Improvised Tyvek A-Frame Shelter

I

IA Woodsman

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Sep 21, 2009
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I want to tell you folks I have a bunch of money wrapped up in gear. I have for years. But, you don't have to. Cheap and functional shelters are easy to make. Don't think you need to spend hundreds of dollars to enjoy the woods.

This is a tutorial on a free or very cheap shelter you can make from Tyvek.

[video=youtube;Gu5zZqkB190]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu5zZqkB190]Improvised Tyvek A-Frame Shelter - YouTube[/video]

All that you need that is man made is some cord and a 9'x9' piece of Tyvek.

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After finding a good shelter site, I put up a pole that will support the ridge pole.

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You can then lay the ridge pole and on the center fold attach the tyvek to the main pole with a button.

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Once that is secure, stake down the front corners.

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Here is a close up of a button. It is just some duff put into a pocket of the material and secured with a slip knot.

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A side and rear view of the shelter.

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The extended ridge pole can be used to hang a pot over your fire. You can also see that the extra material has been folded under and acts like a ground cloth.

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This is a great shelter for people just getting into bushcraft.
 
nice bivy!
I was expecting an a-frame tent or lean-to setup.
 
I wonder how durable Tyvek is. Might be a good suggestion if you're trying to get into it on a budget. I've always used plastic drop cloths as cheap, compact shelter material but Tyvek might be more durable in the end-and more comfortable, as it breathes.
 
the house wrap grade tyvek is pretty durable -- maybe moreso than your standard blue tarp.
it also "breathes" somewhat and is relatively UV stable.
 
I know it makes a decent groundcloth under a tent, but it is subject to damage from abrasion and a lot of folding. Also, tyvek comes in quite a few different grades. Hydrostatic head varies from a low of 15 to a high of 59. That is the height of a column of water it can support before leaking.
 
A friend of mine has a piece of tyvek that he has used for years as a tarp. It looks like crap compared to a new sheet but it wasn't leaking last time he used it. He put it up as a porch cover on an old cabin we were inhabiting once. It held up great even in high winds with almost constant rain that weekend. I keep meaning to price some out for my own supply. Need to look into that before my next campout.
 
Tyvek Weight: 1.6 oz/yd², 8 x 10 sells for around $20. The 4 mil tarp weighs about 3# and sells for $10.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I wonder how durable Tyvek is. Might be a good suggestion if you're trying to get into it on a budget. I've always used plastic drop cloths as cheap, compact shelter material but Tyvek might be more durable in the end-and more comfortable, as it breathes.
Click to expand...

Tyvec house rap material is a air/vapor membrane. It shouldn't breath. There are probably different Tyvec wraps available.
 
House wrap has to breathe, let moisture vapor out. Otherwise, people would use plastic wrapping which is not semipremiable.
 
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