In all but the most benign survival environments, a shelter should rank as a very high priority.

This shelter, made from natural surroundings, is quick, easy and secure – it is not perfect or for the long-term, but in a pinch, more than suffices.

The first thing you will need is a ridge pole. Your pole should be very sturdy and as long as your height plus your arm extended in the air.

Prop the ridge pole up on one end to give your feet some extra room.

Lay down on the ground and measure how long your ridge pole needs to be and mark out where your body is. You need to be able to fit in the shelter without there being too much extra space.

You will also need some Y-sticks to prop up the ridge pole at the other end. Make sure the Y-sticks are really solid – this is your framework.

The next thing you need to do is insulate yourself from the ground.

Leaves serve as a great insulator, but you will want to put them in before you build up the rest of the shelter. Make sure the compressed material beneath you is at least four fingers deep.

Now you need to add ribs to your debris shelter, which will provide structure on the sides and will give support to the leaves that will go on top.

Your ribs should be strong. There will not be a ton of weight on the ribs, but the stronger the branches the smaller the chance that your shelter will fall apart.

You also want them to be fairly close together and not to extend very high above the ridge pole.

The ribs do not necessarily have to be identical in size.

Once you are finished with the ribs and lattice, you may add the leaves on top to insulate the shelter.

To construct the door, gather four Y-sticks and create a framework on either side of the entrance. The purpose of the doorway is to reduce the size of the opening, so place them where there is just enough room for you to wiggle your way inside.

Now you can add the last bit of leaves around the doorway. Be sure to start building from the bottom and work your way upward to prevent leaves from falling through.

This type of stick and leaf shelter is perfect if you need a place to stay for a night or need something you can build quickly.

In a survival situation, it would protect you nicely from the elements, which could be the difference between making it through your ordeal or not.

To learn more about this shelter and other survival shelters, please visit Survival Life.

Featured Image via Survival Life