Basic shelter is
cover from the elements. The first
simple layer is an umbrella. An umbrella
shelters the head and shoulders from the sun and rain. It is great to have portable shelter with you
for daily use. A rain poncho may not be
as fashionable as an umbrella but the rectangular shape is useful in creating a
pup tent for the night or as a useful cover for gear when sleeping out in the
air.
Of coarse most of us have camping equipment of some kind, maybe even a tent or two. A pop up tent is great when you have the right size and quality for your immediate need. The draw back to counting on a tent in your bug out bag, or bug home, is a tent won't fit under your desk. A tent is extra weight when travelling on foot, sometimes less truly is more (and I mean "more better!")
When traveling, a
tarp, some cord and some upright poles are a shelter from the day and night. This shelter is temporary and can be adjusted
throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky. A tarp can also be quick shelter from wind or
a rainstorm. It can be thrown over the
head and shoulders covering a well packed back pack or all of the gear in the
back of a vehicle, depending on the size of the tarp.
When traveling without heavy or bulky poles
to erect a lean to or tent you can travel with the tree line in sight. A tarp shelter is lighter than a tent with
stakes and poles. When traveling on foot
for short trips away from permanent shelter, a tarp is light, quick and easy to
carry.
In a pinch, a roll
of plastic can substitute for a tarp. We
use a product called, “visqueen”, here in Florida for a number of uses. We use it to cover window screens to keep out
the cold in winter, by removing a screen from a jalousie glass window and covering the screen in the opaque plastic and resetting the screen in the window. Also it can be used to enclose a screen porch or as a roofing material for a
green house. It comes in thicknesses
from 3mil (a garbage bag) to 14 mil (it will hold the water of a fish pond with the right
supports). It
is a cheap common material.
WARNING! Black plastic can absorb so much heat that it can take the air out from under the lean to, suffocating plants, animals and humans.
The next shelter
upgrade from plastic or tarp is the tent.
The average family summer camping tent is made for average use by a
family under nearly best case scenarios.
When summer rolls around, the family doesn't wait for high wind and
rains to test out their new gear. Most people wait for optimum conditions to go camping for fun. This is what these products are meant
for. They will stand up under less than
perfect conditions for the most part, but they are not made for long term heavy
use under most stressful conditions. Buy
the best you can afford rated for the broadest spectrum of temperatures if you are so inclined.
Stakes should be
sturdy. If you use plastic, remember
over time it breaks down and brittle stakes should be replaced. Use them in the garden to keep the hose off
the plants as you move it around the yard. Re bar is sturdy but rusts and with no tetanus shots available in a total
end of the world as we know it scenario, go aluminum or be sure to handle
rusted elements with gloves and caution.
Store ropes with
the tarp, by rolling it up in the tarp with the stakes you take with you. Check ropes before leaving permanent shelter
behind. Store a variety. Climbing ropes are for climbing, they are
best long and uncut. Store a nylon
clothesline rope and some twilled cordage for making temporary shelters.
If you are able, try to include bug netting in your prep for
shelter.
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