Emergency shelters - what works/what's practical?

rule no one when pitching shelter in high winds, anchor the shelter well first....

Training. Go out in adverse conditions, and actually spend a night or two out in really crap conditions. This will tell you if your system works or not. Theory and "knowledge" are great, but experience is invaluable. No one wants to have to go through what Madpom went through, or even some of the situations I've found myself in. So simulate. I sometimes do trips where my sole purpose is to practice survival techniques. I do this because I'm aware of my limits; and want to steadily increase them. I enjoy going out in "bad" weather. For several reasons: 1. It tests me, causing me to actively engage my brain a lot more when analysing situations and options. I love it! 2. It highlights any deficiencies or downfalls in gear, my actions, even the order I pack stuff. 3. Most people (thankfully) are fair-weather trampers. So it means I often get a track to myself. 4. Physiologically, I tend to overheat easily. Going out in less-than-ideal conditions keeps my body temp down, which in turn also keeps swelling down. It has been mentioned that knowing your terrain is invaluable. Which is true. However, random injuries can occur. Earthquakes could potentially alter the terrain, or simply cut you off from where you want to be. Also, I like exploring new areas far more than knowing place exceptionally well. So practice. Practice intelligently; set up in a hut, just in case, then "emergency bivvy" for the night just a few metres away from it. If it TRULY turns to the brown stuff, and you realise you're simply not coping with the conditions due to your gear, your use of it, your mindset isn't what you thought it was, any reason at all, you simply retreat to the gut. I guarantee you that even if you have to retreat, valuable lessons will have been learnt. I KNOW that I can survive most conditions. Some, like being caught out overnight in true alpine snow blizzards, I haven't truly experienced yet. As I've mentioned previously, I am approaching my learning and understanding of this most extreme environment in a methodical way. And that would be my suggestion. Train. Train yourself for "what ifs". Changed conditions and terrain. Unexpected injury and illness. (For instance, tie one arm to your side for a day). And always have several plans in place. We all know plan A can go arse up. But how are you going to mentally react when plans B & C also fail? You may have noticed I've purposely avoided talking about specific gear in this instance. That's because you guys and gals already have a pretty good idea of the fairly meticulous approach I take to gear. And yet, whilst good gear is important, even essential, to surviving in adverse conditions, I believe it is CRITICAL that you test your gear, your use of your gear, your mindset and mental approaches to improvisation in increasing degrees of discomfort in order to truly increase your chances of survival in any given situation. Learn half a dozen ways to light a fire. Learn how to improvise a shelter. Do what Honora did; dig a fire pit, cover it with earth, and sleep on that, using the ground heat to stave off hypothermia. Learn what your limits are. No one can tell you what your limits are; only you can. And there is no room for pride when it comes to knowing and testing and extending your limits. NEVER let anyone make you feel less than, because they might have more experience in a given environment/situation. Do your utmost not to overestimate your abilities. There's always more to learn. Always. Enjoy the process; make one of your trips every now and then solely about testing your gear, skills, and mental fortitude. Believe me, it's very exciting, and can be great fun! So. How to survive what the brown stuff hits the fan? Answer: Practice skills and gear usage. Then when faced with a situation, it's easy. You remain calm. Draw on your previous knowledge and experience of improvisation and adaptability. Understand who you are; without ego know your strengths and weaknesses. And then we can all read about your "I Shouldn't Be Alive" story, instead of mourning your tragic passing. :)

@Kreig I haven't heard that Honara story. Is it outlined here somewhere? I'm assuming the Madpom reference was when he broke his leg solo-ing without an epirb? Very commendable attitude, to proactively up your experience and skills in controlled conditions. That's an almost military approach. With kids and work and stuff, I couldn't see myself having the time or patience to invest in much of that against a pretty big unlikelihood. More fool me, no doubt. Yep, "knowing the terrain" is of course a huge advantage, but I think it's a bit irrelevant as most trampers would rather be somewhere new given the choice. "or even some of the situations I've found myself in." Would be interested to hear some of those.

