DIY hut and sleeping bag: master classes

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:23

If you like hiking, fishing, or taking long walks in the woods, check out how to make a hut. Skills on how to sew a sleeping bag will also come in handy. There can be a variety of situations in life, it is better to prepare for them in advance. If you went on a hike for one day, but did not calculate and have to spend the night in the forest, then you need to know how to build a hut. It can be made not only from poles and branches, but in winter from snow and other materials.

How to make a canopy with your own hands?

The type of temporary structure depends on:

how many people need to spend the night;
on the type of terrain;
type of vegetation in the area;
available funds.

First, let's look at the simplest type of coverage - a canopy. To build it, you will need:

hatchet;
knife;
strong rope;
stakes;
spruce branches or branches with leaves.

Select two trees a short distance from each other. Find a sturdy branch growing at an acute angle in each of them. They must be at the same height.
Cut the young growth of trees with a hatchet, and remove branches from them with the same tool. So you've made some poles. Lay the strongest one horizontally in the sinuses of those two branches of the tree.
Select the rest of the poles by height, leave the longest for the roof, the second largest will go to the horizontal lathing of the walls. But first you need to make upright racks. To do this, sharpen the ends of the poles, drive them into the ground in one straight line with the back of the ax.
Vertical uprights of different sizes. Place the higher ones closer to the trees, then the lower ones. Then the roof will have a slope. Tie the horizontal ones with a rope to these vertical posts.
Put long poles on the main most durable crossbar, first across it, then along, also tying them with a rope.
With the same hatchet, chop the spruce branches, lay it on the canopy, starting from the bottom. In this case, lay the branches with the convex side out.
The figure shows how to position the structure so that the cold wind does not blow into it. In front, in the distance, make a fire, then it will heat the house. The fire should be small to avoid a fire. To avoid it, dig in a fire pit so that the fire does not spread to the canopy.

When going into the forest, on a hike, or on a long walk, be sure to take a small ax with you. It is not heavy, does not take up much space, but it will help out perfectly in such a situation. Here's how to make a canopy to keep warm and shelter from precipitation and wind. If you have a lot of time and energy to build such a structure, then build another shelter.

How to make a hut?

It can be gable, rounded, wigwam-shaped.

If you are building a building of the first type, then you can also place it between two trees or in another way. For work, prepare:

two strong spears;
one rail;
thick straight branches;
rope;
axe.

Sharpen the spears, drive them vertically into the soil. In order not to damage the upper forked part, put a piece of wood on it, tap it with the back of the ax. You can dig 2 grooves with an ax, put each spear in such a hole, bury the bottom of the stick, tamp the ground tightly with your foot in your shoes.

Place a horizontal slab on top of the spear, fasten thick branches on it. If you do not have a rope with you, then put them so that they are fixed with knots on the horizontal poles.

This principle will help you to lay branches if you are not in a coniferous forest. See which side of the fire should be in order to heat your temporary home.

If you have poles of well-bending trees, then you can make a rounded structure. For her, you do not need two trees growing side by side. The base is a pair of poles that are connected at the top.

You can build a hut like a wigwam. To do this, take the branches, put them with their thinner ends up, tie here with a rope. Outside, make a few turns with the wire. Already on it you will attach the branches.

So, for such a structure you will need:

strong branches;
rope;
wire;
knife;
spruce branches.

If there is no spruce branches, use branches with leaves for shelter.

If a tarp or film is available, cover the hut with such material, fix the bottom with stones or earth. If this is also not the case, you can use branches without leaves, poles. Make the base of the wigwam, lay the branches at an angle, securing them with a rope.

The next photo shows what can be used to cover a gable hut, its dimensions are given and the principles of construction are shown.

Here's another example of the use of improvised tools. If there is cut dried grass available, cover the hut with it. To prevent it from scattering from gusts of wind, lay the poles on top obliquely.

If you have processed grapes in your garden, trimmed raspberries, use these bendable twigs to make a hut for children at home. Kids play with pleasure in such shelters.

