There are many types of shelters, and that likely can be named differently depending upon where in the world you live or based on different cultures.

Every human society since the time of cavemen has understood and acknowledged that some form of shelter was needed for consistent survival.

Even the house you live in today could be considered "a survival shelter", as without your house or apartment would greatly decrease your chances of long-term survival.

For the sake of this pre3sent context, we'll look at those small, easily constructed types of shelters that a person could build or acquire in an emergency.

Some of these shelters can be bought, others can be crafted, and some are naturally occurring and each will have benefits and flaws that you must take into account during any survival situation you find yourself in.

Shelter Types Based on Need

We're going to look at types of shelters for survival a little differently than most articles would, and look at the basic function instead of design.

Since we learned that sheltering can be more dependent upon a specific situation, the need for things like being dry might outweigh the need for the ability to build a fire.

It will depend on locations, timing, and other factors, and as such you will need to combine different concepts together when deciding on the type of survival shelter that is right for your needs.

If are using a bugout bag, because you prepared or were even out hunting, always consider having at least two types of shelters, such as a small tent, emergency blanket, or even a rain poncho in your bag.

These can all be used quite quickly to create a basic tent/A-Frame structure that will provide you the basic ability to stay "relatively dry" depending on how and where you set up your shelter.

Using rope or twine is best, but these can often be substituted with other things such as old VHS ribbon, which is quite durable as a viable material.

Building a basic A-Frame is relatively straight-forward, as you mainly need the shape of an A, and the ability to hold the parts together in some manner. This can be the rope you have, vises in the wilderness, or even forcing the sticks into soft ground to hold them in place.

The more secure you can make the structure, the better chances it will hold up to the surrounding elements, such as heavy rain, high winds, or small critters.

If you are in an area with wild animals, know that a shelter for keeping dry is not the same as "keeping safe" and you should always consider this to be a temporary structure at best.

A Traditional Tipi uses cowhide leather to make the outer shell.

The shape of the Tipi allows for the occupants to create a fire in the center of the structure allowing for warmth to be focused inside and allowing for smoke to exit directly from the top.

This also allows for them to control how much heat/air exchange is needed. These structures are quite effective for light, and quick travel as well.

During colder months these can be covered with thicker fur-lined hides to provide additional insulation.

They do not however provide enough protection to avoid dangerous animals such as large bears from attacking.

A Traditional Tipi uses cowhide leather to make the outer shell.

The shape of the Tipi allows for the occupants to create a fire in the center of the structure allowing for warmth to be focused inside and allowing for smoke to exit directly from the top.

This also allows for them to control how much heat/air exchange is needed. These structures are quite effective for light, and quick travel as well.

During colder months these can be covered with thicker fur-lined hides to provide additional insulation.

They do not however provide enough protection to avoid dangerous animals such as large bears from attacking.