How to build a winter hut in the taiga?

What is a hut

What is a hut. Have you ever spent the night in the forest? If so, then most likely in a tent. Try spending the night in a hut. This brings you much closer to nature. Here it is, around us, nothing separates us from nature, not even a thin synthetic tent. Only nature around.

Smells, sounds, rustles - here it is, everything is nearby. Quiet evening accompanied by the crackle of branches burning in the fire. Starry sky overhead. Shadow theater in the firelight. Dark pines or spruce trees stood like sentinels around. And the sharp, loud cry of a bird in the silence of the night...

A hut in the forest is a refuge for a tired soul. Here, in a hut, in silence, a person rests his soul, disconnects from the bustle of the city, and rethinks his life. All problems that recently seemed complex and urgent recede into the background, or even into the background, and become insignificant and unimportant.

Just you and nature. The rest goes away, disappears into the silence of the night forever. Look at the sky. Bright stars shine in the gaps between the tree crowns. In fact, they are not that small. They're just very far away. And our planet Earth is very small in this huge world. And our problems, what can we even talk about them! Enjoy the silence and nature.

This is what a hut in the forest is. And what it consists of is described very well by the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. A hut is a temporary shelter with a base of poles covered with branches, bark, grass, skins, etc.

Taiga hut

There is no point in arguing about the advantages of a log hut as a winter hut. It will perfectly protect against autumn slush and winter cold. It is dry, warm, light and definitely more comfortable and cozy than in a dugout. In addition, a wooden hut will serve not only as protection from weather conditions, but also from wild animals. In general, both a commercial hunter and an ordinary hermit who, instead of the bustle of people, chose unity with nature as their main home, and any sane person will give preference to a log building.

Types of huts

In each specific case, the hut can be built differently. It all depends on the conditions, terrain and the presence or absence of certain construction items. Here, the word “construction” does not mean a bag of cement, but the presence of certain materials and items suitable for the construction of a given structure.

Here are the main types of huts:

Tent
gable
single-slope

In addition, there are many subspecies and varieties of huts based on these main types. It all depends on the place in which the hut is being built and your imagination. Well, and of course, it depends on the time available to those building this temporary structure. What the hut looks like is shown in the photo.

Tent

This is a hut in the form of a tent or a cone. Most often it is built from poles. These are young, long, thin trees. They are cut down, unnecessary branches are cut off and placed in the form of a cone. Cover with grass and branches. Well, or with fabric and skins, as the northern peoples do. After all, a tent is the same hut, only used for permanent housing.

By the way, the Altai Ail or the Central Asian yurt are also original huts. Or the development of the idea of a primitive hut at a new level of human development. By the way, this type of hut can best be adapted for heating with a fire. It is enough to make a fire pit in the middle of the tent, and provide a hole at the top for the smoke to escape.

Most often, there is no need to make a hole as such. It is enough to leave the top of the hut uncovered. Smoke will escape there, and behind the sheltered walls you can hide from bad weather. The warmth of the fire will warm you.

But you need to be careful with a fire. Otherwise, the hour is uneven, the house will burn down. Therefore, it is not recommended to build a strong fire. In addition, for the fire you need to select firewood from trees that do not contain resin, that is, not coniferous, but deciduous. There are no sparks from such firewood.

Gable

This is a classic type of hut in the form of a well-known tent. To construct it, a pole is laid horizontally at a certain height. It is laid on the branches of trees located close to each other at the same height. You can lay the pole on short tent-shaped poles placed vertically at the entrance and rear end of the future structure. Or drive into the ground, if possible, 2 poles with a fork at the top on opposite sides of it.

The height is chosen depending on your desire to walk in the hut at full height or just to climb in and go to bed. It depends on you and how much time you have to build the hut. Small ones are easier and faster to build. Moreover, you need to choose a small one if you need to leave the next morning.

Then branches or short poles are laid on the horizontal pole and the ground with some inclination. Well, tufts of grass, strips of tree bark are already laid on them, or they are simply laid with many small branches or spruce branches of coniferous trees. The housing is ready, you can spend the night.

Well, it’s better to prepare a bed for the night so that you don’t have to sleep on the ground. You can lay several poles along the wall on two logs and grass or spruce branches on them. As a last resort, you can go to sleep directly on a pile of grass or spruce branches if the ground is warm. Usually this can be done in the summer; in the cold season, it is better to make the bed at some height from the ground.

Single-pitch

In fact, this is half of a gable hut. Usually it is done where there is already some semblance of one wall. These can be two trees standing next to each other, on the branches of which a horizontal pole is placed. The further process proceeds similarly to that described above. The space between the trees is filled with branches and grass.

