A poncho tent is a type of improvised emergency shelter, constructed using a rain poncho. [1] Using materials on hand that were intended for use as rain gear, it becomes possible to re-purpose them as a shelter.
A poncho tent is an extremely popular form of emergency survival shelter. Numerous examples can be seen published in books and on websites including official military manuals. [2] [3] These are distinct from other forms of temporary emergency shelter in part because of the improvised use of dual purpose materials. Improvising and adapting with limited resources is a common theme in survival situations.
The reason this is such a popular form of shelter may include the following:
There are two important things to note about this type of shelter. First of all, it is a temporary shelter. Second, it is an emergency shelter. This means that it is not meant to be used long term and is only meant to be used in an emergency when no other options are available. [8]
A temporary shelter is one that is only meant to be used for a short time. These are typically portable. They can also usually be set up quickly. An example of a temporary shelter would be a tent. Other examples would include a debris hut, lean-to, or snow cave.
This differs from a permanent shelter which is meant to be more long term and is usually not movable. An example of a long term shelter would be a log cabin. Another example would be a wigwam.
An emergency shelter is one that would be used in an emergency situation. That generally means that the situation wasn't specifically planned for. It may have been prepared for "just in case". For example, if a person was planning on sleeping outside in the wilderness, they should bring either a fold-able tent or a tarp as these will be more effective. If someone was not specifically planning on sleeping outside, they may carry an emergency blanket or poncho "just in case" knowing that they could be used as a shelter if they were stuck in an emergency situation. [9]
The poncho tent is considered an effective shelter in emergency situations. There are ways in which this might be measured. [10] [11] [12]
One of the primary purposes of a shelter is to keep dry. A poncho tent serves this purpose well. Rain ponchos are designed to keep people dry. They work well as a water proofing layer. The main limitation here is the size of the poncho. The other potential limiting factor might be how the shelter is constructed. For example, if multiple ponchos are used, gaps between them may allow leakage if not properly connected. [13]
Another main purpose of a shelter is to keep warm. A poncho tent may provide some warmth depending on how it is constructed and what type of poncho is used. If a thick poncho is used and the shelter is built in such a way that heat can be trapped inside, then it may provide some significant value in terms of warmth. In the most ideal cases, it may be very effective. If a thin poncho is used or if gaps are present, it will not provide much value in terms of staying warm. [14]
A poncho tent can also be used as a method of shielding oneself from the sun. This is especially useful in a hot desert environment or when trapped on a life raft out on the open sea. Heat or exposure to intense sunlight may result in dehydration and severe sunburns. [15]
Protection from the ground is an important aspect of emergency survival shelters. This is something that is not provided by a simple poncho shelter. A large percentage of body heat is lost to the ground. Sleeping directly on the ground without a layer of bedding can cause loss of heat. If the ground is wet, this can also pose a problem. [16]
Several different issues can arise. [17]
Fire can be a problem. A thin poncho can easily be damaged by a spark or ember from a fire. This limits most poncho tents to being built further away from a fire. This means that it is hard to heat this type of shelter with a fire. This is less of an issue if using a large, thick poncho that is less likely to catch on fire. This is an issue that is not present in certain other types of simple shelters. For example, a lean-to made from logs and branches would oftentimes be built adjacent to a campfire.
Tearing can be a problem. This is more a problem with thinner, cheaper ponchos than with thicker ponchos. Rain ponchos can tear easily. This is often seen when attempting to tie them down.
Wind can quickly tear apart a poncho shelter. This is especially true if not reinforced. Heavier ponchos will be able to withstand more wind. One commonly used method to mitigate this problem is to reinforce it with any combination of duct tape, logs, and branches.
A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. They were used extensively in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War for weapons facilities, command and control centers, and storage facilities. Bunkers can also be used as protection from tornadoes.
Camping is a form of outdoor recreation involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or an educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs. First used as portable homes by nomads, tents are now more often used for recreational camping and as temporary shelters.
A tarpaulin or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinforced grommets at the corners and along the sides to form attachment points for rope, allowing them to be tied down or suspended.
An emergency shelter is a place for people to live temporarily when they cannot live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific type of situation, such as natural or man-made disasters, domestic violence, or victims of sexual abuse. A more minor difference is that people staying in emergency shelters are more likely to stay all day, except for work, school, or errands, while homeless shelters usually expect people to stay elsewhere during the day, returning only to sleep or eat. Emergency shelters sometimes facilitate support groups, and/or provide meals.
