Draw the Outline and Collect the Materials

1.Draw a circle. In order to build this shelter, you’ll first need to create a circle with a diameter of about 9 feet. In the center, hammer a peg into the ground. Tie a 4-1/2-foot piece of string to it (half the shelter diameter) with another peg attached at the loose end.

2.Draw the outline. Being careful not to damage the setup, pull the string taut, and draw a circle by dragging the loose peg through the ground. Doing this correctly should give you a perfect circle 9 feet in diameter, which marks where the wall will stand.

3.Collect materials. It’s time to collect a number of young flexible saplings. You need sixteen 9-foot-long saplings, eight 6-foot-long saplings, and a number of spare saplings with a length somewhere between 5 and 9 feet.

Build the Shelter Frame

1.Create the first two hoops. Decide where your entrance is going to be, and create two 1-foot-deep holes about 2 feet apart using a 1/2-inch-thick, 1-foot-long branch as a punch and a rock or log as a hammer. Remove the punch and insert two of the 9-foot saplings. Move to the opposite side of the circle and repeat the procedure. You should now have four 9-foot-long saplings sticking out of the ground. Go into the circle, and bend one of the doorway saplings toward you. At the same time, bend the opposite rear sapling toward you. Weave the two ends together by wrapping them around each other to ensure that the roof assumes a nice, dome-like shape. Once you’re happy with the shape, grab the two other saplings and repeat the procedure. You should now have two “hoops” running parallel from the entrance to the back of the shelter.

2.Create two more hoops. Now create four more holes, two on opposite sides so that your saplings will make two more arches perpendicular to the ones you already have. If you want and if you have string (instructions on how to make your own cord on page 15), you could tie the four junctions where the saplings cross over together for extra sturdiness. You can also use some of the spare, 5- to 9-foot saplings to reinforce the four hoops by weaving them through and around the existing saplings, which will also give you an opportunity to fix the four junctions together.

3.Build the remaining hoops. Move back toward the entrance and, about a 1-1/2 feet to the right of it, insert one of the 6-foot saplings into the ground. Repeat at the back, and bend and weave them together to form yet another parallel hoop. Try to ensure that the arch of this hoop meets the original hoops in height. Again, you can reinforce the structure by weaving the resulting two junctions with the previous hoop together using saplings or some cord. Repeat this process on the left side of the entrance as well as twice more, going from side to side. You should now have four hoops going from front to back, and four traveling from side to side. The frame for your shelter should start to resemble an upturned cereal bowl.

4.Create a horizontal ring. Use the remaining 9-foot saplings to create horizontal circles around the shelter frame, starting 1 foot above the ground with the first circle, weaving and/or tying it all together and then traveling up another foot to repeat. Take care not to encircle your shelter completely with the first two circles, as you’ll need to leave a doorway open. Once the roof starts becoming more horizontal than vertical, decrease the spacing or even spiral your weave to the center of the roof. Later, you will place debris on top, so the smaller the gaps in the frame are now, the easier your next step will be.

5.Prepare the shelter for debris. Gather a large number of easily woven material such as blackberry stems, and randomly weave them through the entire structure. You can also add branches containing large amounts of twigs to the structure. Evergreen branches are a great resource to use here. The objective is to prevent debris from falling through. The better a job you do with this step, the more comfortable your shelter will be. You could also use any leftover saplings to strengthen your doorway.

Finish the Shelter

1.Cover the shelter in debris. Now that you’ve completed the framework, you’re back to gathering debris. Initially, the debris tends to slide off, landing in a heap at the side of the shelter; however, before long, it’ll start to build up properly, allowing you to cover the whole structure with a 1-1/2-foot layer of debris. Alternatively, you could make a low stacked debris wall for the first 2 feet or so to help hold it all together.

2.Close the entrance. Again, it can be tricky to close off the entrance unless you have access to plastics or sacking, but as we’re concerned mainly about shelter from wind and rain in this case, it shouldn’t matter too much if the entryway is left open. To block off wind, you could build a wall in front of the entrance. Finding a way to close the entrance should make the shelter somewhat warmer. Since there’s no fire inside this particular example, the space is large and the insulation is little, you’ll mostly be relying on clothes and a sleeping bag for warmth.

I have always felt that these shelters are relatively quick to build compared to some of the previous ones I discussed. From the outside, the shelter might appear heavy and uncomfortable, yet once inside, there is a surprising amount of space and a certain grace to the structure.

CORACLES

As an aside, the framework you’ve just completed was historically used not only as a form of shelter, but also as a boat. Essentially, the poles would be reinforced further by a few rows of tight weaving close to the ground. The frame would then be pulled out of the ground, flipped over, covered in a large cowhide (or sometimes several with waterproofed seams), and used as-is. These skin boats are referred to as “curraghs” or “coracles,” and were commonly used in Ireland.

SUBTERRANEAN SHELTER

Another great and relatively uncomplicated form of shelter would be the subterranean shelter. These types of shelters work especially well in hot conditions or temperate climates, provided the soil is easily excavated. Another advantage is that the shelter is relatively low-profile and can easily be disguised. This may be useful if you wish to remain unseen when observing animals or require a minimal footprint for safety. The main downside is that it can be hard to build if you don’t have a small shovel and are unable to improvise one. Of course, considering the shelter is underground, you’ll want to be very sure that the soil drains well and that you’re not in an area with a chance of flooding.