How to build a Summer/Spring/Fall Tarp Shelter

OK folks, here it is, a tutorial on how to build a standard spring/summer/fall shelter. I did not include winter because the winter versian of this is a little differnt (A.K.A Thermal Shelter).

But this one will do it for the other 3 seasons. I added a few things also to make the stay in the shelter better.

Ok here it goes:

First of all you will need:

- 1 tarp, as your main cover; However, because the types of tarps I use (Green utlitity) are very compact, I brought 2 with me. You only need 1 but if you want you shelter yourself from the winter a little more then this is the way to go.

- An axe

- Rope

Optional Items, that are good to bring:

- 4x bungee cords

- Folding saw

- Knife

1) First of all you need to find a location that has 2 trees near each other. I personally I like to pick very bushy trees with lots of leaves so that you dont get soaked when it rains when you are outside the shelter. They (The 2 Trees) dont have to be too far, but far enough that you can lie down in between them, and about 3 extra feet (at least). Pick your location then clear the shrubs, bushes, trees etc. In betwen the trees.

2) Once cleared, take a good strong rope or wire and tie it to the two trees.

3) Next take your tarp you want to use for your roof. Most tarps are big squares or rectangles, I use a hexagonal tarp. I like these because you can adapt the shape to lots of designes. The most important thing is to have a tarp that has holes on all the corners. I reinforced the holes with wire and tape, since often, when underpressure, the holes break.

4) Next you'll need your axe. Get 4 sticks that are thick enough to hold some pressure. Sharpen one side of each stick with your axe or knife.

5) Once you have your pegs ready, put the tarp on the wire, use the bungee cords as guy wires (You dont have to use bungee cords but they work great as you extend when its windy and reduce the chance of your shelter breaking in high winds. Also they are easy to install. Then take the pegs and hammer them with the back of the axe into the ground. Wrap the bungee cords around and your tarp is now suspended. You dont have to have the tarp as high as mine but I wanted to be able to sit in my shelter so I put it a little higher.

Althernate View

6) Now here is the part I added on to traditonal style tarp shelter. I noticed the big open spaces at the feet and head were most uncomforting, expecially if it was raining or windy. To reduce this I took another tarp (hexagonal again) and added it on the back. I put one corner at the point where the rope ties around the tree, gouged out a little hole in the tree, sharpened a stick and made a make shift nail to hold the tarp in place. The I took the other 2 corners, and had the bungee chord hooks hold them in place (same cords that hold the tarp down). The other 3 holes I placed and the ground and ran a stick through to hold it down.

7) So now it kind of looks like a tent, just without the poles, pegs etc. It is much easier to carry this around then a tent set. The next step is the bedding. You would be amazed to see how much heat you lose when you touch something cold, so it is very important to get off the ground. This is more important in the winter but it still does rain so it only helps to be off the ground. First take 2 logs about the size of your body and lay them down parallel. This will be your bed frame. THe logs in the photo are smaller then they should be but i'm only demonstrating how to build it. If I were to sleep there I would have made it larger.

Next you wil need to cut down some press brances (green wood works best because it can withstand more pressure and can bow). Then you take these brances and lay them across until you have a bed.

Alternate view:

9) Now that the bed is done, we need to make it a little more comfortable. Spruce would be the most comfotable but regular leaves work too. Just cover the hole thing with leaves or spruce. The more you add the better is gets, its pretty back breaking sleeping on wood. Personally I take a term-a-rest and add it on top, that way its better to sleep.

And thats all there is too it, here are a couple views of the shelter from a distance. I dont want to attract attention so green is the way to go, you could barely see the camp from 10 meters away, so you can imagine how hard it would be to find from the air.

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Last edited by TrooperMax on Thu May 31, 2007 1:57 pm; edited 1 time in total

Great tutorial, TrooperMax!

I really enjoy your tutorials.

