Build a Natural Shelter in the Jungle

If you're caught out in a jungle in the wild and don't have a shelter, building one out of natural material around you will help keep the rain out while you're sleeping, keeping you dry and safer. This article presents two types of shelters, one that's easy but on the ground, another that's more effort but gets you off the ground.

Steps

1. When choosing a shelter site in a jungle, always be aware of the following things:
   • Avoid ant trails and game tracks.
   • Avoid sinking soil.
   • Avoid areas likely to fill quickly with water in the event of a flash flood.
   • Choose high ground that is located away from swamps and dry river beds.
2. Cut and lash using whatever resources you have available. Since you'll need to procure raw materials and cut and bind them together, you'll need to use your ingenuity to find materials that take the place of what you'd normally have if you don't already have a pocket knife and rope. Some alternatives include:
   • Sharpened stick, sharp-edged stones for cutting
   • Vines, reeds, bandannas, clothing pieces, strong young tree growth, etc. for tying
   • Leaves, grasses, clumps of mossy material, etc. for bedding, cover, and warmth.

Shelter type 1

This is a very basic shelter that an individual or people low on energy can easily put together. While that is its benefit, the downside is that in a jungle environment, this type of quick shelter can leave you exposed to ground dangers such as water, animals, fungus, and cold, so choose your location with great care and use this jungle shelter only when you're not likely to encounter wetness, cold, and animal problems.

1. Pick a suitable location. Follow similar guidelines when building a shelter as when choosing a suitable site for camping. Look for a location between two small trees, which are spaced around 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart for a single person; make it wider the more people there are.
2. Build a basic frame with branches as shown in this image. Make the length of the shelter such as to cover you from head to toe; a length of approximately 2 meters (6.5 feet) would be a good length. Lash the Hang Small Branches on Your Wall firmly together, as they'll end up supporting the weight of the entire shelter.
3. Join the branches to be tied horizontally to the basic frame. Natural forks in the branches and branch stumps should be used to support the horizontal branches, as shown in the picture.
4. Do the same now but secure the branches vertically. Make sure the branches are well tied down or firmly Cut Lime Wedges for Cocktails so that they won't move. You now have a complete frame.
5. Place green leaves over the structure. They should be still connected to their original thin branches or stems. Plants with broad leaves should be chosen as these offer greater shelter protection.
   • Stack the Preserve Leaves With Silica on stems upwards until they block out the sun. This will likely be about three to four layers.
   • Tier the leaves by starting from the bottom end. This will create a series of steps with a Make a Gradient in Paint.Net Without a Filter to allow water to flow downwards and not stagnate.
   • You may need to tie down the leaves to keep them in place.

Shelter type 2

This type of shelter is a jungle survival platform. It is better able to protect you from such dangers as water or perhaps even a flash flood, insects, curious wild animals, fungal or Perform a Parasite Cleanse infections, and cold. It is essential where you're in a high water table area with low-pressure resistance, humid soil, undergrowth, and tree roots because it keeps you away from the ground and distributes your weight load over a wider area. On the downside, it requires a lot more effort to create. A swamp bed could also be made instead.

