“With Just a Bit of Canvas Keeping You From the Elements©”

 

 

Your plane or car crashed, you’re lost or stranded, or there was a disaster (pick one); it is rainy, snowy, windy, cold (pick one, maybe even two), and you need shelter NOW!  All you have is a bit of canvas, or a piece of plastic (again pick one).  So, how are going to use that bit of canvas or plastic to protect you from the elements?  That depends on whether it is square or rectangular, how big it is, and on the weather conditions, terrain, and how creative and good at improvising you are. 

 

Just a small bit...

 

Whether square or rectangular, if you have just a small, twin-blanket sized piece, only 65 inches by 90 inches (1.65 by 2.29 meters), tall and wide, then it will be too small to be made into a tent or lean-to, although you can still use it for shelter.  

 

You could use it to make a wind screen or put it on the ground to protect you from heat loss due to conduction to the cold, wet ground.  Some different examples of shelters are illustrated to the left.

 

Or, you could simply wear it like a matchcoat (for more on matchcoats see “How to Wear a Blanket as a Matchcoat ©”, HERE).  Remember, that proper clothing is your first shelter from the environment, and if you don’t have windproof or waterproof outer layers, you must improvise them.

 

If it’s a little bit bigger...

A larger piece of canvas, or plastic, either square or rectangular, can be used in a lot of ways to make a shelter.  The only limiting factor is how good your improvising skills are, and what else you have to work with, such as line, poles, or other materials.

 

A square 7 feet by 7 feet (2 meters by 2 meters) would be good for a one person shelter and a 10 feet by 10 feet (3 meter by 3 meters) square of canvas or plastic would be good for two people, and even five people in a pinch.  Some different designs are shown below.

 

And you could even use that square of plastic or canvas to create a bender tent.  For more on bender tents, read “A Bender©”, HERE.

 

To tie lines to your tarp, make an improvised grommet with a small, smooth, round rock or pinecone, tied into a folded over corner of the tarp with a slip knot, also known as a tensionless hitch.  This knot is like an overhand knot, with a loop pulled through.  You can also tie an improvised grommet into the center of your tarp, if needed.

 

You quickly decide what shelter to build with what you have at hand, and before long it is built, you have gathered enough wood to last the night, and you are sitting down beside a crackling fire, waiting for rescue.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Baking Bannock Bread for Thanksgiving”, where we will talk about cooking, and eating, bannock bread.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

Sources

 

 

Boy Scouts of America; The Official Handbook for Boys,  4^th Edition, [Double Day, Page & Company, Garden City, NY, 1913], page 164-170, https://books.google.com/books?id=bFELAQAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PR13&dq=tent+making+made+easy+by+h.j.holden+pdf&hl=en#v=onepage&q=tent%20making%20made%20easy%20by%20h.j.holden%20pdf&f=false, accessed November 11, 2023

 

Curtis, Sam; “Ever Ready Tarp-Tent”, Boys' Life, October 1977, Vol. 67, No. 10, page 79, https://books.google.com/books?id=7FrDPWCDoKoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Boys%27+Life+Oct+1977&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiO3Orn3LyCAxWNElkFHUO7AP4Q6AF6BAgLEAI#v=onepage&q=Boys'%20Life%20Oct%201977&f=false, accessed November 11, 2023

 

Hall, George, Rev.; The Gypsy’s Parson, [Sampson, Low & Marston, Ltd., London, 1915], https://books.google.com/books?id=7Rs1AQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22The+Gypsy%27s+Parson%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivz5OI2peCAxVlJH0KHXnbC88Q6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=%22The%20Gypsy's%20Parson%22&f=false, accessed October 28, 2023

 

Howe, Steve; “Under the Big Top”, Backpacker, June 1994, Vol. 23, No. 133, page 59-62, https://books.google.com/books?id=BuEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA84&dq=Backpacker+June+1994&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6tKWy9ryCAxWnFlkFHZ9MAbIQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=Backpacker%20June%201994&f=false, accessed November 11, 2023

 

Jacobson, Cliff; “Rig a Rain Tarp in Three Minutes”, Boys' Life, May 1991, Vol. 81, No. 5, page 6, https://books.google.com/books?id=gvgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&dq=Boys%27+Life+May+1991&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjSmeGS4LyCAxWjVDUKHaCnAV84ChDoAXoECAwQAg#v=onepage&q=Boys'%20Life%20May%201991&f=false, accessed November 11, 2023

 

Newman, Bob; “The World According to Tarp”, Field & Stream, October 1997, Vol. 102, No. 6, pages 98 to 99, https://books.google.com/books?id=x6HMEU2LfTMC&pg=PA84&dq=Field+%26+Stream+Oct+1997&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiag8Txgr2CAxWIFmIAHbz3B584ChDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=Field%20%26%20Stream%20Oct%201997&f=false, accessed November 11, 2023

 

Ritter, Doug, “Tarp Shelters – An Introduction”, Equipped to Survive, http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.pdf, accessed November 11, 2023

 

Wikimedia; “Tensionless hitch”, August 13, 2013, by Hadron137, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slip_knot, accessed November 11, 2023