Climbing plants can be planted outside, which will encircle such a gazebo and become a natural shelter from the sun.

If you do not have the strength and desire to build a hut, but there is a fire, then rake it a little to the side, when it burns out well, lay spruce branches on this heated place. And you can lie down on this natural bed, with your feet to the smoldering fire. But the fire should be located no closer than 1.5 meters from the bed. If you need to spend the night for several people, then lay spruce branches around the fire, the fire will be in the center at a sufficient distance.

If you have to spend the night in a snowy field in winter, then visually mark the perimeter of the square, from which you will shovel snow into the center to make a rounded dwelling.
Its upper walls must be tamped with a shovel if it is not very cold outside and the snow is sticky. If it is loose and the weather is frosty, then pour water over this part of the hut. The upper walls will become stronger.
Rake off the entrance to the dwelling, make a sufficient depression inside so that you can settle in it.
Be sure to provide ventilation by making a hole in the ceiling. If you arrange a fireplace inside, then the size of the room should be appropriate to accommodate people and a small fire. When it burns, it will melt the snow inside the building, make its walls strong in this part of the house as well.
Be sure to install a chimney by making a hole in the ceiling so that smoke can escape through it.

If you decide to build a hut from poles or spruce branches in winter, also throw snow on top of it, so that at this time of the year it is warm in such a house.

How to equip a hut inside?

So that you can spend the night in a hut at night, lay spruce branches inside. They only seem prickly, sleeping on such a bed, for lack of more, is quite soft and comfortable. In addition, a pleasant pine scent spreads.

If the overnight stay is not a warm night, but a cold one, then you need to take care of the hearth, observing safety measures. In this case, the hut should be built like a wigwam, at the top tie up the stakes so that there is a 1 meter gap for the smoke to escape.

In order to prepare a place for a fire, you will need:

shovel or ax;
Earth;
stones;
later firewood.

Use an ax, knife, or small spatula to dig a circular notch in the ground. Do not throw away this soil, surround the hearth with it, making its walls higher. If there are stones, then reinforce the edges of the fireplace with them.

For fire safety purposes, set up a fire not in a hut, but next to it, at a distance of 1.5 meters.

But if you need to follow him in turn, otherwise the consequences can be very sad.

Therefore, if you do not want to risk it, it is better not to light a fire at night, but to put on a sleeping bag to keep warm. You will learn how to sew it with your own hands in the next paragraph, but for now, check out how to make flooring. It will allow a person to be not on the ground, but higher. To do this, arrange an impromptu bed. You will need:

4 short, thick logs;
strong poles for the height of a person and two, which you will fill across;
spruce branches;
rags.

If the four short logs are wide, place them around the perimeter of the future bed. If they are not thick enough, then dig them in half or a third into the ground. If there are several people or a large person to sleep, then you will need more than four support logs. They are placed around the perimeter and in the center of the bed.

Put horizontal and vertical poles on top, tie them with a rope. Check the strength of the structure, only then lay the spruce branches on it, and a rag on top.

If it is not possible to make such a flooring, then put a deadwood on the ground, and spruce branches on it. If you are preparing in advance for the hike, then take a sleeping bag with you. In this case, you will be warm at night, you will not need to risk lighting a fire at this time of day.

How to sew a sleeping bag with your own hands?

These devices are three-layer. The upper one is a waterproof fabric, the inner one is the same fabric or cotton cloth, a heater is placed in the center.

The type of insulation depends on what time of year you will be using your sleeping bag. Previously, they took cotton wool for this. But if you carry this type of insulation on your shoulders, and not carry it in a car, it is quite difficult. A lighter option is synthetic fillers, such as:

synthetic winterizer;
holofiber;
thermofinn;
thinsulate;
Junsen.

