THE TRAPPER'S ROOF - Part 1

Articles In This Section:

· RANGER OR GYPSY TENTS AND TRAPPERS' BIVOUACS - Part 1

· RANGER OR GYPSY TENTS AND TRAPPERS' BIVOUACS - Part 2

· REED HUTS

· THE TRAPPER'S ROOF - Part 1

· THE TRAPPER'S ROOF - Part 2

This model of the trapper's roof lies about halfway between the gabled hut and the ranger's tent. It is usually rainproofed with reeds and intended as a nook to slide into on a rainy night—an emergency refuge—rather than a cozy shelter.

You can build a large, roomy trapper's roof in an afternoon, and then gradually improve it until you have built a regular hut.

You can move the trapper's roof around and place it where it will best protect you from the rain. In spite of its simplicity, it still offers good protection. It is also easily adaptable as a movable roof over cooking sites, but you'll have to be very careful that no sparks hit it.

First get two solid forked supports and stick them in the ground, then connect them with a horizontal pole. This is the crossbeam of the roof, where the upper edge will be bound. The lower edge rests on the ground or you can put it on a board, into a wood pile, or against a rise in the ground. The different examples of gypsy tents shown on page 19 may give you ideas for such constructions. The illustrations here show the roof sometimes resting on the ground, sometimes a bit above it.