Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: The Guide to Building Outdoor Shelters - The Original Classic Edition

My 13-year-old boy scout asked for this book. After reading bits and pieces for a week or so, he enlisted his brother and some neighborhood boys to go build some shelters in the woods down the street. They kept talking about the shelter and I figured it was typical exaggeration. A few of us adults walked down one day to see the shelter - WOW! It was impressive - and it stood up to the recent ice storms that left people without power for weeks. All built with branches and saplings in the woods.

The book inspired them.

Dense, informative and readable: It is hard to believe that a book published almost 100 years ago is still very relevant and practically useful today. It is very very dense yet still very readable.

It offers much more information than I originally anticipated. I am amazed by what shelters can be built with some simple tools. The author, one of the founders of Boy Scouts of America, actually lived in a log house built by himself. I suspect most of the content is from the authors own experience in building various kinds of architecture from simple shelters to fairly sophisticated houses.

Modern lightweight tents may be the primary temporary outdoor shelters nowadays, but wood shelters are still loved by hikers, campers.

This book is invaluable for educating kids to gain some basic carpentry and outdoor knowledge, nurture their sense of independence and responsibility and offer them the tremendous joy of staying in what built by themselves.