One of the most important things you need in a survival situation is shelter, so it’s not surprising that one of the common wilderness survival questions is "How to build a shelter in the woods?”

The difficulty of building a survival shelter depends on where you are. In some places, it may be relatively easy, but in others, it may not be so simple depending on the weather conditions and materials available. 

But wherever you are, one constant remains. If you know the best way to build a shelter for the environment you are in, it gives you a huge head start. 

So in this article I will share three relatively easy survival shelters that you can make depending on the environment you are trying to survive in.

One of the easiest shelters you can create in the forest is the classic lean-to. 

There are many variations of this shelter. One of the simplest is to lean a bunch of sticks against something and then fill in the gaps with foliage to protect you from the element.

It will help to have a sharp tool to cut branches, such as an axe or knife.  

Then you need to collect a bunch of fairly straight and long sticks. Exactly how many and how long depends on how big you want the shelter and what you plan to lean it against.

A simple lean-to will usually only last for a night or two unless you do ongoing maintenance on it. 

In warmer areas, a trench shelter can be a good option for survival. 

Dig a trench big enough for you to lay and deep enough so you are ‘underground’. Then you want to cover it with a sheet of some kind. If you have a survival tarp, that is ideal, but if not, you can use foliage.

It will be even better if you can put a second tarp over the first. Ensure there is some space between the two sheets to allow for airflow.

This starts off very similar to a trench shelter.

Dig the trench, lay some rocks in it, and then build a fire on top. 

A good survival tip is to make sure you don’t use any wet or glassy rocks, as they may explode. 

Use the fire to cook, boil water, etc. When you are ready for bed, just fill in the trench and sleep on top. 

The hot rocks will maintain the heat giving you a nice warm ‘bed’ to lay on. 

These three shelters will help you in hot or mild conditions, but in extreme cold weather (such as snow) you will definitely need something more substantial.

Of course, building something better is not quick or easy. 

To learn more survival shelters and wilderness survival in general, check out ‘Evasive Wilderness Survival Techniques’. 

Get it here: https://www.survivalfitnessplan.com/evasive-wilderness-survival-techniques

Safe training!

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