How to Make Survival Shelter out of Sticks

When you plan a hiking or camping trip one essential item to include in your backpack is a pocketknife. You can use this tool in a variety of ways, including making a survival shelter of of sticks. If you like to rough it with no camping gear, or you find yourself stranded in the wilderness, a survival shelter will protect you from the elements. Fortunately, the principle things you need to make shelter survival sticks are sticks, which are plentiful in the wilderness.

Things You'll Need

  • Pocketknife
  • Tree branches
  • Piles of leaves
  • Rope or thick string
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select a spot for your survival shelter. Find an area with a big boulder or large trees with thick trunks. You can build the survival shelter against these things to help protect yourself from the wind.

    • 2

      Gather eight to 10 long branches and piles of leaves. Lay the branches out next to each other to gauge the different lengths and widths.

    • 3

      Collect three branches about the same size. Strip away small limbs with leaves with the pocketknife and place them to the side to use later. These branches or sticks will form the poles for your shelter.

    • 4

      Lean two of the sticks together so they from a wide triangle. Tie the tops of the sticks together with the rope or strong string. Place the top of the third stick against the first two sticks where they connect. Tie the top of the third stick to the two and pull out the other end of the stick so it slants back and outwards. The structure should resemble a crude tent.

    • 5

      Take the remaining branches and piles of leaves and lean them against the tent-like structure to provide protection from wind or rain. If you have a blanket or tarp in your pack, you can drape this over the middle stick and stretch out the bottom ends towards the front two sticks. You need small sticks to use as stakes for the blanket or tarp.