The easiest way to build a lean-to hut is on the side of a steep mountain or cliff. To do this, it is enough to place several poles or branches on it at an angle and cover them on top with grass or spruce branches of coniferous trees.

Dugout

The simplest and fastest solution would be to build a dugout. Yes, equipping such a shelter does not require much time, any special skills or significant effort. It is also quite warm. But there are also many disadvantages. In such a shelter it is dark, damp and quite problematic to equip a normal stove for heating. A dugout is more suitable for temporary shelter. After all, a fisherman walking around his area will often need places to stay for the night. Moreover, the area of the site may be of such dimensions that a complete walk-through will last not one day or two, but a week or more. In this case, temporary dugouts are set up at a distance of a day's march. Well, a real taiga dweller will definitely build a log hut in the taiga as his main home.

How to build a hut in the forest

How to build a hut in the forest with your own hands? In principle, it has already been shown in examples of the device of its main types above. Here it is necessary to indicate the main points that must be taken into account when choosing the type of hut and the materials from which to build it.

First of all, you need to inspect the place of your future overnight stay. And figure out how you could hide. At the same time, it is not forbidden to show ingenuity and even vice versa. How to make a hut if there are no trees at all and nowhere to get poles, but there are bushes. To do this, the tops of the bushes are tied in the form of a tent and covered with grass. That's it, the house is ready. Get inside.

If it is a dense forest, then even rain under the tree’s crown, if it happens, will not get you wet. For overnight accommodation in this case, you can make a light canopy in the form of a lean-to hut, supported by a tree or its branch. Or in the form of a tent around a tree.

If housing is being built for a long time, then the height needs to be greater so that it is comfortable to walk and stand at full height. In this case, it is advisable to press the covering material against the walls of the hut in case of strong wind with the same poles or tree branches.

If such a shelter is planned to be used for more than one season, then it can be made more thoroughly. For example, weave its walls from thin branches, like weaving a basket. Or build a tent with a fireplace inside, as the picture illustrates. This, of course, is not comfortable city housing, but, as they say, it’s heaven in a hut with your loved one.

But, no matter how the hut in the forest is made, it is advisable to make a drainage groove around the structure in case of rain. This will help prevent dampness inside. Good luck with the construction of this ancient dwelling.

Read:

House in the form of a hut.

Memory of Ancestors

A house in the forest in winter or life in a fairy tale

A private Russian bathhouse on your own plot

An old abandoned house in the forest

Making boards

Of course, we can’t count on even and relatively smooth boards that are made at sawmills. Nevertheless, we are quite capable of making a product that is quite similar to them and which we are not ashamed to call a board. All you need for this is a sharp axe, and for greater convenience you can make a wooden sledgehammer. It is necessary to choose a straight tree without large knots or twists in the trunk, plan several wooden wedges, make a small cut at the base of the trunk and drive a wooden wedge into it, gradually splitting the log along the fibers. A second cut is made nearby and the wedge is driven in again. Then the entire deck is split into boards, or as they are called - shingles. By the way, these boards have much more strength than those made on a sawmill in the usual way, since the wood fibers are not damaged. In this way, you can provide yourself with the necessary number of boards to build a roof, doors, floors and other necessary parts.

Mice and larger animals

The hut must be equipped with a tightly closed door, locked from the inside, to prevent free access for wild animals. Also, inside the ceiling there should be hooks for hanging supplies, since if you place them on shelves or hang them on the wall, you risk losing everything, since mice are excellent acrobats, and in this case they can easily get to the food. To catch mice, you can use one and a half liter plastic bottles. They need to be strengthened at an angle near the corner and the wall with the neck up. The mouse will definitely get inside the bottle, but will not be able to get out back.

Roof

A hut in the taiga can have either a single or double roof with an attic. Single - it is done faster and easier, but with an attic it is many times more convenient and practical. Firstly, the hut becomes many times warmer, and secondly, additional space appears for storing various things and supplies. In the warm season, you can dry hay and all sorts of herbs there. The roof is made as follows. First, the ceiling is laid out of shingles. The cracks between the boards are lined with moss. You can sprinkle it with earth on top or cover it with plastic wrap. Next, in front and behind the hut, two supports are attached to the top, the ridge rests on them and on the sides, two or three on each side. Then we cover the entire structure with shingles, we also caulk the cracks with moss, there is no need to spare the moss, and on top everything is covered with plastic film. It is not heavy and you can take it with you in sufficient quantity.