Debris hut shelter

This is the best type of the shelter from among all. It is warm and strong and not so difficult to build. If you are in a cold climate, where shelter is essential for your survival, you should build this type of shelter.

To build this shelter, follow the steps:

• Make a tripod with two short stakes and a long ridgepole, by placing one end of ridgepole on top of a sturdy base or by tying it to a tree at about waist height.
• If you decided on a tripod, it is good to secure the ridgepole with additional poles – it needs to hold firmly as it will support the whole shelter.
• Prop large sticks along both sides of the ridgepole to create a wedge–shaped ribbing effect, just like in the picture on the right. Ensure the ribbing is wide enough to accommodate your body, gear that should be protected from the weather and that it is steep enough to shed moisture.
• Place finer sticks crosswise on the ribbing. These form a latticework that will keep the insulating material like grass, pine needles or leaves from falling through the ribbing into the shelter.
• Add light and, if possible, dry soft debris over the ribbing. You will want the insulating material to be at least 1 metre thick - the thicker the better. Now you can see how strong the ribbing must be to hold this weight of debrits.
• Just as with the lean–to, you should place additional poles on top of the insulating layer to prevent it from being blown away.
• If the climate is cold, you should cover the entrance to the shelter. You can consider building a door, which should be windproof, or simply pile insulating material at entrance – you will drag it inside to cover the entrance.