Really brilliant responses guys, much appreciated. Tent fly can be pitched just as outer fly over poles (it's an MSR Hubba Hubba NX), but yeah, concerned about being able to pitch, the case I'm trying to cover is the case where you probably can't move much, so not much choice of where to pitch. Kreig, great idea of actually testing your emergency situation, should have thought of that. I do a shake down trip for new gear in expected conditions for a night, before taking it on bigger trips, but camping out on Mount Holdsworth on a bad night is easy, and seems would give me really good feedback. I'll think about this a bit, but given your responses it seems I should really research bivy bags. Thanks again!!

Craigo, you nailed it. I'm an ex-Navy medic and survival equipment maintainer. I guess I'm just used to being shoved in Poosville, and know that visiting there every now and then helps me. :D

I tried to track down that fire bed story to no avail. We did the fire bed as an experiment. The method is outlined here though I think we skipped placing the rocks but it worked anyway. https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=RPilFcqmq34C&pg=PA66&lpg=PA66&dq=fire+bed+8+inches+deep,+2+hours+4+inches&source=bl&ots=qIKnsRvKYo&sig=_U2NSjCaoD49YXhRRfr3KlhN0FQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjAq-CZmOTQAhWFo5QKHd_jBxkQ6AEIKTAD#v=onepage&q=fire%20bed%208%20inches%20deep%2C%202%20hours%204%20inches&f=false I googled "fire pit 8 inches 2 hours 4 inches" to find the above link. Not quite sure where we stumbled on this little life-saving gem. The debris pits are intriguing too but not sure how hard they'd be to dig and find sufficient dry material to fill the pit. I recall a resourceful Asian lady out on a run and benighted did something similar to survive the night recently somewhere like the Waitakeris (sp).

That's pretty interesting, all right. Of course any time conditions and fuel (and skill) allow a fire, a benighted person swings the odds in their favor, but this way you might actually get refreshed before morning. I could see it having helped out a lot down the eons in Northern coniferous zones. Dry and cold.

If I am planning on a hut/camping out (or just camping, I take a 2 person Terra Nova Photon 2, (weighs 980gms). For extended trips (camping) I take a fly also(450gms) If in the likes of the Tararuas, with many huts, I usually don't take any additional Fly or tent, unless intending to camp out. ,(other than usual survival bag). Depends on the route and if theres a chance of being caught out (tops traverse etc) Can always get caught out by the weather, but I am happy to stay put, if the weather (or rivers)look risky. If in unfamiliar country I'd probably take the tent along. (similar weight to a Bivvy bag), but not as easy to use if just bailing out in the lee of a ridge, in a gale - in the scrub/tussock I do always carry a light Montbell sleeping bag cover. 240gms. shower proof, that plus my survival bag is probably my "emergency shelter"

"Are you actually tarping in NZ? With all the sandflies, the constant humidity and the possums, that's not something I would consider myself… How is it?" @bohwaz: Ideal is a tarp with insect screen all around it. I have a tapered trapezoid shaped cuben fibre tarp I made myself. Smaller end closed off so I can pitch that end into the wind. Insect netting all around. Room to spare for me and 3 kids, I could accommodate a group of 4-5 adults and gear under there. Weighs less than 500g including a polycryo groundsheet. Best thing is, you can cook and do everything under there without having to open the screen door and let the sandflies in. Packs stay on the inside of the insect screen so you don't have to brave the sandflies to get something from your pack. This is a newly constructed one, I had a nylon version some time ago that was a little heavy to take tramping but brilliant on Fiordland sea kayaking trips. Peacefully sitting under it in the morning with breakfast and a coffee, enjoying the view through the clouds of angry sandflies outside... I'd post some pictures but it's in my pack, we're off to Stewart Island tomorrow for 10 days with it, I'll try and post some pictures on our return.

North island has fewer sandflys but more mosquitoes but these are less aggressive so dont bite as often. Not usually a problem unless camping near swampy areas. A wind higher than a light breeze keeps them away as well. Deet and citronella work well