How to Build a Debris Hut Shelter in the Wilderness

The debris hut has been used for survival since our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. This shelter is constructed very much in the same way a forest animal constructs its home or nest, and allows you to stay warm and safe even without a fire or proper clothing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 14-function Pocketknives

1. Choose a good location for your shelter. Your location should be on a fringe area, not too open where it will be exposed to wind and sun, and not too dense where animals make their homes and feed. Your location should also be at least 50 yards from water, as bodies of water dampen the air and increase the chill. Be sure your location is close to debris, but away from danger.

2. Picture your shelter before you begin to build it. You'll need a large rock, tree stump or similar object to build your shelter against.

3. 

   Find a straight and sturdy branch to act as your ridgepole. This branch should be a few feet taller than you. It will serve a purpose similar to that of the top horizontal pole in a tent.

4. 

   Brace your ridgepole firmly against your rock or tree stump and use other branches or rocks to stabilize it. This is the spine of your hut, so make sure it's braced firmly. The braced end of the pole should not be much higher than your crotch. The other end of your ridgepole goes on the ground, held in place by a couple of heavy rocks.

5. 

   Use stout sticks leaned against your ridgepole every few inches as ribs. Line them all the way down, leaving only a small opening on the high end to act as a doorway. Go inside beneath your stout sticks to make sure there is enough room for you inside. It should be comfortable, but not too roomy. Smaller stays warmer.

6. 

   Pile all manner of fine brush and twigs over the ribs of your structure.

7. 

   Gather as much debris as you can from the ground and pile it over the twigs on your structure. Use whatever the surrounding area offers: leaves, pine needles, dried ferns, grasses, mosses or anything you can gather. Dry materials insulate better, but use what you have available.

8. 

   Lean more stout sticks over your debris to hold it in place against the wind.

Tips & Warnings

• Face your door away from the wind.
• More debris equals more warmth, so pile it high.
• Make sure to cover your debris hut entirely, except for the doorway.
• Enter your debris hut feet first, and slide on down inside.
• Use debris on the floor of your hut to create a sleeping pad.
• Mark your debris hut so you can find it from the outside easily. The nature of the debris hut is that it blends in perfectly with the surroundings. If someone is trying to find you they will have a hard time seeing your hut.
• Never build a fire inside your debris hut. Make sure your fire is well away from your hut.

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on 11/22/2005 Instead of the grass and other debris shown, use the largest, broadest green leaves you can find (oak, maple), and lay them flat on the roof. Pile them at least several inches deep, and lay some sticks on top to hold them in place. These will act like shingles to shed water. The more leaves you use, the drier your shelter will be. I've found that somewhere between six inches to a foot will keep the shelter dry as a bone!

on 11/22/2005 Try adding a tarp or ground cloth over the ribbed structure to keep out water.

on 11/22/2005 If you have any type of grasses or leaves or anything that is insulating, fill your hut with it. When you get in, get inside the grasses. This will keep you extra warm.

on 11/22/2005 Outside of the doorway build a big pile of debris and brush and pull it in the doorway when you enter. This will keep out the wild and keep in the heat.