With Hurricane season in full swing the topic has come up again in my house... Family Survival Shelters! Think survival tarp/ shelter but for a family of 3-5 people.. Does anyone have one? Home made? Commercial? Colors? Weight? Size? Ideas? Thoughts? Let’s talk about it!
If you need ONE Shelter for a whole group, I would just take a military tent like this one: https://doveinstruments.com/product/mining-camp-tools/tents-tarps/single-sheet-military-tent-xv/ The Problem would be, that it´s pretty heavy and could be difficult to transport. Guess these would just be an Option if you move by Car / Truck. If I would have to care about a whole group, I guess I would like to stay flexible and be able to move, split up, have multiple options for set ups etc. So I would go with multiple tarps and maybe one bigger tent. With that you can set up a group shelter by putting all the tarps together. If its hot, everybody can stay out and you can use the tent for Equipment, Gear etc. If its cold, people can gather in the tent and sleep in it while one or two staying outside, taking care of the Fire, keep watch or what ever. Also, if what ever happens and you need to split up, you have more options then if you only have one shelter for the whole group. If you have a good truck etc. I would think about integrating it in the concept.
How temporary of a shelter are you looking for? If it's for overnights to possibly a few days I think the idea of each person carrying one tarp and quality space blanket to use solo or in conjunction with others as a group shelter is about the most versatile option....if it's for longer stays or where weight doesnt matter a canvas tent with woodstove would be ideal and most comfortable....and it's only for carrying on hikes as a quick shelter for weather or emergencies that could make it an overnight, than look into bothy bags/shelters....a canadian friend of mine who is an RN and is involved in a lot of backcountry search and rescue swears by them...
Since i started the thread i should probably put my 2 cent in already At any given time i would need to shelter between 5 and 6 people in case of emergency and a couple of pets. I use to have a much better set up when i stil owned a M416 Jeep trailer. I could stuff all the supplies i need in it and have it pre staged in my garage and ready to go at all times.. Since moving across country i was not able to bring it so i have needed to improvise. I have 2 plans roughly in place. #1 i have a 60's era pull behind trailer. If i had plenty of time to prepare i would simply load it up and leave early. Water, shower, microwave, AC, Heater, toilet etc. (generator carried in tow vehicle). #2 I have my AMAZING Kodiak Canvas 10x10 tent (see stock photos below, i have the 2nd type with the additional side windows) This has its pros and cons mostly it decently heavy, uses the ground for support ( its a weird staking thing) BUT it is a Tank and holds up to SERIOUS weather This is my more mobile by vehicle option but still need to be a decent size vehicle to take anything else with the tent. My goal is looking for the 3rd option. I need to find something MUCH lighter ideally with a 10x10 foot print for enough space for everyone.
That would be insanely tight for 5 people (let alone 6) in a 100sqft. Figure this, if you have kids the average space needed for each person to lay down would be 5ftx3ft (15 sq ft). That would cover 75sqft (90sqft if you had 6) of your 100sq ft leaving very little for gear.... I have been wanting to pick up a Coleman Evanston 8 Screened Tent. It has a footprint of 15x12 with a sleeping area slightly larger than 10x10. It weighs around 30lbs. It would be a great size for my family of 5 (me,wife, 3 kids under 10). And the screened area would be perfect for gear,shoes,chairs, or a place to sit/eat if its buggy....
So I bought the 10x10 when my kiddos where smaller and actually had a couple of decent overnights with it. The trick / problem we found was the slope of the walls. We easily stored a bulk of our gear under the cots we used and had plenty of room to get around and even fit a “pack and Play” no problem. BUT due to the slope of the walls and the height of the cots they actually would rub on the walls. Which also pushed them a good foot away from the base of the footing if that makes sense. We just used that extra space for more storage. A little back story The logic of the 10x10 Size at the time was we had been repeatedly told that they were trying to standardize the designated / pre groomed/ tent pad areas/ designated tent areas nationally for a 10x10 tent. While this in fact has been a little hit or miss it has worked out more times then not. In a emergency situation such as having to relocate because of a hurricane we could def make this work. But again is something that should be transported in a vehicle. The 3rd option that I’m trying to figure out I’m not partically worried about keeping to that small size. I have actually seen a couple of the Coleman brand tents that might fit my need.
Yea it seems you have options 1 and 2 covered pretty well. I have always owned Coleman tents and was never disappointed. Keep watching the ones you want on amazon. Often enough they drop way down in price for a day or so...I've seen that Evanston 8 Screened Tent as low as 80 bucks...but it always drops right at the worst possible times financially lol
40' container buried into the hillside. 20' if on a budget or real close family. Fold down bunks like for a camper work great.
I've never seen or heard of those tents before. I did a little searching and found the T4plus... I've been looking for a tent with a screened porch on front for car camping and that Gazelle is amazing and exactly what I have been looking for ....and cant afford...thanks