Surviving Doomsday - SHELTER (Excerpts from 'The Art of Survival')

"SHELTER

You must have shelter each night. Consider your shelter to be the number one priority of life. Have something that will protect your body, not only from rain or snow, but also from the wind. Even if you have nothing else going for you – no fire, food or anything – and you have adequate shelter, you’re probably going to be alive when rescuers come to get you.

Choose your campsite with care. Avoid avalanche or snowslide areas. It should be protected from the wind, if possible, but also near a large clearing suitable for ground to air signalling. An overhanging rock shelf makes an ideal shelter. In timber country where snow is deep, removing the snow from under a spruce tree will provide a quickly available shelter.
Branches at snow level form the roof and branches may be cut and placed around the edges.

A snow cave may be dug in winter where snowdrifts of sufficient depth can be found. A one-man cave should be dug about 3’ wide X 7’ long and just high enough for comfort. Don’t make it any larger than necessary. Snowcaves are difficult to dig without getting wet and therefore are less desirable than other forms of shelter. However, they do offer excellent insulation. Be certain to maintain ventilation in your snow cave by making a hole in the roof. It is also advisable to arch the inside roof so water will run down the sides. The sleeping shelf should be a foot or more above the entrance and covered with boughs or a ground cloth. Water and dirt destroy the insulating properties of clothing. Water conducts heat away from the body 27 times faster than dry, still air.

A lean-to can be made in timbered terrain. Support is required for a ridge pole about three feet from the ground. Two upright poles or crotches in trees will provide the upright support. Limbs or branches are leaned (butt end up if they have foliage) against the ridge pole. Cross members interwoven make the lean-to more secure and help make the shelter water resistant.
Thatch the roof with spruce or fir branches by placing the butt end toward the top. Complete the ends in the same manner. The lean-to may be improved by banking with snow or soil. A fire between the lean-to and reflector made of logs, stones (not from a stream bed, they may explode when heated) or a space rescue “blanket” will warm the shelter.

With shelters, plan for the worst first. Conserve and build up all resources from the beginning before greater emergencies overtake you. In applying this theory to shelters, it is obvious that the probability of early rescue should be completely disregarded. You should build the most secure and comfortable shelter that can be erected – one that will require little maintenance once it is constructed. The importance of doing the job well while you are able to do it cannot be overemphasized."