The two person shelter
Having a way to keep ourselves protected from the weather is important to make sure we keep warm and dry, but having a shelter also gives us somewhere to conduct our personal admin; eating, sleeping, washing and keeping our rifle and equipment dry. When in the field, this is done by constructing an improvised shelter out of a shelter sheet, or basha, and once constructed will provide shelter for two people.
When selecting a site for your shelter, you may not have much choice depending on how the area has been allocated to you by the section commander. Ideally, you want two trees, on level ground, approximately 3 meters apart; but this is often not possible. No two shelters are the same, but there are some basic principles we can learn that will help us adapt to the situation and construct a shelter that will at least keep us dry.
Contents
Equipment
You will need some equipment to construct your shelter. Most of the equipment can be improvised or replaced with something similar, so it all depends what you have been issued or bring with you. But, a good shelter making kit should look like this:
- Shelter sheet, or basha (1 per 2 people)
- Tent pegs (minimum 2 each)
- Bungee elastics (minimum 2 each)
- String, twine or para cord (around 10 meters that can be cut into short lengths if needed)
CAUTION! When using elasticated bungees, you need to be careful not to overstretch them. Check the bungee for damage first, the hook should be strong and not too shallow an angle, and there should be no breaks in the elastic (felt by a bulge or narrowing inside the outer sheath). If there are, then you should not use the bungee. They work best under tension, but when you have a bungee tensioned, do not let go, and do not stretch it so far that there is no elasticity left. Normally a bungee is wrapped around a branch or small tree and hooked onto itself again. At the shelter sheet end, it should be fixed to the cloth loops on each corner, or along the edges.
Construction
Once you have selected your area, you will want to clear the ground of leaves and sticks. Clear these with your foot, keeping them near by so you can cover the site when you leave. You will want to clear an area roughly the same size as your shelter sheet.
Option 1: A-Frame
The A-frame is the most comfortable shelter, giving us maximum protection from the weather. Using the centre line of the shelter sheet as the ridge of the roof, the two sides are brought down to the ground to give us the walls. It is only the ends that are open and used to get into and out of the shelter. You will need:
- 1 shelter sheet
- 4 tent pegs
- 2 bungee elastics or pieces of cord
Option 2: The lean-to
This is the most common form of shelter and is used mostly in a harbour area on exercise. In its simplest form, it can be built using:
- 1 shelter sheet
- 2 tent pegs
- 2 bungee elastics or pieces of cord
Option 3: Modified lean-to
Sometimes a lean-to shelter can lack rigidity in the roof. This can be solved two ways; by adding a support internally to hold up the roof, or by tying a piece of cord to the outside of the roof and lifting it up. A rigid roof will let water drain off and stop the shelter from collapsing.
Option 4: Self-supporting A-frame
There may be times where you don’t have trees to support your basha. You may be able to use a wall or a fence, but it is also possible to build a self-supporting shelter using basha poles or branches. You will need some more equipment to do this:
- 1 shelter sheet
- 6 tent pegs
- 2 (minimum) or 6 (preferred) bungee elastics or cord pieces
Option 5: Hybrid
To get the benefit of both a lean-to and an a-frame, it is possible to use elements from each design. You will need some extra equipment for this design:
- 1 shelter sheet
- 2 tent pegs
- 2 bungee elastics or pieces of cord
- 2 basha poles or branches cut to height
The two methods of construction are either:
- Build an a-frame and raise one side (image below)
- Build a lean-to and raise the middle
Gutter
When you have an improvised shelter in the forest, it is important to make sure that any rain water does not gather inside the shelter. We can scrape a gutter or soak-away along the edges using the heel of our foot.
Improvised Tent Peg
With a small pocket knife, it is possible to make your own improvised tent pegs. Make sure the wood you have is not dead and brittle, and shave one end of the stick into a point. Be careful, and remember to always cut AWAY from you, and not close to other people. Always put the blade away when you have finished with it.
Knowledge Check
I hope you found that lesson useful and you now have the basic information you need for going out into the field and constructing your shelter. To check you have understood some of the main points, you can take our short 5 question knowledge check. The questions are selected at random and it is just for fun, your results won’t be recorded anywhere.
One Comment