Deadfall shelter

[nephilim]

Bit of an odd challenge I came across thanks to my eldest cousin.

The deadfall shelter challenge. You can only make a shelter using deadfall. He did it as part of his military training (said you're in a situation where you have no kit, so can only use deadfall to make a shelter).

I plan to try this some point soon.

Anyone else willing to try?

[David_JAFO]

hello,
nephilim Ray Mears Extreme Bushcraft https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8V5nANXXMU have a browse there's a section on Combat Survival Escape & Evasion Rescue *shelter building. I've completed & taught this over the years. :wink:
Regards
David

[OakAshandThorn]

I made a laavu in my high school days from only dead/wind-fall, tree bark from fallen timber, and leaves. It stood around 10 ft/3 m tall by 5 ft/1.5 m diameter at the base. I thought it was nice and "sturdy", that is, until it was leveled by a large, heavy, branch that snapped off a nearby Black Oak. Now it has completely gone back to Nature. :)

As a child I spent a lot of time playing in the backyard, and I would take dead/wind-fall brush and make (flimsy) shelters (I called them "forts" LOL) for fun. Having 5 mature trees in the backyard kept me well supplied with building materials. And then it wasn't until my older brother built a wee shelter for our outdoor cats, using sticks, leaves, and mud, that I learned of the usefulness of all three materials to make sturdier, adobe-like structures. :D
Ah, those were the days when the majority of kids still spent a lot of time outside, and not "glued-to-the-tube" or looking at electronic screens for countless hours on-end.

Every time I see a father or mother taking their son or daughter to the woods, a sweeping joy fills me as I remember those wonderful times in my youth, and I'm gladdened that these parents would rather spend time with their kids outside than inside on the xBox...and the best part is when you hear, "Daddy/Mommy? Can we come back here again tomorrow?" :).

[nephilim]

I love taking my daughter out and teaching her about the woods. We just started with basic knife usage with a lock blade knife.

She was successful in trimming a small bit if bark from a fallen elm tree, and a bit of pine bark.

Will show her how to do feathersticks when the weather gets better. Nothing but rain the last few weeks...ground is saturated...even in our garden!

[David_JAFO]

hello,
Loads of happy memories there OakAshandThorn likewise I lived in the countryside aka the sticks (Boonies) loads of great memories too building *camps (shelters). Nephilim there's nothing wrong with the back garden Bushcraft or sitting on the back step as we say. My oldest nephew when he was a lad, I used to set up the Trangia stove on the kitchen work surface & we made our lunch from it & his first knife I gave him was a genuine German Army multi bladed Mauser (he still has it). We even made a lean too against the sofa using a folded tarp one rainy afternoon. In the good weather I showed him how to set up the tent in the back yard or behind the house. Another NBCUK member Chubbs (Neil) if I recall a few years ago was making colouring pencils with his kids from branches/twigs. I gave him black & coloured graphite, might be of interest to have a chat with Neil for your wee girl?
Regards
David

[ian c]

I have made a few dead fall shelters when I was serving and also used dead fall to make a screen for when pigeon shooting.

[shepherd]

used dead fall to make a screen for when pigeon shooting.


x2... always effective! T^