Q: How do you make a shade shelter? A: For a basic shade shelter, all you need to do is spread some material out so you can get under it. If you have some rope, you can tie it between four trees to form a canopy.

­Here's a wo­rst-case scenario for you: You've been separated from your day hiking group late on a chilly fall afternoon and find yourself alone in the woods. You have no tent or sleeping bag, and night falls fast deep in the forest. You call out and hear nothing but the cold wind. You mark a tree and walk half a mile and back in every direction -- no one, nothing. A cold shiver washes over you, and you realize that if you don't get some shelter from the coming night's cold, you may be in serious trouble. What happens in the next couple of hours may decide whether or not you survive the night.

You may not think you'd ever need to learn survival techniques. Just because you don't fashion yourself as John Rambo doesn't mean you might not be faced with a situation like the one above. It could be a swerve from a steep and quiet stretch of road. Maybe you find yourself injured and unable to go for help. Knowledge of some of the basic survival techniques will give you a fighting chance.

Photographer: Melster | Agency: Dreamstime
An elevated open shelter like this one will keep you dry
and shaded.

U.S. military field manual 21-76-1 calls survival a "decision." This means that if you take the proper steps in a survival situation, you stand a good chance at living to talk about it. There are many important moves you make in your bid to survive in the wilderness. The first and maybe most important one is to set yourself up with adequate shelter.

Video Gallery: Stories of Survival Three hikers on Mt. Hood survived a night of frigid temperatures, snow and wind huddled in two sleeping bags with their black Lab. Learn about their rescue in this Reuters video. An Australian man stayed in a tree in the Outback for days while crocodiles circled below him. Check out his story in a Reuters video.

­A good shelter is important on several fronts. Not only does it shield you from the elements, ­it can also hide you from wildlife intruders and provide the psychological comfort needed to remain calm and in control. Depending on the survival situation you find yourself in, there are several different ways to seek shelter. In this article, we'll look at some of these scenarios and go over the different ways to build the best shelter for your needs.

Survivorman­Every week, wilderness survival expert Les Stroud suffers through extreme conditions on the Discovery Channel's "Survivorman." One week he's lost at sea in the middle of the South Pacific. The next week, he's alone in the searing heat of the Kalahari desert. From the swamps of Georgia to the plains of Africa, "Survivorman" shows you exactly how you might survive real-life scenarios. The one thing that sets the show apart from any other is that the host and star is all alone. There is no camera or sound crew filming him. For seven days, Stroud hauls his camera equipment around and documents his journey in the first person. He's usually left with no food or water, and only a multi-tool at his disposal. In the crash scenarios, he might have the wreckage from a small boat, airplane or raft to use. It's fun watching Stroud eat disgusting things and lick his chops in satisfaction at the delicious "food energy." Stroud uses anything and everything he can find to help him along the way. He's even bent and shaped his trusty harmonica into a serrated spear head for fishing. ­­

In the next section, we'll look at some wilderness shelter basics.­ ­ ­