1. Choose a suitable spot and clear the vegetation away from it. This area only needs to be as long and as wide as your own body (plus any other individuals needing to use the shelter.
2. Find four evenly sized logs, bamboo poles or branches that are shoulder height and about 15cm (6 inches) in width. Remove branches, Build a Twig Chair, and leaves from these "poles".
   • Dig four holes for the posts using a sharpened stick. The holes should be places at the length and width of the shelter's dimensions.
   • Pound in the poles until they sit about waist-high to you; this means pushing the poles into the ground about 30cm/1 foot.
3. At knee level on the pole, carve a notch for each pole. Use a pocket knife or a sharp stick for this purpose. Face each notch outwards and make it about 2.5cm (2").
4. Find the frame materials. For this, collect six straight sapling trunks or branches of about 10cm (4") in diameter. They need to be both straight and sturdy as they're going to support your weight.
   • Lengths: 2 Make a Walking Stick Using a Sapling need to be 60cm (2 feet) longer than the shelter's width and the other 4 saplings need to be 60cm (2 feet) longer than the length of the shelter.
5. Make the frame of the shelter. Using one of the two shorter saplings, place it into the notches at the head of the shelter. Do the same for the foot of the shelter. These form the crossbars of the frame. Secure these using rope, reeds, vines, grasses, Fold Bandannas, etc. Leave a protruding overlap on each side of the bars of about 30cm (1 foot) for laying the side frame onto.
6. Create the side frame. Using the longer saplings, place one each side of the shelter, laying over the already lashed-on crossbars.
7. Make the floor or sleeping base of the shelter. Gather about one dozen straight branches 5cm (2") in diameter and about 60cm (2 feet) longer than the width of the shelter. Arrange them all the way along the side bars of the frame to form a bed base and lash together.
8. Find the roof materials. Look for five straight branches or saplings of 5cm (2") in diameter.
   • One branch needs to be 60cm (2 feet) longer than the length of the shelter (it forms the apex).
   • The other four branches need to be 60cm (2 feet) longer than the width of the shelter (these make the gables).
9. Put the roof together. As with the base, carve an outward notch about 2.5cm to 5cm (1-2 inches) from the top of the poles. Lay the unused long, thick saplings gathered for the base to form the crossbars. Lash into place.
   • Add the gable branches. Lash them together at a right angle, then lash the ends of this arrangement to the head posts.
   • Do this same thing at the foot end of the shelter. Note that if you don't want gables, it might be okay to simply lay the branches and leaves across the the crossbars to create a flat roof. The only problem with this is that if a lot of water pools on the roof, it has nowhere to flow and could collapse on you, wetting you thoroughly.
   • Lash the apex sapling into the V shape at the top of each gable so that the roof gains a lengthwise crossbar.
10. Cover the roof. Use branches of about 2.5cm (1") thickness to place horizontally from one end of the shelter to the other. Lash them into place firmly.
    • Drape broad leaves over the branches in the fashion of roof shingles.
      
      

Video

Template:Video:Build a Natural Shelter in the Jungle

Tips

• You could also frame up the sides of the shelter and place leaves over it, to further improve on its protection from the rain.
• Construct a bedding as well, so that you don't lie directly on the jungle floor. This is important for both warmth and safety. Again, use branches and leaves or even grassy material.
• Test the shelter to ensure it is rain-proof. Pour water (in a slow, controlled manner) over the shelter and observe whether the water seeps through or flows down the shelter. If it does, you need to add more layers.

Warnings

• Look out for insects in the leaves and branches you use for your shelter. Ants can be a huge problem, as can spiders, snakes, or any other small creatures that might be living within the branches and leaves.
• Such shelters are extremely temporary. You may need to rebuild it every night you require shelter if the weather is rough, and especially if you keep moving. Keep that in mind when you make a more complex version.
• Unless you're in the jungle by accident, you should never enter unprepared. At a minimum, have a machete, a poncho, a hammock, a mosquito net, and adequate fuel and food supplies. Read up and talk to locals before jungle exploring.

Things You'll Need

• Cordage - this could be rope or twine you have with you. Alternatively, the jungle provides vines and aerial roots (The picture shows vines on the left, aerial roots on the right). If you use these, make sure they are still green as dry vines and roots break easily.
• Branches - branches will provide the structure or skeleton for your shelter. You will need branches of various sizes for different parts of your shelter
• Leaves - leaves will provide the sheltering element for your shelter, or the part that will actually keep rain out. Green vegetation works best. Choose leaves with broad leaves; for example, sub-species of palm trees are an excellent choice.
• A knife or some cutting tool is extremely useful to bring the materials to size.

Related Articles

• Build a Lean to Using Two Trees
• Build a Survival Shelter in a Wooded Area
• Build an A Frame Shelter
• Build a Sturdy and Warm Shelter
• Build a Fast Shelter in the Wilderness

Sources and Citations

• Second method adapted from David Borgenicht and Trey Popp, The Worst-Case Scenario Great Outdoors, pp. 132-133, (2007), ISBN 0-8118-5827-8.

See also

• Make a Shelter in the Wilderness
• Build a Survival Shelter in a Wooded Area
• Make a Teepee
• Build a Fast Shelter in the Wilderness
• Build a Lean to Using Two Trees
• Build a Swamp Bed

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