SHELTER
TYPE |
SNOW TENT |
IGLOO |
MOUND SHELTER |
SNOW CAVE |
COVERED TRENCH SHELTER |
| TIME REQUIRED |
A few minutes |
2-3 man-hours |
3-4 man-hours of work
+ 1 to
2 hours of waiting for the snow to settle. |
1-2 man-hours |
15 man minutes if snow is deep
enough.
1 man hour if you need to build walls for
it. |
| PICTURE |
|
|
|
|
|
INSIDE TEMPER
ATURE |
Cold, even the best snow tents
don't approach good snow shelters. |
Very nice and warm if it's done
right. |
As warm as an igloo. |
A well made snow cave is as
warm as an igloo but that requires perfect
conditions. |
Not as warm as an igloo but
warmer than a tent. |
| SKILLS
REQUIRED |
None |
You need to make a few practice
igloos before you get one right. |
You need to make one for
practice before you get one right. |
If conditions are good you can
get very good results on your first try, the second
one will be perfect. |
Very little, you'll learn as
you go along. |
| SPECIAL CONDITIONS
REQUIRED |
None |
Deep enough good consistency
packed snow |
Enough snow |
Deep snow |
Deep enough snow or at least
enough snow to build walls. |
| SUMMARY |
A tent is the easiest and
fastest snow shelter to set up. They are also the coldes
possible snow shelters. You also need to carry the tent
with you, snow tents weigh around 9-12 pounds and cost
$300 - $500. |
Igloos are great snow shelters,
they are very warm and comfortable. They do require some
skill to make. If you are a snow camper it's a great
idea to learn how to make an igloo. |
Pretty much the same thing as
an igloo but they take longer to make and are not as
strong. This shelter is very hard work if you're alone
since you need to haul the snow out of the hole at the same time as you're
digging, it's much more efficient to separate the two tasks between two
people. |
A snow cave is a great snow
shelter if the conditions are right. But if the
conditions are not perfect it won't be as good as an
igloo, still better than a tent or a covered trench
though. This shelter is very hard work if you're
alone since you need to haul the snow out
of the hole at the same time as you're digging, it's
much more efficient to separate the two tasks between two
people. |
Very fast to make if you are in
a hurry. Warmer than a tent but not as warm as an igloo
since it normally doesn't have a cold sink. |
| MORE INFO |
snow tent comparison |
how to make an igloo |
how to make a snow mound shelter |
how to make a snow cave |
how to build a snow trench shelter |
