As a city folk, I look forward to the day it all comes down, but am scared at the same time.  The times I have gone just plain 'ol camping with friends made huge impressions on me about how clueless I am in the outdoors.  Now I think about weight of carrying water, waterproof shoes, etc., but I am always learning "man, I need to bring this or that next time".

So,

I figured it may be a good thread for the knowledgeable to start transferring knowledge and advice to those of us who may be in the situation where we need to build shelter.  I know how to throw up a tent, but if we were dropped in the middle of the woods, how can we use the natural resources to construct something that we can live in and protect us from the elements, from scratch?

Come Spring, I would recommend this.
Pack the essentials, and enough food and water for a week, find a place deep in the forest, and set up camp, take a roll of visqueen plastic with you, and make yourself at home, there is no better teacher, than total emersion.
You should read a book on the subject first, but you could read a library full, until you actually expose yourself, you'll never have a clue as to just how to do it.

Sooo just do it! :)

The one thing you'll learn is, just how easy it is to exist if you have access to a creek and can snag fish, you could exist like that for years if you have the drive.

Good point Solar on having the drive. Common since helps a lot and I hope he reads the right book. Other wise he will be wiping his arss with poison ivy and eating nightshade. Although if he eats the right mushrooms it will be a week he won't remember anyhow :o :o :o

Quote from: offgridbob on December 21, 2010, 06:03:46 PM
Good point Solar on having the drive. Common since helps a lot and I hope he reads the right book. Other wise he will be wiping his arss with poison ivy and eating nightshade. Although if he eats the right mushrooms it will be a week he won't remember anyhow :o :o :o

And if you can't find the right book you marry the right man....well maybe not in Taxed's case... :-* :-*

Disasters don't wait until spring.  Wake up the significant other at "Oh Dark Hundred" And get out to where you think you would go in a disaster and stay fof at least one full night. ( of course, unbeknownst to the others in your group make sure you have emergency gear and communications, backup, whatever, so an exercise does not cause real injury) Take and use what ever you normally have prepared. ( other than the previous "Hidden backup" equip.) That does two things. One, it tells you what you really need and two, it tells you how the people you are near and dear to will react.  Then after the exercise, you might find the people you are with more interested in training and preparing. At the very least, you know what you are going to have to deal with and can be prepared in advance.

     One guy  took his family out to a movie, and on the way back had a (preplanned) car failure in the middle of nowhere. The family had to spend the night with what they had, which did include the emergency supply kit always kept in the car. The kids had raided the food box, so had nothing to eat for dinner and breakfast. A good learning tool.

Quote from: Solars Toy on December 21, 2010, 06:41:27 PM
And if you can't find the right book you marry the right man....well maybe not in Taxed's case... :-* :-*

;) Oh, hell, go ahead, taxed. Marry the right man!  :P :P :P

Quote from: offgridbob on December 21, 2010, 06:03:46 PM
Good point Solar on having the drive. Common since helps a lot and I hope he reads the right book. Other wise he will be wiping his arss with poison ivy and eating nightshade. Although if he eats the right mushrooms it will be a week he won't remember anyhow :o :o :o

;D ;D ;D
Good point, get the Right book.

Quote from: Eyesabide on December 21, 2010, 06:44:51 PM
Disasters don't wait until spring.  Wake up the significant other at "Oh Dark Hundred" And get out to where you think you would go in a disaster and stay fof at least one full night. ( of course, unbeknownst to the others in your group make sure you have emergency gear and communications, backup, whatever, so an exercise does not cause real injury) Take and use what ever you normally have prepared. ( other than the previous "Hidden backup" equip.) That does two things. One, it tells you what you really need and two, it tells you how the people you are near and dear to will react.  Then after the exercise, you might find the people you are with more interested in training and preparing. At the very least, you know what you are going to have to deal with and can be prepared in advance.

     One guy  took his family out to a movie, and on the way back had a (preplanned) car failure in the middle of nowhere. The family had to spend the night with what they had, which did include the emergency supply kit always kept in the car. The kids had raided the food box, so had nothing to eat for dinner and breakfast. A good learning tool.

Thats a good tip, have a stash somewhere you know you can get to, especially if you or your family can't get home, it gives them a second safe place to meet.

Heres a site.....  it gives ya the basic how to's.
http://http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/outdoorsurvivalshelter.html

then again ya might get lucky n find a old fox  den... fill it with dead leaves n pine needles.... warm n dry for sure....

I couldn't get the site to load Elfie, I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

Quote from: tbone0106 on December 21, 2010, 06:49:18 PM
;) Oh, hell, go ahead, taxed. Marry the right man!  :P :P :P

If it gets cold enough...

Quote from: Elfie on December 30, 2010, 02:23:25 PM
Heres a site.....  it gives ya the basic how to's.
http://http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/outdoorsurvivalshelter.html

then again ya might get lucky n find a old fox  den... fill it with dead leaves n pine needles.... warm n dry for sure....

well snap   it worked when I previewed it to be sure..... ok will knick it and find another one,,,,, I hate when they do that.....
and it wont let me erase it,lolololol.

try-   http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/outdoorsurvivalshelter.html

Quote from: birdie on January 28, 2011, 09:24:45 PM
try-   http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/outdoorsurvivalshelter.html

Welcome to the forum Birdie, hope you post more often. 8)

Quote from: birdie on January 28, 2011, 09:24:45 PM
try-   http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/outdoorsurvivalshelter.html

Nice... I'm going to read up on this site....