Caveat for everyone who may decide to do this in the middle/southeastern part of the U.S. I've warned before about the chiggers and ticks, and they usually infest themselves in evergreen branches, grasses/weeds, and especially evergreen needles on the ground. So be careful and cautious what you use for bedding material if you're down here. Wink

Reminds me... I took Sarah's eldest son out fishing last Saturday at a local county park lake, supposedly well-sprayed and tended... we got home and found close to 30 seed-ticks on him! We foolishly had not used bug-dope. I didn't have any seed-ticks on me, but I did find a nasty deer-tick. And for 2 days afterwards I was discovering chigger bites. Laughing

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

wow thats increduble, i guess every place has its pros and cons. Here in Canada the worst thing is the abundace of flys. Huge deer flys, horse flys, mosquitos, the whole shebang. Down there you guys got chiggers and ticks, we got some ticks too but they are rare

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Great Post Troop. You are Survivor Max ! Cool

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
We are Known By The Tracks we Leave Behind
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

	TrooperMax wrote:
	wow thats increduble, i guess every place has its pros and cons. Here in Canada the worst thing is the abundace of flys. Huge deer flys, horse flys, mosquitos, the whole shebang. Down there you guys got chiggers and ticks, we got some ticks too but they are rare

Yep, it seems every climate and place has some annoying bug to deal with.

Dad and I used to go up to Alaska every year to fish for salmon and halibut... and I remember mosquitos the size of birds! And viciously bloodthirsty! Laughing

I imagine Canada is the same in the warm months.

I want to get up to Canada sometime soon. I've only been to Vancouver. Sad

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"Asinus sæculæ maximus."

Wow, awesome tutorial TrooperMax!
Great info. and pics Very Happy

eric

Thanks Eric it was pretty relaxing,

Yeah Dobry I know what you mean, its as if god made a world wide practical joke to unleash some annoying bug in each part of the world.

But oh well you gotta take the good with the bad, yep.

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

now let me first say aswome building troop
and normaly i just pass on photos since i have dial up it took 8 min for this page to load WORTH EVERY ONE OF THEM Smile

Thanks for responding to my request, Troop. Very Happy

Great tutorial. Very Happy

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

Glad you like it, I may put that kind of shelter to the test tommrow if I decide to do an overnight thing (I may do it)

_________________
"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Great trooper!!!! Cool

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It's not climbing the mountain to get to the top; it's climbing the mountain to enjoy the climb.

Well I also use a tarp shelter, and I've made a tutorial for it before so here it goes. Very Happy

Supplies
+Tarp
+About 12' or cord
+trekking pole/stick
+6 tent stakes

Step 1
Lay out your tarp flat on the ground the long way. Stake out the back two corners.

Step 2
Put your trekking pole or stick in the front middle grommet of the tarp. Adjust the height of your trekking pole now. (remember be sure to have it high enough for proper ventilation. Condensation isn't very fun in the morning.) Pull the trekking pole toward you tensioning the tarp. Adjust the pole left or right until you see a isocelese triangle on top. Then stake out your front corners.

Step 3
Now take your cord, and put it around the tip of your pole that's sticking out of the grommet on the top of the tarp. Take your last two stakes and put them in front of your shelter at 45degree angles. They should be 3'-4' out, and a foot or two in from the side. Take the cord and attach the ends to your stakes with taught line knots. Then tension the cord, and you're all done. Very Happy

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nice shelters guys

Cool shelter I like it. Thanks for posting a tutorial nice modification!

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Cool shelter Mystik Spiral. Wasn't the second last pic your avatar once? Very Happy

eric

Nice shelters guys, I am gonna have to try these when the ground thaws and the snow melts!

_________________
~~~Watcher Of The Woods~~~
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can"~John Wesley

	turd wrote:
	Cool shelter Mystik Spiral. Wasn't the second last pic your avatar once? eric

Yup, but it wasn't the best picture so I changed it to this one.... for now. Very Happy

I don't think I'm going to use this shelter for backpacking, because ditching the tarp will free up some weight. Instead I have a GI poncho, and I'll either use it like a bivy or string it up. That is If I don't make a really cool natural shelter. Cool

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Hey Mystik, check this out, this guy makes some cool poncho tents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgoqAtw-55g

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Take only memories, Leave only footprints.

	Colt wrote:
	Hey Mystik, check this out, this guy makes some cool poncho tents. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgoqAtw-55g

Great link colt. Just goes to show how versatile a GI poncho can be. Razz

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I like my tarp...

_________________
~~~Watcher Of The Woods~~~
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can"~John Wesley