"It doesn't include heading for the vacation house or that convenient bed and breakfast chalet off the beaten path, it means roughing it, or it should in this context anyways."

Why? And why this context? Shelter is shelter, and the tighter against the elements, the better. I think most people could live better and longer in an 8'x12' rustic log cabin than under a tarp or in a hole in the ground.

The criteria here ISN'T how hard you can make it for yourself and your family!

Sue