How to Make a Shelter Using Leaf Mold

Essential for survival in emergency situations, such as protecting an injured hiker or offering shelter if you are lost, but also a fun activity on a camping trip, knowing how to build a shelter from natural materials is a useful campcraft skill. Select a suitable location, sheltered from the wind, in a forested area with a ready supply of raw materials that allow a simple shelter to be made in just a few hours. Keep warm, dry and be protected from the elements by building your own shelter using leaf mold.

Things You'll Need

  • Knife
  • Strong string
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a suitable location. A forested area provides a plentiful supply of wood and leaf mold. Choose a site that is protected from the wind and is close to a water source but is not liable to flooding. Check the ground for excessive wetness, and choose a site that is as dry as possible. Look at overhanging trees and avoid those with damaged or loose branches that may fall during a storm.

    • 2

      Build a tripod for the superstructure of the shelter. Select two pieces of branch that are approximately three feet long and a third, longer piece, approximately nine feet long, that will act as a ridge pole. Tie the three pieces of wood together securely.

    • 3

      Prepare walls for your shelter. Collect approximately 18 small branches, each three feet long, and four or five longer branches, each approximately nine feet long. Tie each of the small branches to the ridge pole at six-inch intervals at 45-degree angles to allow rain to run off. Weave the longer pieces through the upright wood to form a basket-like structure. Repeat this process with the second side of the shelter.

    • 4

      Layer leaf mold thickly onto the frame, completely covering the wall structures. Use as much mold as possible because the thicker the covering, the more waterproof the shelter will be. Aim for a depth of approximately 10 inches of mold.

    • 5

      Lay some extra, smaller branches on top of the leaf mold to prevent it blowing off in a storm.

    • 6

      Layer the inside of the shelter with a thick layer of dry leaf mold to provide added warmth and avoid ground moisture.