DIY: How to Make a Debris Hut Shelter for Survival in the Wilderness

A debris hut only takes an hour or two to make. Your debris hut will protect you by allowing you to sleep under leaves and sticks, for instance, while keeping the wind blocked. This will protect both you and your blanket of debris.

Shelter is extremely important when you are facing a survival situation. Since the body is not fully equipped to face the elements on its own, it is crucial that you know how to protect yourself from the rain, snow, and sun. Extreme temperatures are harsh on the body, so the skill of creating a debris hut is valuable in an outdoor survival emergency.

To make a debris hut for shelter, begin with a fallen tree or pole that is about 1.5 to 2 times your height. This will become the center pole for your hut. Hold this main beam of the hut off the ground with a stump, forked tree, or rock. The item must be somewhat sturdy. It should be about as high as you when you are seated.

Plan now to make the door of your debris hut shelter away from the direction of the prevailing wind. This will help to protect you from the cold of the night by not allowing the cool wind to directly blow on you.

You can make a framework for your debris hut by placing large limbs against the main beam of the shelter. This should be done at angles of about 45 degrees. Your debris hut looks similar to a low tent or triangle.

Use smaller sticks and limbs to offer protection from the wind and rain by placing such items against the framework of the debris hut shelter. It is best to use dead grass, small sticks, fern, or leaves to make insulation for your debris hut shelter. This layer of insulation should be about 3 feet thick for adequate protection.

Cover the insulation of the hut with small light branches. This will keep the insulation in place. You do not want the wind blowing your shelter and protection away. In winter climates, piling snow on the insulation layer can help to further insulate the debris hut shelter from the wind and cold. Creating a shelter that can keep you warm and reasonably comfortable will allow you to sleep and rest and conserve precious energy.

Body heat can be lost very quickly by laying directly on the bare ground. Place debris on the floor of the debris hut shelter. Select items that would be comfortable for you to sleep on such as leaves or dead grass. Comfort may seem a luxury at this point in the battle for survival, but inadequate rest can leave you tired. Exhaustion leads to a poor attitude and outlook which directly influences your chances of survival.

Keep extra insulation items and debris close to the opening to the shelter. This will allow you to drag it over to create a door for your hut. A debris hut shelter is a simple way to use the items in the wilderness to protect yourself from the elements. Knowing how to properly make a shelter can help you to survive in serious situations.

Video Credit to: ReWild University