How to Make a Log Raft for Survival

Various styles of log rafts have been used over the ages.

Throughout time, rafts have been used in both basic and extreme survival situations. In days without advanced technology, they were used for river and short-distance travel in order for people to better trade, hunt and survive life. However, while boats and canoes were much more practical, these cannot be easily crafted if you are stuck in nature and need a survival device that will safely take you across a body of water. A raft, however, can be crafted more easily and can even be made if you traveled into the wild without any tools.

Things You'll Need

• Hand ax (optional)

Instructions

1. Gather your materials. You need a total of six logs that are 1 foot in diameter and two that are around 6 inches in diameter. All logs should be as straight as possible. In addition, find thick, dry bark, seaweed or another strong material you can braid and then use in place of rope.

2. Cut the ends of your large logs until they are roughly 10 feet long. Use your own height to estimate their length. It is fine if they are a couple of feet longer. Chop the other two logs to around 6 feet in length. If you have no tools, you may need to spend a good chunk of time finding logs, but they do not need to be perfect.

3. Place your large logs tightly next to each other. Roll and adjust them to find the most secure position.

4. Cut notches in both ends of each log. Do not make these notches closer than 3 inches from the edges of your logs, and make sure all notches line up across the six logs. Each notch should be 3 inches deep and slightly narrower toward the outside, or top, of each log. The width of the notches, then, should be appropriate to securely fit your two smaller logs in them.

5. Place both thin support logs into the notches. If you have no blade to cut logs with, you must replace these support logs with multiple spear-like sticks on each side.

6. Place one or two spear-like sticks diagonally across the raft. First, secure the support logs to the large logs by using as much of your makeshift rope as possible, then secure the diagonal sticks as well.

7. Wrap your seaweed or branch rope under first log of one end, alternating going under and over for each log that follows. This alone would look like an "s" pattern. However, every time you wrap the materials over a log, you must also wrap it across the support log. Thus by weaving across the raft and back, you will have an "x" appearance across each support log.

8. Repeat the procedure for the other end of the raft and then secure your raft further by wrapping your diagonal poles as well as any other angles that make you feel comfortable with the raft's stability.

9. Flip the raft over as it was built upside down and test it in shallow water.

Tips & Warnings

• When traveling through nature or by boat, always bring basic self-defense as well as survival equipment. This equipment should include some type of blade, such as a machete or hand ax.

• Choose light wood. Different types of trees have different weights and abilities to float.

• Choose wood that is already dead and drained of natural waters.

• Never travel alone, when possible. Your chances of survival increase dramatically.

• Throw pieces of wood into the water to make sure they float before building your raft.

References

• Life Guides: How to Build a Raft
• The Ultra Backpacking Site: How to Make a Raft
• "The Twilight's Last Gleaming: On Your Own in America"; Nathan Combs; 2010