Shelter Considerations

Be thoughtful about where you set up your survival shelter. 

Make sure it is on terrain that is not infested with ants, subterranean hornets or other insects, and where the natural drainage of rainwater won't flood the camp. 

Establish a shelter whose opening takes advantage of the prevailing climate. North-facing is best in hot locations, to avoid the direct glare of the sun. In a cold environment, the shelter should face southeast to catch the earliest warmth of morning sunshine. This is all presuming that you are in the Northern Hemisphere. Opposite directions apply to the Southern Hemisphere. 

Once the elements are no longer a threat, turn your attention to making the shelter as visible as possible, to aid in the search and rescue effort. Do anything that will attract the eye of a searcher. 

• Clear foliage from around the area. 
• Make tracks that lead to the shelter. 
• Set up "unnatural" objects such as piles of rocks, or arrows on the ground made of rocks that point toward the shelter, or a message drawn in the hard soil. 
• If you have a Space® Blanket or other bright fabric, use it as an attention-getting cover for the shelter, or simply spread it on the ground and weight it down with rocks or logs so it won’t blow away. 

Something as simple as that can be seen from a distance and may the just the thing that attracts a rescue party.