The $5.00 Bugout/Survival Shelter

By Felix

In any bugout or survival situation it is vitally important to protect yourself from the elements. Without some type of shelter, rain, snow, freezing temperatures can easily make a bad situation even worse. And can literally be the difference between living and dying. In cold wet conditions life-threatening hypothermia can set in within minutes.

Having a shelter you can set up quickly when weather conditions change is a key to survival. While there are a number of shelter options none are as inexpensive and simple as a plain tarp. They are cheap, can be set up quickly in a variety of configurations and can provide instant shelter against the elements.

The tarp shown in the picture I picked up on sale for under $5. A 5 x 7 would be the minimum size you would want. A better size would be 8 x10. Setting it up in a lean to configuration allows you to have part of the tarp under you while providing protection above. I strung two bungee cords between two trees. I staked out the corners with additional bungee cords. I used a tent pole as the bottom back support but a long branch would work just as well. You can use cheap tent pegs and cord or rope instead of bungee cords. Or you can just cut a few sticks to hold things in place. One of the advantages of this configuration is you can also tuck a inexpensive survival blanket between the bottom support and top providing you with a reflective surface for a fire or your own body heat. It took me under 5 minutes to set up this shelter. In a pouring rain that advantage may be life saving.

Simple tarps can be useful in a number of survival situations and picking up a few won’t break the bank. While lightweight tents may provide more enclosed shelter the cost and ease of setup of a tarp makes it a must have for every bug out bag and survival kit.

Read More at Homeland Survival