Building an outdoor survival shelter will help you camp out over night and stay safe while in the woods. An outdoor shelter will help you survive the elements and nature while staying warm and safe inside your shelter.

Step 1: Step One: Finding a Place for Your Shelter

Finding somewhere to build your shelter is a very important step in making sure you are safe in survival situation. Always build your shelter on high or flat ground. Having your shelter on flat ground help by giving you an easy place to start. Starting from non-flat land may cause your shelter fall over easily. Keeping your shelter on a hill top or high ground helps by letting rain water travel down hill and not into your shelter, because keeping your shelter dry will help you survive and make sure your shelter will not be swept away or torn down by running water. If possible build you shelter near a body of running water like a creek or river so that you have a supply of clean water to help you survive. Make sure to always look above where you are placing you shelter as you do not want large rocks or branches falling down and crushing your shelter.

Step 2: Step Two: Materials for Building.

When finding materials for your shelter stay away form large or heavy rocks and heavy tree branches that may have fallen. Stick to medium sized branches and sticks when building. If possible use a fallen tree for the starting point of your shelter. Be careful of fallen trees still somewhat connected to there trunk as they may fall over easily. Heavy or large rocks and tree branches may help build a strong shelter but they may also destroy your shelter do to there weight. Using rocks may seem like a good material for building but are hard to stack and can easily be pushed over, ruining you shelter quickly.

Step 3: Step Three: Building Your Shelter

There are many different designs for shelter when building, but many of them are situational. If using a dead tree leaning against its self or another tree stack branches on each side of the tree, leaving enough room for you to enter by the trunk of the tree. When a dead tree is not available a Tee-Pee formation will always do. To make a Tee-Pee Shelter stand your branches upright and lean them on each other as they make a triangle with the ground, continue to do this until there is only a small opening at one side so you may enter and exit.

Step 4: Step Four: the Finishing Touches.

Once your shelter is build you will want to cover the outer walls with bark, dead leaves and other nonpoisonous plants to help keep rain out as well as to help your shelter blend into the environment. If wanted you could also place dead leaves and other plants on the floor of your shelter to keep you off the ground and to keep you warm at night.