Here are their main features:

Sintepon consists of polyester fibers, sometimes natural ones are added to them. It is lightweight, heats well. But the wear resistance of such a material is considered low. Over time, its structure collapses, therefore, the thermal insulation properties deteriorate, the fibers begin to break through the main fabric, let the cold pass.
Holofiber - a hollow material, the fibers of which are twisted in the form of a spiral spring. They are interconnected. The one-piece canvas has a springy structure. Holofiber is made of polyester. Unlike padding polyester, this type of filler is more wear-resistant. It quickly takes on its original shape after deformation, retains heat well, its structure is breathable, and is hypoallergenic.
Thermofinn is a high quality modern Russian insulation. It contains biological components and conventional highly crimped fibers. It has good thermal insulation, is safe and environmentally friendly, resilient, keeps its shape well even after repeated treatments.
Thinsulate is an artificial fluff. The fabric is obtained by weaving fine synthetic fibers that are very light in weight. Therefore, a sleeping bag with such a filler is easy to carry and comfortable to be in. Thinsulate, even when wet, retains heat, dries quickly. This filler has excellent wear resistance, does not shrink, does not deform, and has a homogeneous structure.
Junsen obtained by mixing biological components and polyester fibers, which are bonded together. This filler does not absorb odors, is hypoallergenic, also dries quickly when wet, and has excellent thermal insulation properties. But products with such insulation must be properly looked after. If you will wash a sleeping bag in washing machines, choose a gentle mode, since strong spinning can disrupt the structure of this material, deform the shape of the product.

For lining, it is best to choose a warm fabric such as flannel, soft wool, microfiber. But if you use the product in high humidity conditions, it is waterproof. You can fill a sleeping bag with fluff, but then the product needs to be quilted well so that it does not fall off. In this case, it is better to make the inner lining also from a waterproof material, since moisture is dangerous for natural fluff. It can become moldy and take a long time to dry.

After you have decided on the filler, purchased a waterproof fabric for the top, bottom, you can familiarize yourself with how to sew a sleeping bag.

Here is one of the easiest options.

Before sewing your sleeping bag, prepare:

lining and outer fabric;
filler;
long detachable zipper;
scissors;
large ruler;
crayon.

Then follow this sequence of actions:

Measure the height of the person for whom you will be sewing a sleeping bag, add 5-7 cm so that you can stretch out freely in it. The width of the product is 70–90 cm, depending on the size of the tourist.
Consider the option, if the width of the sleeping bag is 80 cm, the height of a person is 1 m 75 cm. Cut out a rectangle of 1 m 84 cm by 164 cm from the top and lining fabric. cm.
Fold the base and lining fabric right sides to each other, attach a synthetic winterizer on top. Sew along the edge. You now have a three-layer rectangle. Turn it right out so that the filler stays inside.
Fold this shape in half lengthwise, hem the bottom, tucking the hem of the fabric inward. Sew in the zipper.
To better distribute the filler inside, draw a ruler at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other, sew along them, making parallel stitches.

If you want to know how to sew a hooded sleeping bag then take a look at the following pattern.

For such a model, a rectangle is also cut out in size, but a quadrangle 60 cm high for the head is made at the top.
Round off its two upper corners, sew a bias tape here in the form of a drawstring. Insert the elastic inside so that the hood fits snugly against your head.
The same pattern shows that even when constructing it on the right, you need to make a rectangle with sides of 40x80 cm.
You will sew the bottom of the sleeping bag, and leave this tab free. But at the bottom it needs to be trimmed with a seam so that the side stitch does not break over time.

If you need to know how to sew a sleeping bag for this type of man, then take a look at the following sample with dimensions. Pay attention to the vertical and horizontal stitches with which this product is sewn. If your sewing machine does not pick up thick fabric well, then only quilt the top layer with the filling, and then sew this fabric to the lining.

You can also sew another sleeping bag to keep it as warm as possible. The following photo shows its dimensions.

Layout of the second version of the sleeping bag

And here is the pattern of this product. As you can see, the hood is sewn together with the main body. This sleeping bag is fastened at the front with Velcro or a zipper.