The cost of factory-made camping shelters and tents can be prohibitive, but they can be made from improvised materials which cost a fraction of the price. In all but the most extreme cases, these improvised shelters perform as well as, if not better than, the factory-made versions. Tarps are light and easy to transport in a backpack or blanket roll, and deadfall is easy to find in most wooded areas. The less gear you carry, the more you will enjoy your trip and the smaller the environmental impact you will make on your route.
Tips & Warnings
According to Gypsy Wilburn, a 20-year artisan and industrial blacksmith who has spent 25 years using improvised shelters when camping between SCA events, Ren Faires and other venues while selling knives, swords and hand-hammered jewelry, "Use brown or green tarps rather than blue or silver, and use the less common duct tape colors so that your shelter looks more like a manufactured tent. Make sure that the sides of your pup tent are staked outside the boundaries of your ground cloth or it will become a catch basin."
According to Gypsy Wilburn, a 20-year artisan and industrial blacksmith who has spent 25 years using improvised shelters when camping between SCA events, Ren Faires and other venues while selling knives, swords and hand-hammered jewelry, "Use brown or green tarps rather than blue or silver, and use the less common duct tape colors so that your shelter looks more like a manufactured tent. Make sure that the sides of your pup tent are staked outside the boundaries of your ground cloth or it will become a catch basin."
According to BackcountrySurvival.com, "A shelter should always provide adequate protection from the elements, retain heat, have suitable ventilation, and provide drying facilities."
According to BackcountrySurvival.com, "A shelter should always provide adequate protection from the elements, retain heat, have suitable ventilation, and provide drying facilities."
Article Written By Jane Smith
Jane Smith has provided educational support for more than 11 years, served people with multiple challenges for 26 years, rescued animals for five years, designed and repaired household items for 31 years and completed a three-year metalworking apprenticeship. Smith's book, "Giving Him the Blues," was published in 2008. Smith received a Bachelor of Science in education from Kent State University in 1995.
