Make a Wind and Rain Shelter

= Motivation = During spring and summer, a wind shelter protects against rain and wind. In the colder part of the year, a small fireplace will be more effective inside a wind shelter. You should build shelters as soon as possible. A good wind shelter will not only protect against the health hazards of exposure to rain and wind, but it will also increase productivity and comfort. People who sleep well are generally more productive.

At this stage you may also build a simple town's house. Since you only have limited resources it is suggested that wind shelters are constructed for the majority of the population.

= Selecting a Good Location = Select a location where you have easy access to drinking water. The wind shelter is easy to build so it is not critical to pick the perfect location at this time. You can move later as needed.

= Selecting a Type of Shelter = This guide will describe two types of shelter. One is the quick shelter which requires almost no construction and thus can be quickly established and easily abandoned. The second type of shelter described will be somewhat more permanent. We will call this shelter a semi-permanent shelter.

The Quick Shelter
The quick shelter is suitable when a shelter has to be constructed quickly. It doesn't offer the same level of protection and comfort as the semi-permanent shelter.

To make a quick shelter, you will want to look for natural features that help you.

During winter time:
 * An anthill provides good protection against the cold. Since the ants are dead in winter you can dig into the ant stack and sleep inside of it. You will get excellent cover both from below and above.
 * Since there is a low chance of rain in winter, a simple hole or depression in the ground will provide some shelter against wind. Put pine tree branches, or any other springy leafy branch, at the bottom of the hole for isolation from the cold ground. Also put covering branches on top of the hole to keep warmth inside.

During winter or summer time:
 * A simple shelter can be made by finding a fallen tree with space underneath it. Put branches against its sides for wind and rain cover.
 * Large boulders provide both protection from wind and a surface to lean branches against for a simple roof.

The Semi-Permanent Shelter
It is difficult to build anything semi-permanent at stage 0. Later on when you have access to cutting tools it will become much easier.