Extreme heat or cold can be deadly. Even moderate weather situations like rain, snow, wind, etc. can cause illness, dehydration, disorientation, and more.

In an emergency situation, getting out of harsh elements and adjusting your climate as much as possible can be life saving. The seasons, geographical regions, and weather patterns create a lot of variables for this topic. In this article, we'll go over general best practices and how to deal with the most common situations. You'll need to look at your situation and adjust your gear and skills to accommodate.

Evacuation to the Outdoors
It's one thing to be in the outdoors with your gear. It's another to have to evacuate the comforts of your home to survive in the outdoors. Finding shelter and staying warm are critical activities. 

Keeping a level head and prioritizing your survival activities gives you the best chance to survive. Keep in mind, most places in the US get cool or cold at night so no matter where you are, you need to consider your shelter needs early on.

Priority and Need for Climate Control
Exposure to the elements can be devastating. Even slight temperature differences can cause hypothermia or dehydration very quickly, especially with wind or if you get wet. The need for shelter and warmth rank higher on the survival priority list than water and food. If you become hypothermic you may not survive a night, let alone the 3 days you can live without water. Find a way to protect yourself from cold, heat, wind, and wet weather.

 

Escaping Heat
Dehydration happens when you don't drink enough water. Extreme heat can accelerate water expenditure from breathing and sweating. 

Heat stroke can occur when the body temperature gets too high. You can suffer from heat stroke even when you're not dehydrated. 

Sunburn is also a risk. The pain and discomfort from sun exposure can be debilitating when surviving.

 

 

Escaping Cold
Hypothermia occurs when your body's core temperature drops below the healthy range. You begin to shiver and your body starts to do what it can to preserve the vital organs. Blood vessels constrict at the extremities and blood is drawn back to the core. Eventually, cold will begin to shut down the vital organs.

 Experience: Hypothermia Causes Bad Decisions

 

Emergency Tents for Survival
A tent is the best shelter product you can purchase for your survival gear. Modern tents are easy to set up, durable, and very protective against the elements. Mountaineers take high-end tents on their excursions to get out of the wind, rain, snow, and sun.

For prepping purposes, we recommend a waterproof tent with a rain fly and vestibule for storing extra packs and gear. Be sure the tent bottom is sturdy so you can rely on it for some time. 

 

Emergency Tarps for Survival
A camping tarp (not your typical all purpose tarp) is typically lighter than a tent (no poles) and can be used for many situations. It can be set up like a tent, hung like a canopy, used as a ground cloth water barrier, hung for water collection, etc. 

They are typically suspended with paracord and anchored with stakes or carved wood pegs. They're very versatile.

 

Emergency Shelters
Mylar emergency shelters are the lightest option for survival kits. They can really help in a pinch but aren't the best for long-term use. They do keep the wind and elements out and have some radiant properties for staying warm.

Making Shelter
There's no single secret to building a shelter if you don't have one in your gear. You have to use what you can find and get creative. 

 Experience: Build Your Own Shelter and Stay the Night

For Scouts, my son chose to do the Survival Merit Badge (his father may have pursued him). One of the requirements was to build your own shelter and spend a night in it. On one of our regular campouts (which happened to be late in the fall), he decided to tackle the challenge. I was surprised at the outcome.

If you keep your head about you and practice ahead of time you can do really well in an emergency.

 

Principles of Making a Shelter
When building a shelter keep these things in mind:

Get off the ground. The dirt will draw heat away from you. You want to use natural materials to create insulation. Pine bows, grasses, leaves, etc all have pockets of air that will insulate you from the ground.
Build a windproof, waterproof, weatherproof roof overhead. Use branches, a cave, a rock formation, snow, etc. to enclose yourself from the elements. Leaves, grasses, and needles can keep water off.
Insulate as much as possible. You want to trap heat as much as possible.
The size of the shelter can make a difference as well. The more space you have to heat with your body the harder it is to benefit from any insulation you manage to establish.

Make the shelter sturdy. Use paracord or rope or weave your branches to make the structure rigid.

 

Outdoor Shelters
Here are some of your options for outdoor shelters:

Natural features (caves, rock formations, etc.) - use natural features with natural protective properties
Lean-to - Build a simple lean-to with branches and pine bows
Teepee - Build a pine bow teepee and cover it with leaves or grass
Snow caves - make a snow cave with a relatively small door - stay dry!
Cabin - It's possible to build a cabin out of branches
Mud Hut - Use rocks, clay, and mud to create a domed structure
You can also combine some of these methods. For example, you can build the walls of a mud hut and add a lean-to roof covered with branches or grass.