A SHELTER FOR YOU
When you are out and about you are going to need some where to shelter, whether it is to protect you from the elements or for somewhere to sleep in at night.
A good shelter can come from a variety of sources, a large polythene bag, a sheet of polythene, a ground sheet, a Gortex bivvy bag, natural materials (trees, bushes etc) or you could even use a tent.
A small two berth tent is ideal for the lone survivor, at a push it can be used for two or three, provided you dont mind being a bit cramped, try to find one that is simple to put up, is light-weight and compact, remember that you are on your own for now, so the smaller and lighter the better.
This compact two berth tent is just 400mm X 140mm and weighs 2.84Kg when packed,
Once opened it will be 3100mm long X 1600mm wide
Once you have unpacked your tent you should check the contents
At the top is the carrying bag, below that is the repair kit, below again from left to right,
Tent Inner, tent pegs in carry pouch, fibre glass pole also in carry pouch and finally the tents flysheet.
Once you have put your tent up check that the inner and outer are not touching, and that the Groundsheet is okay.
At the front is a small area in which to do a little cooking if the weather is bad.
You should NEVER cook inside your tent as you could subject yourself to CARBON-MONOXIDE POISONING, which can KILL!
When you strike camp, make sure that you return all the relevant parts to their bags, there is nothing worse than getting to your next site and finding that you have lost your tent pegs or worse still your ridge pole!
YOUR FIRST BASHA
The next shelter to look at is the Basha, in this case made from
8 tent pegs a couple of old tent poles, 8 thin bungees and a nylon poncho cape.
Keep your basha kit in a 58 pat poncho roll, just a couple of
pounds(£) from most army surplus stores.
Everything for your shelter is kept in the poncho roll
From top to bottom
Ground sheet, just big enough to go under your sleeping bag
8 bungee cords approx 18in (450mm) long
2 two piece tent poles (aluminium or steel)
Nylon poncho cape
The finished product.
Sleeping under this is not for the faint-hearted,
You only get shelter from above with this design, but by putting brush wood, grass, bracken etc around the edges.
This shelter can be adapted for use as a lean-to against a wall or fallen tree. Also one edge can be pegged direct to the ground and the poles on the other edge. With a fire at the open edge and a reflector behind your fire, to direct the heat towards your shelter, you will be kept warm all night in most weathers.
COME BACK NEXT MONTH TO SEE
THE BASHA IN THE TREES!
bravenet.com