Sleeping in a debris hut such as this one does require a bit of adjusting. It may feel slightly claustrophobic with the thought of that heavy ridgepole right above your head. I can reassure you, though, that I’ve never seen one collapse. In fact, even when trying to dismantle these shelters on purpose, removing the entire ridgepole from underneath the structure does not cause the shelter to collapse. This is because the main weight of the debris is deflected off the ridgepole and frame by the pitch of the roof while the upright sticks of the frame lean against each other.

Something else to keep in mind is that the shelter can feel a little cold at first and you may experience drafts or cold spots. Most often, these spots can be fixed the next day, though the shelter will probably never be quite as hot as your bed at home. The absence of the familiar weight of a blanket can make you feel a bit exposed. After a bit of getting used to, though, you will find that the shelter does see you comfortably through the night. I have found myself too hot at times and often wake up later than intended due to my leafy cocoon preventing all but muffled sounds from breaching it and the absence of natural light.

LEAN-TO

The lean-to is probably seen as the outdoorsman’s quintessential shelter. I feel that, though the lean-to has some strong points, its value has perhaps been somewhat overrated. The lean-to is essentially a pitched roof to sit under. Due to its pitch, there is a large amount of “lost” space closest to the ground. It works poorly as a fire reflector and has no insulative properties. If you choose to erect a lean-to, you must have access to a good sleeping bag and mat. Even with a fire, the shelter is cold enough to force you to keep the fire going all night and turn over regularly. Its plus sides are that it’s incredibly quick to erect, provides a good shelter from rain (or sun) and is easily scalable into a bigger or smaller structure, as fits your needs. For ease of building your first, the below steps describe a lean-to suitable for sleeping under only.

Select Your Location

1.Find a level site. It is possible to produce a freestanding lean-to by using 4- to 5-feet-long forked branches, but it’s handiest to simply use two conveniently spaced trees with side branches starting about 4 feet high and with 7 feet of space between them to accommodate the shelter you intend to build. When building this shelter, you must definitely ensure the roof is going to provide shelter from the prevalent wind direction, so select a site that gives you that option or is well sheltered from the wind.

2.Gather the materials. You will need to gather a strong 8-foot-long pole. You also need a large number of sticks long enough to reach the ground and the pole at an angle of about 45 degrees, so gather sturdy sticks about 7 feet long. If they come covered in twigs, all the better for holding the leaves up.

Build the Lean-To

1.Build the structure. Place the pole horizontally between the two trees, preferably resting on sturdy tree branches that are about 4 feet above the ground. If your two trees don’t have two conveniently placed branches available, you could tie the pole to the tree at the right height if you happen to have some cord or are able to make some (see page 15 for instructions), and/or find some forked branches to lean against the tree to provide a resting place for the pole.

2.Create the roof. Once the pole is placed, lean the longer branches against the pole, tightly packed together, to form a roof pitched at about 45 degrees. If your pitch is flatter, rain will seep through and you will have a lot of “dead space” close to the ground, while conversely, if your pitch is too steep, there’s little shelter and the debris will slide off. Once the framework of your roof is complete, you can improve debris retention by weaving in some blackberry stalks, twigs or any other material that will snag the debris and prevent it from falling through or sliding down.

3.Add leaf debris. Heap debris on top of the frame, all the way to the ground. In most climates, you’ll need to put a 1- to 1-1/2-foot layer of debris on the roof to prevent leakages. If the weather is windy, weigh down your leaves by adding a layer of branches over the top.

4.Improve on the design. There are many ways to improve the lean-to using the knowledge gained from the debris hut on page 24 or shelters discussed later in the book. You could extend the lean-to roof to shelter the sides, stuff the dead space between the ground and roof with debris, add woven walls to the sides, as described below using the stacked debris wall technique, or even create some form of a back wall using stones or logs. The main benefit of using this shelter type over any other primitive type is that it’s relatively quick to erect and is successful at its main objective: shedding rain. Assuming that the night is warm and without wind, or that you have a good sleeping bag and/or a fire burning, this shelter should be comfortable enough to sleep in too.

STACKED DEBRIS WALL

The stacked debris wall shouldn’t be seen as a shelter so much as a building component that is incredibly useful and, due to its versatility, can be employed in many different situations. On top of that, it’s also relatively quick to build and, by its very nature, highly insulative. In fact, the stacked debris wall is so successful that we’ve been building versions of it since the earliest of times and are still using the principle to this day in modern building in the form of the insulated cavity wall.

The structure simply consists of two parallel woven walls, filled in with debris.

Select the Site and Gather Resources

1.Select the site. Find a clear space, keeping in mind all the priorities for picking a safe and suitable site (page 12). You may want to plan the site to accommodate a larger campsite, so be sure to have enough space for a potential fire and any activities you may wish to perform.

2.Collect materials. To erect the wall, you will need a number of long, straight and sturdy poles, about a foot longer then the height of the intended wall, and plenty of flexible material for weaving. Young saplings, blackberry stalks, willow or anything else flexible will do in a pinch. If you intend to build a long-term structure, you could consider using live willow poles, as they may sprout and continue growing, adding to the strength and durability of your wall.

Create the Framework

1.Draw the floor plan. Draw two parallel lines on the ground, spaced 1 foot or so apart from each other. These lines may be straight or curved or follow whatever shape you wish as long as they’re always separated by 1 foot. The lines should be as long as you wish your wall to be wide.