A shelter-half is a simple kind of partial tent designed to provide temporary shelter and concealment when combined with one or more sections. Two sheets of canvas or a similar material are fastened together with snaps, straps or buttons to form a larger surface. The shelter-half is then erected using poles, ropes, pegs, and whatever tools are on hand, forming an inverted V structure. Small tents like these are often called pup tents in American English.
Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain huts, widely found in Europe, are rare. In New Zealand, hiking is called tramping, and tents are used alongside a nationwide network of huts. Hill walking is equivalent in Britain, though backpackers make use of a variety of accommodation, in addition to camping. Backpackers use simple huts in South Africa. Trekking and bushwalking are other words used to describe such multi-day trips.
A poncho is a kind of plainly formed, loose outer garment originating in the Americas, traditionally and still usually made of fabric, and designed to keep the body warm. Ponchos have been used by the Native American peoples of the Andes, Valley of Mexico and Patagonia since pre-Hispanic times, in places now under the territory of Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, and Argentina, and have become familiar in parts of the U.S. also. A rain poncho is made from a watertight material designed to keep the body dry from the rain.
Survival skills are techniques used to sustain life in any type of natural environment or built environment. These techniques are meant to provide basic necessities for human life, including water, food, and shelter. Survival skills also support proper knowledge and interactions with animals and plants to promote the sustaining of life over time.
Bushcraft is the use and practice of skills, thereby acquiring and developing knowledge and understanding, in order to survive and thrive in a natural environment.
A bivouac shelter or bivvy is any of a variety of improvised camp site, or shelter that is usually of a temporary nature, used especially by soldiers, or people engaged in backpacking, bikepacking, scouting, or mountain climbing. It may often refer to sleeping in the open with a bivouac sack, but it may also refer to a shelter constructed of natural materials like a structure of branches to form a frame, which is then covered with leaves, ferns, and similar material for waterproofing and duff for insulation. Modern bivouacs often involve the use of one- or two-man tents but may also be without tents or full cover. In modern mountaineering the nature of the bivouac shelter will depend on the level of preparedness, in particular whether existing camping and outdoor gear may be incorporated into the shelter.
A lean-to is a type of simple structure originally added to an existing building with the rafters "leaning" against another wall. Free-standing lean-to structures are generally used as shelters. One traditional type of lean-to is known by its Finnish name laavu.
A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, ice, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, hides, fabric, or mud using techniques passed down through the generations.
A quinzhee or quinzee is a Canadian snow shelter made from a large pile of loose snow that is shaped, then hollowed. This is in contrast to an igloo, which is built up from blocks of hard snow, and a snow cave, constructed by digging into the snow. The word is of Athabaskan origin and entered the English language by 1984. A quinzhee can be made for winter camping and survival purposes, or for fun.
Refugee shelters are structures ranging from the most temporary tent accommodation through transitional shelter to building temporary pics and settlements and include the most basic kind of ad hoc structure. They are created in the aftermath of a conflict or natural disaster as a temporary residence for victims who have lost or abandoned their homes. Refugees and IDPs are people fleeing their homes or countries of origin due to natural disasters, war and political or religious persecution in search of refuge and resettlement. Living in these shelters refugees may force marriage crowded, noisy, dirty, disease filled grounds where thousands of families are cramped together and surviving day by day.
A wilderness hut, bothy, backcountry hut, or backcountry shelter is a free, primitive mountain hut for temporary accommodation, usually located in wilderness areas, national parks and along backpacking and hiking routes. They are found in many parts of the world, such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, northern Russia, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. Huts are basic and unmanned, without running water.
Ultralight backpacking is a style of lightweight backpacking that emphasizes carrying the lightest and least amount of gear. While no technical standards exist, some hikers consider "ultralight" to mean an initial base weight of less than 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Base weight is the weight of a fully loaded backpack at the start of a trip, excluding worn weight and consumables such as food, water, and fuel. Base weight can be lowered by reducing the weight of individual items of gear, or by choosing not to carry that gear. Ultralight backpacking is most popular among thru-hikers.
Hiking equipment is the equipment taken on outdoor walking trips. Hiking is usually divided into day-hikes and multiple-day hikes, called backpacking, trekking, and walking tours.
A tarp tent is a tarpaulin, a plastic or nylon sheet, used in place of a tent. It is usually rigged with poles, tent pegs, and guy lines. Ultralight backpackers use tarp tents because they are lightweight compared to other backpacking shelters.
A shell scrape, also referred to as a "shallow grave" or "ranger grave", is a type of military earthwork both long and deep enough to lie flat in. While similar to a defensive fighting position in that the purpose is to shield a single soldier from artillery, mortar and direct small arms fire, it is not intended to be used for fighting from.