Survival Shelter - Debris Hut Door

http://primitiveskills.com Primitive Skills School instructor Mike Douglas troubleshoots the Debris hut and teaches how to construct a door.

Visit us online at http://www.primitiveskills.com

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Survival School
• shelter building
• debris shelter
• debris
• hut
• survival
• shelter
• wilderness
• earth
• outdoors
• woods
• skills

[nervouschicken]

what if it catches fire? hehe

[primitiveskills]

@nervouschicken Debris hut requires some practice before you get the measurements right. Once you have it, it doesn't rewuire a fire and can keep you comfortably warm and dry well below freezing, or through prolonged rain events. Built correctly, it will keep you warm and accelerate the drying process even if you and your materials are wet during construction. It isn't dependent on a fire,you can isolate you cooking fire away from you sleeping area for hygene, safety, and avoiding critters.

[irai1984]

In warmer climates, is it okay to build it bigger so its not an oven? And if it is bigger, is it more difficult to make it water-proof?

[primitiveskills]

@irai1984 As long as the walls are steep and roughly two feet thick (60cm), it should repel water. In warmer climates, the cold comes more from the ground than the air, so a thick layer of debris or matting on the ground may still be needed. Let us know how it goes!

[primitiveskills]

Thank you, that's very kind. We work @ sharing from direct experience & lots of mistakes. W/ regard to the door, it's the saving grace w/ regard to cold as well as biting insects. A tight door keeps mosquitos & blackflies out. Athough there's usually one that manages to get in & use audio psychological warfare by buzzing around your ears all night. All told, debis hut should be a comfortable experience to -20 provided you have the experience (made lots of mistakes in the past), & materials.

[Travels2477]

Just curious, when you use these in below freezing temperatures, are you dressed in a T-shirt and pants? I should think that if one was dressed in clothing for that weather, the inside might have to be twice as large to accomodate the bulky clothing. My other question is, do you use them during the winter? What is the coldest temp. you have used one, and how much snow gets in with it being that tight to get in? Also, did you develop this design or did it come from someone like Ishi?

[primitiveskills]

I was taught the debris hut in 1989 by Tom Brown jr. as a student @ the Tracker School, but really didn't get a handle on until my 12th or 13th experience. The measurements & the approach to building it are specific to you & the environment you find yourself in. You can make the measurements with the bulky outer layers off & use them where needed (door plug, under hips, etc,) or keep them on to do your measurements & leave them on overnight. My coldest night was -12 in a pair of shorts.

[MrStorky14]

with some food and water, i reckon i could liv in that for weeks.

[rabidmonkeygirl]

There are debris huts at the school in Maine that are over a year old and they were still dry inside after twentysix days of rain this June. Lean to's are great if you want to roll around thawing and cooling opposite sides between feeding your fire.

[SuperDeltaRomeo]

Useful tips in this vid.Thank you

[TheDanielRagsdale]

@arguewithanaithiest that's what I was thinking

[DesereckC]

@primitiveskills Your work is amazing and I have been admiring it. Unfortunately, I have an issue with creating my own. I live in the mountainous alpine of Colorado, therefore, I only have pine needles and acorn tree leaves to work with. I have seen it done in the heavy forests where the needles stay dry all year until winter, yet everything around me is damp.

Is it still possible to create something like this up here? My attempt was not so well-thought out and ended up being too small, haha.

[arguewithanaithiest]

dude are you les stroud? and if u arnt then u should say u are u look exactly like him and people will listen to you ALOT!

[jmg1957]

peace