Shelter is a catch all term used in the bushcraft and survival world that covers a huge range of shapes, sizes, styles, and materials.
As seasoned students of bushcraft we all have our preferred choices for shelter options depending on multiple factors but in this blog, I want to delve into the innate fascination we have with making shelter from an early age and where that urge comes from.
In the survival rules of 3, shelter is there as “three hours without shelter” as I am sure many of you will know for loads of reasons that I am not planning to go into in this blog. What I want you to think about are the less obvious considerations in relation to shelter. Our skin is surely the first form of shelter as it offers our bodies vital organs protection. This is something we often take for granted, but all forms of shelter in a survival situation are aspiring to maintain our bodies core temperature at 37 degrees centigrade.
After our skin it is then the clothing that we choose to cover our skin with that can help or hinder our body to regulate temperature. It is important to use layers of clothing to regulate temperature and ideally breathable materials such as wool should be considered before waterproof outer layers.
Sleeping and sheltering from weather conditions is often addressed with the use of a tarp that can be set up in many different configurations to suit the conditions.
Many of our bushcraft courses here at Woodland Ways teach students to build shelters from natural materials, which is a fantastic way to understand the expenditure of calories required. If you have never built a structure before and slept out, I highly recommend the experience.
I teach the philosophy of working "smarter and not harder". When possible, it is good to construct where materials are abundant and other natural resources are available. A good example of this would be to avoid any construction by observing where the shelter in the natural environment exists or where animals are sheltering. In woodlands there maybe evergreen cover in the form of Holly (Ilex aquifolium) or Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). If it is safe to do so then why not use the shelter these plants offer to provide quick cover. You could be lucky enough to discover a cave to shelter in but check it is not being used by other animals first. Fallen trees offer shelter opportunity too next to the trunk or at the root ball end if safe to do so. Again, there is minimal calorie expenditure and in a true survival situation this could be very beneficial.
Where does our fascination with shelter come from?
Shelter is a primary human need that we instinctively crave for our well being and sense of security. We feel safe if we are sheltered from the elements and potential harm. But why are we so obsessed with protection? I think we have been conditioned generationally to believe that nature as "red in tooth and claw" as described by Alfred Lord Tennyson in the 1850’s. In combination with Descartes mechanistic outlook of the world and self-centered view generated by his famous phrase "I think therefore I am". A fear of nature and a need to dominate it has been the paradigm. This has led to a lack of connection and sense of belonging to the natural world. However, this is clearly changing in our modern times with the many ways to reconnect, of which bushcraft and survival is one very important touch point. We now know that we are nature too and we no longer need to dominate our surroundings. Bushcraft has many lessons to teach the open-minded student to make contact, reconnect and challenge outdated paradigms.
When I look at my own experiences with my family it is clear to me that den building which is the first form of shelter building is an innate childhood response. My children have all been prolific den builders in their bedrooms with bed covers and duvets, in the living room with blankets and in the garden with wooden boards. They are learning through play and expressing their creativity whilst making safe spaces to play. It feels like they are practicing for later in life. Or are they reaching a hand back to touch our ancestral past when learned behaviour became part of everyday life?
