7 Instant Survival Shelters: From Homemade Wrap to Trash Bags
With instant tents or tarps, some people get bogged down in useless details. They absorb into edge seams, waterproofing and other details.
But they lack a special ingredient in these shelters. They lack the “instantaneity”. It is like instant coffee. But it is a tent.
After reading this article, you will be able to build your own instant survival shelter from these simple ideas.
SHELTER # 1 – 2 SECOND TENTS
It’s a legit store with fiberglass rods, UV protective coating, but it goes up fast. One of the best is the Quechua 2-second carp. Just drop this tent and it sets up on its own. Yes, it is insane.
Low? It collapses into a ring. That means there is a chance it won’t fit in your little survival kit.
SHELTER # 2 – TYVEK SHELTERS
Just take Tyvek or wrap from home and turn it into a tarp or tent. The house wrap is lightweight, waterproof, and sometimes washable. A nice benefit if you use a home wrap is that you can personalize your Tyvek sheets with Tyvek tape, seam sealer, and grommets.
SHELTER # 3 – INSTANT TUBE TENTS
A tube tent is simple. It’s a tube you can get into. Tube tents have an advantage over a simple double sheet due to the floor. There is no seam to let the water in. But here is the downside to a tube tent. If you use the tube tent frequently, the floor will wear out. If you go to Amazon, you can find tube tents that are packaged in the size of a thick wallet.
SHELTER # 4 – PONCHO / CANVAS TENT
You don’t normally think of a poncho as a shelter. But a simple poncho and two lace-up posts can create something incredibly effective. This is how you do it. With the first post, connect two opposite corners of the poncho. Take the second post with shock wire and connect the opposite ends. Now you just made a roof.
SHELTER # 5 – GARBAGE BAGS
A large, simple garbage bag can serve as an alternative survival shelter. This is how you do it. First, pick up some 4mm thick orange bags. The 45 gallon bags are great. But if you want a haven for mansion-sized trash bags, go to Amazon and get the 95-gallon bags. Cut the bottoms of 2 bags and then glue the bags together end to end to form a tube tent. Crawl inside him at night. It is not pretty, but it is foldable and protects you from the wind and rain.
SHELTER # 6 – SHEETS
The sheets are not as waterproof as a 4mm garbage bag, but they can double as a tarp or cover. Multiple overlapping sheets create air barriers. By creating an air barrier between the sheets, you increase the chances of staying warm. Add some paracord to the mix and you can tie the corners to the branches and make a survival tarp.
SHELTER # 7 – PLASTIC SHEETS
Remember the 4mm garbage bags we just talked about? The 4mm plastic also comes in sheets. You can get them at hardware stores and they come in rolls. Cut what you need to shelter. It is cheap and waterproof. Or if you open the end, you will have a 6 x 8 foot tarp.
YOUR HOMEWORK THIS WEEK
Now you have 7 simple ideas for a shelter, so I want to give you some homework. First, head to the camping section at the back of Walmart. Pick up some Grip-Clips. These are spring loaded plastic clips that you can use to hold parts of your shelter. They are useful on everything from Tyvek to garbage bags to plastic tarps.
Next, grab a roll of 4mm garbage bags and start playing with different mixes of bags and clips. Get duct tape and cut the plastic. Experiment until you have a combination that you are comfortable with. Once you do, you are ready for emergencies. You will have your own instant shelter when emergencies arrive. You will have your own instant refuge.
