Survival Shelter Tutorial from The California Survival School

Recently featured on Good Morning America, the California Survival School was founded by two brothers with a passion for traditional living skills, outdoor adventure, and self-sufficiency. Dan and Michael Baird are dedicated to providing people — in Southern California and throughout the world (thanks to their epic excursion courses) — with access to hands-on outdoor learning adventures that refine inborn survival instincts into functional survival skills-sets and cultivate an intimate connection with the natural world that enriches life in ways for which there is no substitute.

Gun Carrier and Survival Life are proud to feature exclusive video instruction from CSS as a special feature on our sites. We plan on actively engaging the Baird Brothers to give you insider tips and tricks on survival techniques and skills that you just won't find anywhere else. Bear Grylls can suck it.

We will be checking in with our new favorite survival studs on a regular basis, but we're not just going to stop with amazing survival tutorials. You'll also gain access to killer deals on some of amazing trips that Dan and Michael lead throughout the year!

In our first series with Dan, we tackle survival priorities from a primitive perspective: How to tackle the basic shelter, water, fire. food, and all the rest of the things that go into making it through a survival situation, even if you have no gear with you.

How to Build a Survival Shelter, Part I

In Part I, we look at how to build a standard debris-hut shelter, but we improve on it past what you would normally find in books or on TV

In this video:

• The importance of regulating your temperature immediately.
• The number one environmental killer.
• What insulation does and how to source it in the wild.
• Making do with what you got!
• And more!

How to Build a Survival Shelter, Part II (The Shelter Bed)

In Part II, we look specifically at how to create the bed for our survival shelter. In this video:

• • • • How to be lazy but effective.

• • • Resource assessment.

• • • Optimal ground clearance for your bed.

• • • Shaping the bed for your body.

• • • And more!

How to Build a Survival Shelter, Part III (Framing & Structure Building)

How do you frame out your emergency survival shelter?

In this video: 

• The most important element of your survival shelter structure
• Why you have to minimize structure.
• Setting the ridge pole.
• Adding ribs to your ridge pole.
• And more!

How to Build a Survival Shelter, Part IV (Insulation)

Now that we have our ridge pole and ribs in place, we need to source and install our insulation. In this video:

• • • • Maximizing dead air space

• • • How to gauge insulation thickness needs.

• • • Conserving resources.

• • • Practicing comfort and experiencing a night in a shelter

• • • And more!

How to Build a Survival Shelter, Part IV (Conclusion)

We are almost done with our survival shelter. How do we make our finishing touches?

In this video

• Prepping for wind conditions
• Channeling water off your shelter
• Plugging your emergency shelter entry
• Keeping bugs out of your shelter by “smudging.”
• And more!

The more you know, the less you need to carry!

We'll be working closely with the California Survival School to give you amazing survival tips and tutorials. Be sure and check back regularly, and also stay tuned for great offers from the school on discount trips and courses exclusive to Gun Carrier and Survival Life members.

Want to know more? Check out these related articles:

Build a DIY Survival Shelter for Only $5!

Survival Shelters: Things You Need To Know

Bug Out Cabin Tips | How to Build the Ultimate Survival Shelter