Easy Survival Tarp Shelter

There are a thousand ways you can make a shelter out of tarp.  It’s a great piece of knowledge to have, so I’m going to show you an easy system I came up with.  The first thing you need is a tarp.  The bigger the tarp the larger your shelter will be, so keep that in mind when you go shopping.  The one you see here is about 10 x 12 feet and cost about $12.  I ran a ridge pole between two trees then ran the tarp over it the long way.  On each end I used paracord through the grommets tied to stakes or tree limbs that were readily available.  There are a thousand ways you can make a shelter out of tarp.

By Jarhead Survivor, a contributing author of Survival Cache  & SHTFBlog

Knowledge

It’s a great piece of knowledge to have, so I’m going to show you an easy system I came up with.  The first thing you need is a tarp.  The bigger the tarp the larger your shelter will be, so keep that in mind when you go shopping.  The one you see here is about 10 x 12 feet and cost about $12.

I ran a ridge pole between two trees then ran the tarp over it the long way.  On each end I used paracord through the grommets tied to stakes or tree limbs that were readily available.  The back of the shelter is about a foot off the ground, but I’ll probably either drop that in the winter or pile snow up to it.  I wanted the top of the shelter a good distance from the flames so that it wouldn’t melt the tarp or catch it on fire. On one of the top corners I put a carabiner in the middle of the line so I can easily drop one side of the shelter when I leave, otherwise it would eventually tear or collapse under the weight of water or snow trapped on the tarp.

Also Read: Review of the Hennessy Hammock Expedition

In the middle of the tarp I ran a small pine limb with the end flattened to hold the middle of the tarp up.  This helps keep water and snow to run off, which helps to keep the tarp from collapsing.  As I mentioned earlier there are hundreds of ways you can build a tarp shelter and you’re limited only by your imagination.  I have a military poncho that I’ve used to make many a shelter, but the tarps are bigger and you can make a good sized shelter for minimal dollars.

I like the darker colored or camo tarps too, because I hate things that stand out in the forest.  Call it a remnant of my military background, but if I’m out camping in deep forest I like to blend in rather than stand out.  I have included various pictures of what it looks like in the snow, the carbiner system I used, and a fire going under the shelter.  In the video below, I talk about how I set it up and you can get a better idea of what it looks like.

The Video

Once you’ve got your shelter set up it’s time to kick back and enjoy yourself.  Get the coffee pot on, put your steak or hotdogs on to cook, and relax.  You’ve earned it!

All Photos By: Jarhead Survivor

Questions?  Comments?

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-Jarhead Survivor

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