How to Build a Nature Refuge in the Jungle

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

If you're stuck in a wild jungle and don't have a shelter, building one with natural material you find nearby allows you to shelter from the rain while you sleep, leaving you dry and safe. This article describes two different types of shelters, one simpler but on the ground, while the other requires more effort but allows you to stay off the ground.

Steps

Step 1. When choosing a place to shelter in the jungle, always keep the following aspects in mind:

• Avoid ant trails and areas where there are game footprints;

  

• Avoid soft ground;

  

• Stay away from areas that quickly fill with water, in case there is a sudden flood;

  

• Choose higher ground and away from swamps or dry river beds.

  

Step 2. Use whatever resources you have available to cut and tie

Since you have to get some raw material that you will probably have to cut and fit, you have to use your ingenuity to find tools that can replace the ones you would normally use if you didn't have a Swiss army knife and rope. Among the best alternatives consider:

• Pointed sticks and sharp-edged stones for cutting;

  

• Ropes, reeds, pieces of cloth, strips of clothing and young sturdy branches for tying;

  

• Leaves, grass, clods of musky material, etc., to make a bed, to cover and warm you.

  

Method 1 of 2: First Type of Refuge

It is a very basic shelter that one or more people, even if not very energetic, can easily build. Although it offers advantages, it is still made in a wild environment and such basic shelter can expose you to the dangers found at ground level, such as water, animals, fungi and cold; therefore choose very carefully where to build it and use it only if there is little chance of encountering humidity, cold and animals.

Step 1. Choose a suitable place

Follow guidelines similar to those described in this article when you want to build a shelter and when you need to choose the right location. Find a space between two small trees that are about 1.5m apart (for one person); the greater the number of people, the greater this distance must be.

Step 2. Build an elementary frame with branches as shown in the image

Create a refuge that is as long as your body from head to toe; a length of about 2 m should be sufficient. Tie a few branches together in a firm and stable way so that the end can support the weight of the whole shelter.

Step 3. Join the branches to be tied horizontally to the base frame

You can use the natural bifurcations of the branches and stubs to support the horizontal branches, as shown in the figure.

Step 4. Proceed in the same way now, but secure the branches vertically

Check that they are well tied or wedged securely to prevent them from moving; you have now completed the frame of the shelter.

Step 5. Arrange some green leaves on top of the frame

They should still be attached to the original branches or stems; preferably choose plants with broad leaves, as they offer more protection.

• Stack the leaves on the stems facing upwards until they block the sunlight; it will probably take three or four layers.
• Position them starting from the lower end; in this way, you create a series of sloping levels that allow the water to flow down and not stagnate.
• You may need to tie the leaves to hold them in place.

Method 2 of 2: Second Type of Shelter

This type of shelter consists of a real survival platform; it is better able to protect against hazards such as water or even possible sudden floods, insects, curious wild animals, fungal or parasitic infections and cold. It is an essential structure in places where the water table is high with limited resistance to pressure, where the soil is damp or in the presence of undergrowth and tree roots, because it keeps you off the ground and distributes the weight over a larger surface. The negative aspect of this shelter is the greater effort required for its construction; alternatively, you can make a cot or a raised platform for sleeping.

Step 1. Choose a suitable spot and free it from vegetation

A space as long and wide as your body is sufficient (plus any other people like you who seek refuge).

Step 2. Look for four logs of the same length, bamboo poles or branches that are shoulder length and about 6 inches wide

Remove any branches, twigs and leaves from these "poles".

• Dig four holes to insert them into the ground using a pointed stick; these holes must be at the ends of the shelter you want to make.

  

• Bury the posts until they reach waist height; this means sticking them into the ground up to 30 cm deep.

  

Step 3. Make a notch on each pole at your knees

You can use a Swiss army knife or a pointed stick. The notches should be about 2.5cm wide and facing outward.

Step 4. Find the frame material

For this phase you have to collect six straight trunks of young trees or branches of about 10 cm in diameter; they must be straight and sturdy, as they must support your weight.

Measurements: two logs must be 60 cm longer than the shelter width, while the other four must be 60 cm longer than the shelter length

Step 5. Make the frame of the structure

Use one of the two shorter logs and fit it into the notches at the head of the shelter; do the same thing on the opposite end. Secure them using ropes, rushes, tendrils, grass, pieces of cloth, and so on. Let these posts protrude about 30 cm on each side so that the side frame rests on top of them.

Step 6. Build the side frame

Use the longer branches and arrange them on each side of the shelter by resting them on the ledges of the transverse ones you tied in the previous step.

Step 7. Make a floor or bed base

Collect a dozen branches with a diameter of 5 cm and which are 60 cm longer than the width of the shelter. Arrange them crosswise on the side bars to form a surface; eventually legal each other.

Step 8. Find some roofing material

Look for five straight branches or as many stems with a diameter of 5 cm.

• One of the branches must be 60 cm longer than the length of the shelter and will form the vertex of the canopy.

  

• The other four must be 60 cm longer than the width of the shelter and will form the slopes.

Step 9. Assemble the roof

Just like you did with the base, cut notches about 2.5-5 cm from the top of the posts. Place the long and thick twigs that you have not yet used and that you have gathered for the base and use them to make the crosspieces; legal then in their place.

• Add the branches for the slopes; tie them together respecting the right angle and then fix the ends to the head posts.

  

• Repeat the same process for the other end of the shelter. Remember that if you don't want to make gables, you can also simply spread branches and leaves perpendicular to the cross bars to create a flat roof. The only problem with this structure is represented by the possibility that the water stagnates without the possibility of flowing away; in this way, you run the risk that the canopy collapses on you and can get you completely wet.

  

• Tie the twig to the vertex forming a "V" structure at the top of each slope, so as to add the longitudinal beam of the roof.

  

Step 10. Cover the roof

Arrange some 2.5 cm thick branches horizontally from one end of the shelter to the other and tie them to lock securely.

Add leaves over the branches as if they were shingles

Advice

• You could also add side frames and arrange leaves on them to improve rain protection.
• Also build a sleeping shelf so you don't have to lie down on the bare earth; it is important that you stay warm and safe. Again, you can use branches, leaves, and grassy material.
• Test to make sure the shelter is resistant to rain. Pour some water (in a slow and controlled way) on the roof and see if there are any leaks; in case there are any leaks, add more layers of material.

Warnings

• Watch out for insects that may live on the leaves and branches you use to build the shelter; ants can be as huge a problem as spiders, snakes, or other small creatures that live near trees.
• These types of shelters are absolutely temporary; it may be necessary to rebuild them every night, in case the weather is very inclement and especially if you keep moving. Keep this detail in mind when making the more complex version.
• Unless you are lost in the jungle due to an accident, you should never venture unprepared; at a minimum, you should have a machete, poncho, hammock, mosquito net, adequate supplies of food and fuel with you.