Anyone know about this shelter

[WildGoth]

you dig into a hill and dig it out and you have a hollow space i think it is meant for snow but about this shelter does anyone have any info on a shelter like this it is a hole in the ground then you dig out from around and then when you dig out the space you make a tunnel for getting in and out and your top hole becomes a hole for smoke to get out of if someone is able to get info on this kind of shelter plz help me out im trying to make one and i don't have a clue about it thanks

[crashdive123]

Haven't built one, but found an example with some pretty good drawings here. http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Skills/Shelter/Hillside/Hillside%20Shelter.htm

[Rick]

Try this link and see if it's what you are looking for:

http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Skills/Shelter/Hillside/Hillside%20Shelter.htm

Another type is a Salish:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/outdoorskills/article/0,13199,1148764-4,00.html

Oops. I was posting at the same time. Sorry.

[Last Mohican]

I have seen what you are talking about.

I will have to look through my personal library and get back to you when I find it.

[Assassin Pilot]

So this is basically a dug-out snow igloo, but only made from the side of a hill in earth?

[Rick]

WildGoth if you are talking about a basic burrow shelter then you need to be extremely cautious. They be very unstable and can collapse without warning. Suffocation or death from crushing injuries have happened especially to kids playing in this type of shelter. I would never build one in the wild.

[rebel]

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[Assassin Pilot]

Depending on the type of soil around it it can be decently stable. But Rick has a point in his post. Crashdive's link shows a good version of it, where the overhang above you is really sticks w/ a thin layer of camo / soil above it.

[Rick]

Actually, Crashdive's would be the more stable of the two. Think of a snow cave only dug into dirt in a hill side or assume the burrow of a large animal. Those can be pretty unstable if not constructed correctly.

[Assassin Pilot]

I fully agree, I'm just saying that the Viet Cong lived in an underground system of tunnels known as the iron triangle that was pretty impenetrable. So if made correctly, it's like it isn't even there. But CD's version would be best for pretty much everyone else.

[rebel]

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[canid]

i've seen that manual online, or a reproduction of it. VC tunneling fascinated me when i was younger, as i was obsessed as a child with being underground, digging, caving, etc.

[RBB]

you dig into a hill and dig it out and you have a hollow space i think it is meant for snow but about this shelter does anyone have any info on a shelter like this it is a hole in the ground then you dig out from around and then when you dig out the space you make a tunnel for getting in and out and your top hole becomes a hole for smoke to get out of if someone is able to get info on this kind of shelter plz help me out im trying to make one and i don't have a clue about it thanks

RE: Snow. Are you talking about a Quinzy shelter? I've built them a number of times, but they are not a real good shelter to use in a short term personal survival situation - as you need to allow time for the snow to set up, they take a lot of energy to build, and you almost invariably get wet building the shelter.

That said, once you have it set up, and have your roof smoothed out in a dome shape, with trenches to the outside to catch moisture, and the entry set up lower than the floor, you have a very good shelter. With the use of a single candle and body heat from three people , I've heated one to 65 degrees in 0 degree conditions.

[wareagle69]

as tom brown aslways advocates watch what the animals do, so i crawl into bear dens(yes when they are in their) but thats a different post anyhow i see their dens and also some of the dens the coy dogs make, we've got a couple of coy dogs we haven't seen in a year but we know they are their because the food is always gone

[WildGoth]

the one im talking about is a burrow but i think i will stick with crashdive's shelter

[WildGoth]

anyone know the ideal conditions for a burrow i would like to at least try one

[canid]

any drift of well consolidated snow. just keep the dangers in mind.

[WildGoth]

what about a dirt one

[tracks]

Burrows are risky, stay shallow,just deep enough to back up in and stay out of the wind. Rain will quickly make a burrow useless. even deeper ones will leach water after a while. I like to use old blow downs [fallen trees] the root ball and the hole they leave are great, with minamal effort you can have a quick dug out and shelter.

[WildGoth]

ok thanks for the tips

[Rick]

Clay soil is best. Loam, sand or aggregate will have trouble supporting itself. But read my warning above. A lot of kids have met their death playing in them. They are not stable.

[BruceZed]

Snow Cave

Try this URL's: http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/FAQ_Snowcaves.htm

[Sourdough]

Bear dens can last for many, many years. Some cave in, but most last a long time. I have never found many on open grassy hill sides, as those tend to cave in. But the ones in alder or willow thickets have a roof of interwoven roots, I think this helps support the roof structure. You could always shore it up as you go using native material.

[RBB]

Some basics on a Quinzy shelter:

http://http-server.carleton.ca/~dmcfet/quinzy.html