A Northern Lean To

[rancid badger]

Admittedly inspired by Mr. Mears, here's a lean to I built for the 1999 Chopwell forest Festival:

It was built using a windblown Corsican pine for thatch and redundant Christmas tree's for pretty much everything else.

It took about 5 hours to build but about 2 days to get all the material on site from around the area.

an inside view showing the large number of "poles" used for rafters.

The thatch was about 2 feet thick and totally wind and water tight.The lashings were spruce root ( the shelter was actually constructed in an isolated pocket of Sitka) The fire reflector was just odds and ends that had been lying about, again, secured with spruce root.
Tools used were; A Golok No.2, Wilkinson Sword pruning saw and a Big Swede folder.
Funny, I probably wouldn't dream of using the golok now changing fashion?

Anyway,
Best wishes
R.B.

 

[Matt Weir]

Blimey RB - talk about home from home mate

 

[David.s]

That looks excellent mate, i really need to try one of these one day.

 

[bushtank]

Hi RB
That is a very good build mate. I built a lean to very much the same as yours and had a few overnighters during december they are very warm with a long log fire in front and plenty of beer. mine lasted about two months then some local idiots knocked it down.the next one was built deeper in the woods away from kids.

 

[jasons]

Love it. Have you sleept in it

 

[spamel]

That's awesome. Looks incredibly comfy. Did you make a raised bed for it or just kip on the deck?

 

[Matt Weir]

That's awesome. Looks incredibly comfy. Did you make a raised bed for it or just kip on the deck?

There's always one poopooer

Just kidding Spam, good spot mate, a raised bed would be the cherry on that cake. However, it looks like you might just be able to sling a hammock in there given how it's built using those two pines either end

 

[spamel]

A nice mattress of boughs on the floor would also be comfy though. My first night out ever as a child was on a bed of logs and boughs with a blanket between me and my brother and our waterproof macs thrown over the top just in case it rained. the next morning I saw my first foxes!

Nowt wrong with kipping on the deck!

 

[Matt Weir]

My first night out ever as a child was on a bed of logs and boughs with a blanket between me and my brother and our waterproof macs thrown over the top just in case it rained. the next morning I saw my first foxes!

Now that's pretty cool

 

[rancid badger]

That's awesome. Looks incredibly comfy. Did you make a raised bed for it or just kip on the deck?

Well I didn't get to kip in it at all! two of the lads did and I ended up on my SAS hammock, set up as a pole bed

However, we filled it with about a foot of thatch material on the floor and another 2 feet of bracken on top then an issue bivvy bag-didn't actually light a fire as it was July. It was very comfortable indeed.

They are excellent shelters but very labour intensive and take a hell of a lot of material.

The whole thing was demolished and scattered around the undergrowth after the event.

Cheers
R.B.

 

[spamel]

I can see that taking a lot of work. It certainly wouldn't be something you would do for one night but for a fixed camp or one you return to often it would be great. As you say though, in UK, some imbecile would burn it down for kicks. Not sure what that sort of person gets out of it but there you go.

 

[Shewie]

Nice work RB - that looks superb

I`ve built a couple on courses and slept out in them, but I`ve never built one for myself whilst out and about. I just can`t justify the amount of resources it uses up when I could just string up the tarp.

I`d love to try one out in the snow one year, except we don`t get any snow these days.



Rich

 

[rancid badger]

Hi RB
That is a very good build mate. I built a lean to very much the same as yours and had a few overnighters during december they are very warm with a long log fire in front and plenty of beer. mine lasted about two months then some local idiots knocked it down.the next one was built deeper in the woods away from kids.

The last one I built, was for the Forestry Ranger, about 4 years ago.
It was in amongst a load of windblown Sitka, just off a nature trail. It took a lot more work but was definitely a "product improved" version of the one seen here. It took about a week to do, although only spending 2-3 hrs a day.
The ranger at the time, had ideas of it being used as a feature for school groups.

Two weeks after it was finished, he rang me one morning to say that it had been turned into a drinking den by one of the packs of moronic youngsters, often found on the fringes of the wood but rarely as far in as this particular location.

I was amazed that it hadn't actually been destroyed, in fact it had been extended-no matter, we set to dismantling it and scattering everything--it took ages to scatter!

This is why I now always advise students who come along to our events, never to leave a shelter in place.

Cheers
R.B.