Homemade Survival Beds

Homemade Survival Beds

     Sleeping in the wilderness is one of those things I just never liked to do mainly because its hard to get a good nights rest unless you prepare in advance. I decided to write an article on a few of my own homemade survival beds I have made in the woods that work extremely good. Both the survival hammock and the survival bed are made using different sized tarps to custom make each bed depending on the circumstances.

How to make a
Clove Hitch Knot

      My survival hammock is the simplest to make and it can be made several different ways. It can be just a simple hammock or a more complex hammock that has a built in roof. The basic hammock is made with a 10 x 5 10 mil tarp and para cord it also takes less then five minute to set up once you have done it a few times.

The first thing you need to know is how to tie a clove hitch and how to do it right every time. The clove hitch can be a tricky knot mainly because after the knot is tied, one end of the rope will be a load end and the other is not. If you use the wrong end you will hit the ground hard and it wont feel good, so be careful and make sure the knot is tied right before you lie down.

Homemade Hammock made with a Tarp
During a Survival Trip

After you've learned the clove hitch you're ready to make your own survival hammock. You need to find two trees that are around ten feet apart, or that fit you and how much para cord you have. Lay the tarp out were you want it and tie a piece of para cord to one of the trees, use the clove hitch to tie on to the tarp and repeat. This will take so practice to make sure its high enough and some what level. Keep in mind that the tarp and the para cord will stretch so you need to compensate for that. Also make sure you tied the clove hitch at least six inches onto the tarp because it could slip and if it does its going to hurt so be careful.

The foundation of you're
Survival bed is Very Important

My Survival Cot takes a lot more time and effort to put up but is worth it in the end.
This is more of a long term survival bed for hunters and backpackers because the only two things you need are para cord and a 10 x 5 tarp.

My Survival Bed
Made with a Tarp

 The hardest part of setting this cot up is finding four trees that are close and are square with each other. After you have done that you need poles that are long enough to reach between the trees. It's a very easy mistake not being able to fit in you cot, so make sure your poles are long enough. Tie two of the poles paralleling each other on to the trees and tie the other two poles so it creates a rectangle. after your done with that you need to lay the tarp over the rectangle and lace the para cord though the holes in the tarp like a shoe lace. Make sure you tie the tarp tight enough so you don't feel the strings when you lay down on the tarp. This cot will also stretch so you need to compensate by making sure its really tight.