Wikiup Shelter Build - Snow Storm, Forest Camp | Winter Bushcraft
It's late autumn in New England. The forest is quiet as if sensing winter's imminent approach.
I'm joined today by Malcolm Coderre, a friend of mine from many seasons,
and today we're building a wickiup, a native shelter that's ideal for this land of magnificent
weather. Simple hand tools like a knife, bucksaw, and axe are cornerstones of bushcraft. The mastery
of knots easily transforms wilderness materials, providing an unlimited potential for design.
Using a blanket or sleeping bag for reference is an easy method of making a properly sized
shelter. Let's not forget we're essentially building a bedroom in the wild. This wickiup's
frame is a quad pod with three bisecting uprights. These seven poles are simply arranged with a
latticework closing the gaps on the frame, greatly reducing the number of poles needed.
For a modest wickiup of this size, an acre of debris will be required to withstand good snowfall.
With the frame and roof done, and not a moment too soon, for a typical New England fashion,
the forest has been transformed into a winter wonderland overnight. It's incredibly important
to never walk with a bare edge on a sharp tool like an axe. Cut yourself very easy if you trip.
Weaving evergreen branches through the uprights above the door is a quick and effective way to
suspend thatching. It's easy to see why conical shelters like the wickiup is preferred by many
native peoples worldwide. It keeps out the cold convective wind. We're inside dead airspace in
here. It feels warm. The heat in front of us, the radiation is trapped by the walls in the shelter.
The opening at the top allows the smoke to enter the forest and leave our shelter.
With some simple bedding like blankets, we're off the cold ground. It's real home from home.