet from the flames.

A fire used to heat a shelter should be positioned directly in front
of the shelter entrance, about 4 feet away, and surronded on 3 sides
by reflectors. The reflectors will impede the circulation of cold
outside air and focus the heat from the fire directly on the door of
the shelter. With this configuration, the stranded woodsman on a thick
insulation bed inside the shelter will be comfortable even in a subzero 
blizzard.


