The lavvu design also lends itself well to adaptations in size. You can simply create a smaller lavvu by using smaller poles.

Staying in the lavvu is a simple delight. Its simplicity and the implicit connection to older cultures across the globe make it a special shelter to stay in. I also really like the regularity the poles provide. The structure is one of the most stable I have experienced during inclement weather. I have never seen one blown over, and have seen a lavvu stand proud during a particularly windy storm where a ger ended up with a lean and a few fallen roof poles.

GER/YURT

One of my favorite shelters is the Mongolian yurt, which is strictly speaking called a “ger” or gher, yurt being a Russian word. These shelters have been used for millennia by the nomadic herders on the steppe land straddling Mongolia and parts of Russia and China. They are very mobile, being easy to take down and transport, yet provide an extremely comfortable home, protecting the inhabitants from the frigid, windswept climate of the area. The design I will describe below is somewhat simplified for Western use and less extreme climates. I have also had to take into account the availability of materials from the hardware store. For instance, traditional gers are covered with a thick horsehair felt cover, followed by a waterproof canvas. In this case, I will dispense with the felt cover, because it likely isn’t needed as much in your climes and is in any case very difficult to get.

Looking on the Internet, you will find traditional or modern manufactured gers available for prices ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 and above. Keep in mind that such manufactured gers are usually designed to exacting specifications, are extremely long-lasting and range in intended use, from light camping to serving as comfortable permanent homes. For our purposes, we need a ger that’s light and mobile, can be used for a few days or even over a period lasting weeks or months in the outdoors and keeps you well sheltered. With a bit of digging around, it should be possible to produce a good personal ger for about $500 or thereabouts. The example I built for the purpose of the photographs in this book cost me $260 in canvas, $340 in wood (ash wood, which is more expensive than spruce or pine timber, but stronger) and $100 in random materials. The design below is by no means the only way to build one of these shelters. Again, once you understand the principle, you can build it in many different ways.

Materials

The size of the ger is going to be roughly 15 feet in diameter, which will allow you plenty of living space, even with a family. The ger can be heated with a wood-burning stove or even an open fire provided a large enough smoke hole is made. A large number of steps require the use of power tools or otherwise sharp and potentially dangerous tools. Be sure to wear appropriate and adequate protection such as safety goggles and gloves.

When choosing materials, pick the lightest, yet strongest wood available with a minimum of knots. I used ash for the wall slats and roof poles. Ash is superior but also more expensive. Spruce or pine can be half the price and still provide decent quality. I used spruce to make the doorframe.

You will need:

•108 wood slats 6-1/2 feet long, no more than 1/2 inch thick and about 1 inch wide (for the walls)

•52 wood poles 8 feet long, 1 inch thick and 1 inch wide (for the roof)

•11 yards of timber, 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches wide (for the doorframe)

•100 yards of strong nylon webbing, 1 inch wide (You can also use strong rope instead for wrapping around the walls as tension bands.)

•60 yards of strong nylon cord 1/8 inch in diameter (for fixing the wall slats together)

•40 yards 5-foot, 6-inch water-, fire- and rot-proof cloth (or enough 12-ounce water- and mold-treated canvas to cover a conical roof 5 yards in diameter, 5 feet high and about 17 yards in length

•2 sheets of 6 feet long, 1 inch thick and 3 feet wide treated plywood or alternatively, a metal strip and metal tubing, 7 feet long, 1 inch thick (for the roof ring)

•6 plate tie rings with rings at least 1 inch in diameter

•drill and about 80 3-inch-long screws

•sanding machine, sandpaper

•varnish, paint (optional)

•wood glue

•hand saw

•sewing machine

•2 or more clamps

•surform tool

•sharp knife or wood file

Creating the Walls

Start with the walls, called “khana.” The walls will actually consist of three trellises and a door. The lattice design allows the wall to be collapsed in a scissor-like fashion. This design will give you three lattice walls, each measuring about 18 x 5 feet when set up and just 2 x 7 feet when folded for transport or storage. These walls will then be combined with the door to form a circular wall. On the right is an image of a finished section of wall lattice to show you what you are working toward.

1.Mark and drill holes. To start, drill holes into the slats to allow you to tie them together. Place a mark 2-1/2 inches from one end of the slat. (This will become the top of the wall.) Then, place a mark 101/2 inches below the first mark. Place six more marks on the slat, all spaced out at the same 101/2 inches. This should give you eight equally spaced marks, the lowest mark being roughly 1 inch from the bottom. Drill the eight holes. Use a sharp drill and drill carefully to ensure there’s no splinters blocking the holes later. Repeat this for all 108 slats. If you have a drill press, you can stack quite a few on top of each other to speed things up, using a drilled slat as the template. If you are using a handheld drill, how many slats you can do at one time depends on how well you can drill perfectly vertical.

2.Double the holes in half the slats. Divide the slats in half, and set half of them aside. With the rest, drill a second hole 1-1/2 inches above each existing one.

3.Sand and varnish the slats. Now that you have 108 slats drilled with holes, you can spend the extra effort sanding them, rounding the top and bottom, varnishing or painting them if you wish. If you use a good varnish, stain or paint, you may extend the life of the trellis walls. Having said that, the ger I use for my wilderness courses has untreated spruce slats, and I have not yet spotted any rot or decay. This is probably due to the fact that the slats can always dry out well if wet as they are well-ventilated at all times, and the occasional, unintended plume of wood smoke that fills the shelter will coat the wood.

4.Split the slats in different piles. Remove the weakest six 8-hole slats and six 16-hole slats and set aside. Divide the remaining slats in three equal piles of 16 8-hole slats and 16 16-hole slats per pile. One pile for each section of the wall.

5.Fix slats together. Start making the first section from one of the piles by laying one slat with 16 holes diagonal on the ground, from bottom-left to top-right. Place an 8-hole slat in a crosswise fashion so that the original holes (the bottom holes if it is a 16-hole slat) in both slats are lined up with each other, with the extra hole in the bottom slat just about visible to the top right. This second slat is pointing from top-left to bottom-right. Cut an 11-inch piece of nylon cord and briefly melt the ends to prevent fraying. Poke the piece of nylon cord through the lined-up holes and feed it back through the extra hole in the bottom slat. Tie the two ends of the cord together at the front with a double knot. Your knot should be strong and not come undone. You might even triple-knot it for extra security.