Shelters & Camps

A shelter is a basic architectural structure or building that provides protection from the local environment.

Having a place of shelter, of safety and of retreat, i.e. a home, is commonly considered a fundamental physiological human need, the foundation from which to develop higher human motivations.

Many people who are forced into survival situations often have risk of danger because of direct exposure to the elements. Most people in survival situations die of hypo/hyperthermia, or animal attacks. A shelter can range from a natural shelter, such as a cave, overhanging rock outcrop, or fallen-down tree, to an intermediate form of man-made shelter such as a debris hut, tree pit shelter, or snow cave, to completely man-made structures such as a tarp, tent, or longhouse. It is noted that some common properties between these structures are:

Location (away from hazards, such as cliffs; and nearby materials, like food sources)
Insulation (from ground, rain, wind, air, or sun)
Heat Source (either body heat or fire-heated)
Personal or Group Shelter (having multiple individuals)