Wilderness Survival ?

[kittle]

Requirement #8 states : Show that you can find and improvise a natural shelter minimizing the damage to the environment.

 

I was talking to my son about this tonight. He said that he could use a sleeping bag and/or a tarp on the ground. But that couldn't use one over his cover. Since we can't find his Wilderness Survival book, I was wondering if anyone can tell me for certain if the books says this.

[kenk]

The Wilderness Survival merit badge book lists the follow types of natural shelters: fallen trees; hollow trees; boulders; piled up snow; caves; tree pit (naturally sheltered area around the base of a large evergreen where snow hasn't accumulated; small gulley, under a tree, large shrub, or rock outcrop; hollow in soft ground.

 

They describe propping branches up against a boulder, weaving smaller branches horizontally, and then draping a rescue blanket or large sheet of plastic over the branches and weighing them down with rocks.

 

They say if you lack a ground cloth to use a substantial mat of branches to provide insulation from the ground.

 

Cody Lundin, a very well known survival expert, recommends carrying a mylar rescue blanket, a heavy duty space blanket with grommets, two 55 gallon garbage bag, and at least 50 feet of 550-pound test parachute cord.

 

Others recommend carrying a silicone-coated nylon tarp for shelter. Others like the Adventure Medical bivy-bag, or the Tacoma Mountain Rescue Storm Shelter - both available at REI.com and other places.

 

I've been watching the Brat Camp show on ABC, and couldn't help but notice how often you see them using the closed-cell foam pads for laying & sitting. I've long thought these pads utility to be underestimated. In cool weather one or more of these could be a real lifesaver.

 

Though I'm no expert, in my own minimal-sized kit (Doug Ritter Personal Survival Pak, plus a small first aid kit, mini-Bic lighter, Kadadyn Micropur tablets, Ritter RSK Mk1 knife, Photon Freedom light, shelter, 32 oz Nalgene bottle, and an orange bandanna) I've selected to carry a Tacoma Mountain Rescue shelter. I also almost always carry a bivy-poncho, a wide-brimmed hat, DEET, a steel cup, good compass (the one in the survival pak is very small), and at least some form of a map of the area with me.

 

For my son, who will be starting Boy Scouts in the spring, I have purchased a Personal Survival Pak and together we will work on added the additional components and skills to keep him safe out there. He already has a first aid kit, a small lock-blade knife, a good WindStorm whistle, two large 33 gallon orange trash bags, an orange bandanna, and a Princeton-Tec LED keychain light from the survival kit his Cub Scout den made last year. I suppose that just means adding a better knife, a mini-Bic lighter, Micropur tablets, and a better shelter.

 

At some point I'll add a large clear transpiration plastic bag to be used to collect water from branchs, but I haven't found a suitable bag yet.

[madkins007]

The guy who is The Tracker would recommend a debris hut- find or create a small depression in a sheltered area (do not dig in fragile soil, but matt down plants or scrape away leaf litter, scrape away snow, etc.)

 

Line the depression with a tarp, leaf litter or other soft, insulative material that also provides a dampness barrier if needed.

 

If possible, 'bury' a tube of some sort (tube tent, tarp folded over, 2 large trash bags (one cut open at the bottom and the two taped together), etc.) in a pile of leaves, grasses, straw, and other 'fluffy' materials.*

 

If possible, put stuff over the pile to stabilize it- branches, a loose net of twine, another tarp, whatever.

 

Wiggle your way into the tube, fashion a warm cap or mask out of your clothing, and enjoy a snug, warm sleep!

 

*- if no 'tube' is available, just lay down and start building the heap over your feet (pile, secure, pile, secure) working your way up your body.

 

Note- if you want to be found, be sure to put out a good marker, cuz you'll be invisible inside this thing!

 

 

 

 

I like the basic lean-to for the purposes of the badge. Find a tree leaning at a good angle, or lash a long found pole to a tree to create the 'spine'. Using found branches, lay a series of 'ribs' along one side, and partway up the other side if you wish. Do not strip off smaller branches- intertwining them makes the walls stronger and easier to thatch.

 

Thatch the walls with leaf litter, tall grasses, spare clothing, found materials, etc. Tuck the thatch in the smaller branches, or use other branches to sort of 'staple' everything together.

 

Remember- everything here is a trade off- 'wider' lean-tos have more room, but leak more and take more materials. Covering the 'open' side provides more protection but less air and makes getting in and out harder. Tighter 'weaves' block bugs... and air.

 

Also- no food or fires in any of these things! (Fire is obvious, but people often forget the 'no food' rule. No need to invite vermin inside!)

[Trevorum]

In our recent "shoebox campout" (see earlier thread), which was essentially a survival weekend, we had lots of plastic garbage bags as ground cloths, shelters, and ponchos. They worked great, but another troop camping nearby kidded us that we looked like a bunch of homeless people!

[seabear]

Awhile back,a patrol reverse the some of the requirements to fit in urban setting. The scouts learned a great deal about survival skills in the city, with no funds, Boxes where used, sit on steam grates, newpapers, what food was out there,etc.. it gave them a view into the homeless population. This was not for the merit badge, it was a learning experince. They also did orienteering in the city, Wildlife management , Landscape Architecture, and Mammal Study with Nature. It open alot of eyes. Survival in the concrete jungle... What they learned in the Wilderness Survival MB they could relate to a new setting.