Shelter

25 “Quick Up” Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp

Published

on

Camping in a tent | "Quick Up" Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp | Featured

Explore the full potential of tarp shelters both for camping and survival situations with this guide to building a quick tarp shelter setup!

RELATED: How To Build DIY Survival Shelters To Survive Through The Night

In this article:

  1. Tips for Tarp Shelter Camping
  2. “Quick Up” Survival Shelters

Survival Life Guide to Building a Tarp Shelter

Tips for Tarp Shelter Camping

A tarp shelter is one of the easiest temporary shelters you can build. It's also multipurpose and incredibly lightweight.

black-banner-gear-tester
grey-square-gear-testers

This is why it's so handy since you can easily fold and carry it along with you. With a tarp, a bit of cordage, and a little know-how, you can build a survival shelter in no time.

For surviving the wilderness, having a tarp and some rope can actually save your life as it can provide you shade in the day, warmth at night, or a dry place to stay when it's raining.

There are some things you need to consider, though, before you actually set up one. Here are some tips and insights into building a tarp shelter for camping and survival:

1. Selecting a Location for Your Tarp Shelter Setup

Nature landscape camping tent with tarp | "Quick Up" Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp

 

This is probably the most important part of building a tarp survival shelter, particularly in situations where you only have a tarp and some ropes.

When selecting a location, you have to look for a place with some kind of pole, like trees, where you can tie your ropes onto. Look for a place where the distance between those poles is enough to accommodate the size of the tarp and ropes you have.

2. Clear the Vicinity

Green camping tent in green forest | "Quick Up" Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp

After you've found a place to build your shelter, you've got to clear up the area. Make sure to clear the rocks and other debris to make it comfortable.

You also need to check the general direction of the wind. Set your shelter properly so the wind doesn't blow through it or blow it down (this is key to staying warm).

orange-banner-gear
tan-square-gear-testers

RELATED: 10 Critical Points You Need To Know About Building Any Natural Shelter

3. Tying the Knots

|

After clearing the unnecessary things up, you can now start building your shelter. First, tie the ropes to two different trees and form a hanging line.

Consider the height of the rope and make sure it's elevated enough to accommodate the size of the tarp you have. This will serve as your frame for your tarp.

Make sure to tie those ropes tight enough to be able to withstand strong wind.

4. The Triangular Pattern Tarp Shelter

Bushcraft tarp shelter | "Quick Up" Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp

 

This is one of the most basic and easiest tarp shelter setups. First, put the tarp over the hanging rope and divide it into two equal parts.

Now, tie some ropes on every edge of the tarp. Pull and anchor the ropes on the ground to form the triangular tent shape.

When setting up a large tarp shelter, make sure you support it with ropes so it does not catch pools or puddles.

“Quick Up” Survival Shelters

Infographic | "Quick Up" Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp

Check rollingfox.com for an infographic about tarp shelter configurations.

Learn how to make a tarp shelter without trees in this video from Muddy Tiger Outdoors:

Building a tarp shelter is pretty simple and easy. Knowing basic survival skills like tying different sort of knots will also come in handy.

You can improvise with other materials like using long strong branches for your pole instead of using a tree or some vines when you run out of rope.

Do you have some tips on building a tarp shelter? Share them in the comments section below!

Up Next: 

Go to our Survival Life Store to shop some of our favorites self-defense tools and gear!

Sign Up For Survival Life Subscribe Button

Follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitterPinterest, and Tumblr!

"Quick Up" Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp | https://survivallife.com/tarp-shelter/

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 7, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

Continue Reading
22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. Pingback: How To Build A Hurricane Shelter | Survival Life

  2. Pingback: The 9 DIY Survival Shelters You Need To Know To Survive Anything

  3. Pingback: Tarp Shelter: Survival Life Guide On Building Shelters - Survival Journal

  4. Pingback: Hurricane Shelters: What You Must Know | Survival Life

  5. Pingback: How To Build DIY Survival Shelters To Survive Through The Night - Survive!

  6. Pingback: 9 DIY Survival Shelters To Survive Through The Night - Prepared Survivalist

  7. Pingback: How to Remove Ticks from your Skin - Survive!

  8. Pingback: How to Remove Ticks from your Skin

  9. Pingback: 25 “Quick Up” Survival Shelters You Can Build With A Tarp | Life Off The Grid

  10. Pingback: Build An Igloo in 5 Easy Steps

  11. Pingback: How To Build An Igloo In 5 Easy Steps | Primitive technology

  12. Pingback: How To Build An Igloo In 5 Easy Steps - Survival Patch

  13. Pingback: How To Build An Igloo In 5 Easy Steps | Life Off The Grid

  14. Deb

    November 29, 2018 at 10:02 AM

    Remember not to pick a site down hill from where water can swamp you. Pick a place high & dry. And don’t forget the technique of putting a little rock under the middle of the tarp and wrapping string or rope around it to make a center point teepee of sorts if your supplies are limited. You hoist up the center & can anchor it to a sturdy branch. Necessity is the mother of invention!

  15. Pingback: Wire Coat Hanger | 20 Ways To Use A Hanger For Survival | Survival Life

  16. Pingback: Essential Knots Every Survivalist Needs To Know | Survival Life

  17. Pingback: 20 Ways To Use A Wire Coat Hanger For Survival | Primitive technology

  18. Pingback: 20 Ways To Use A Wire Coat Hanger For Survival – Ultimate Survival Alerts

  19. Pingback: 40 Essential Knots Every Survivalist Needs To Know – Ultimate Survival Alerts

  20. Pingback: 40 Essential Knots Every Survivalist Needs To Know

  21. Pingback: 20 Ways To Use A Wire Coat Hanger For Survival – Survival NEWS

  22. Pingback: Uses For Shipping Containers | What Survivalists Should Know

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Trending

SIGN UP NOW

Enter for a chance to WIN a pair of these Tactical Boots when you sign up today for our exclusive email newsletter subscription.