We just got back from a two week vacation in Colorado. We stayed in a cabin that backed up against the national forest up at 9500 feet.

I have two daughters, 9 and 12. When we hike they always wear a backpack with their own survival gear and water and a few snacks. I encouraged the girls to build shelters in the forest behind our house just to see what they would build. There was plenty of dead wood laying on the ground. The girls both came up with decent shelters but what surprised me is how much cordage they used. I gave them a spool of small nylon cord like is used for trot lines. They used a ton of it. I need to work with them on knots but I learned that instead of a small amount of paracord in their kits, I need to include a spool of nylon cord. Also, they didn't fair to well with plastic trash bags. I will try to come up with some light tarps for them next time.

Just as you can learn a lot by doing things yourselves, you can better equip you kids by watching and teaching them. You have to let them try and fail a few times before they want to learn but it was a fun time for all of us. Oh, minor cuts are major learning experiences for kids.

David Enoch

Mason's twine is cheap and light.

And this is why we practice. Excellent learning point Dave.

The more cordage the better, but how about trying to build a shelter without using any at all?

Take a long branch, lay one end of the ground and support the other about three feet off the ground by propping it where a tree branch meets the tree. Drape a tarp over it or lay branches along both sides of it and cover it with leaves.

You can also make it free-standing using two equal length forked sticks to hold the end up to form a sort of lopsided tripod.

Plastic binder twine or the stuff used to bundle up packages are other sources of good inexpensive line.It is not as strong or stretchy as nylon but it is fine for most of what you use small lines for.

You daughters are way ahead of the game.

What a great Dad-thing to do for them.


:-)