The Art of Building a Portable Shelter: A Sailor's Challenge

As I sat in my workshop, surrounded by rolls of waterproof tape, plastic sheets, and other miscellaneous materials, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and trepidation. The Navy had challenged me to build a portable shelter that could withstand the elements, was easy to set up, and could be used in emergency situations. The catch? It had to be done with minimal resources and time constraints.

I began by examining the design requirements for the shelter. It needed to be waterproof, lightweight, and easy to assemble. I considered using inflatable materials or pre-fabricated sections, but ultimately decided to take a more DIY approach. With a mix of creativity and pragmatism, I set out to build a shelter that would meet the Navy's expectations.

The first step was to create the framework for the shelter. Using duct tape as an adhesive, I attached plastic sheets to a lightweight frame made from aluminum strips. The design allowed for easy assembly and disassembly, making it ideal for temporary use. Next, I added hinges to the top section of the shelter, which would allow me to fold it flat when not in use. To ensure waterproofing, I applied layers of tape to both sides of the hinge area.

As I worked on the shelter's interior, I realized that the real challenge lay in creating a system for securing it in place. With no fixed foundation or anchoring points, I needed to find alternative solutions. I used tape tabs and velcro to create a makeshift fastening system, which would allow me to adjust the shelter's position as needed. This also provided an added layer of security against wind and rain.

One of the most crucial aspects of building the shelter was finding ways to make it easy to set up and take down. To achieve this, I employed the use of simple yet effective solutions such as clips and straps. These allowed me to quickly attach or detach various components, ensuring that the shelter could be easily transported and reassembled.

As I continued working on the project, I found myself getting into a rhythm. The design began to take shape, and I started to envision how it would work in real-world situations. One of the most impressive aspects of this challenge was the versatility of the final product. With its ability to be stacked and easily disassembled, the shelter could be used as part of a larger emergency response system or even as a standalone solution for individual use.

Finally, I applied the finishing touches to my creation – velcro straps that would allow me to secure the shelter in place and transport it with ease. The result was a lightweight, portable shelter that not only met but exceeded expectations. As I showed it off to a Navy representative during our call, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride knowing that this design could potentially be used in emergency situations around the world.

The experience of building this portable shelter has taught me valuable lessons about resourcefulness, creativity, and problem-solving. As someone who works with materials and tools every day, it's essential to remain adaptable and open-minded when faced with new challenges. The Navy's challenge was a perfect example of how innovative thinking can be applied in various contexts.

The Sailor vs Series: A Partnership with the Navy

Throughout this project, I've had the pleasure of working closely with the Navy, who provided me with the necessary resources and support to complete the shelter design. This collaboration has not only honed my skills but also given me a deeper understanding of the importance of teamwork and communication.

For those interested in pursuing a career in the Navy or learning more about the sailor vs series, I encourage you to check out the link provided in the description. The Sailor vs Series features an ongoing competition where I face off against teams of skilled sailors and engineers in various building challenges. Each episode showcases unique skills, creativity, and innovative problem-solving, making it a must-watch for anyone interested in the world of engineering and construction.

Conclusion

The portable shelter design is now complete, and I'm excited to see how it can be used in emergency situations around the world. The process involved in creating this shelter has taught me valuable lessons about resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork. If you're looking for inspiration or have any questions regarding building materials or DIY projects, feel free to reach out. Until next time, I'll be exploring new challenges and pushing myself to innovate in the world of engineering and construction.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey i'm bob at i like to make stuff today we're going to make an emergency shelter with the navy today's video is sponsored by the navy and it's part of sailor versus the series where other creators and i see if we have what it takes to be in the navy i've been challenged by cb steelworker second class priester to see if i can build a portable shelter i don't typically do challenges but this is a really cool opportunity because the cbs are a group of construction specialists that include builders electricians plumbers and welders and they work together as a team to build awesome structures in crazy situations let's hop on a call with sw2 priester sw2 priester it's good to see you how you doing hey i'm great bob how you doing i'm doing well i would love to hear about what your days are like as a cb so at cb we do a lot of humanitarian and expeditionary construction so we'll go to different countries we'll help redo their schools refurbish their hospitals and houses for the people that really need it gotcha is is there a time that stands out as like something really crazy where you had to set up and do your work in terrible conditions yeah bob actually one time when we were in the philippines i had a weld on a steel beam and actually started raining so what me and my team did we just built something relatively quickly i was able to get underneath and complete the job and get out gotcha okay so in a shelter like that what are the most important things you want to make sure that it's portable especially if it's just yourself and something that's uh relatively quick to uh set up and tear down gotcha okay so i've got an idea i think for a shelter and it focuses on being able to set it up by yourself and be really lightweight so one person can easily move it into place does that sound good exactly that sounds great bob pretty excited to see if you could if you could do it right on well i'm gonna jump in get to work and we'll check in in just a little bit and i'll show you what i got based on the info i got from sw2 priester i'm going to build a shelter that is lightweight and portable fits one person can be easily set up by one person is rain resistant and is scalable for a large crew of sailors for this project i want to use some corrugated plastic sheeting and this is the same white paneling that i used on my paint booth if you've seen that video this stuff is great because it's really lightweight it has a ribbing on the inside of it so it has a little bit of structure to it and it's plastic so it'll keep you dry i came up with an idea and made a little mock-up to make sure that it would work so the idea is that it's all out of flat materials so it will lay down really flat but then it will unfold and the sides will expand and then inside there's a little rib that will come down to give it structure so once that's in place it will stand up then we've also got a door that will fold down from the inside or maybe from the outside the doors can open and close that's how you can get in and out and that will keep the rain out of the cool things about this material is that because there are two walls you can cut through just one of those walls along the line and then the other wall will act as a hinge so for the side panels we're only going to cut halfway through and that will allow these pieces to bend on the inside keeping this whole wall waterproof and we can even add some waterproof tape to the outside just to be sure this shelter is going to be about 30 inches wide 30 inches tall and 7 feet long so it should be plenty big to hold an adult we're going to do here is measure over 30 inches from the side and then find the cell where that mark lands cut down the center of that cell from end to end we want to make sure that we're cutting down the middle of one of these corrugations not in one of the walls the navy uses gold and navy blue as their color scheme so we're going to use that gold and we're going to cover the outsides of the two side panels i want to make sure i do that and let it dry before i start assembling the whole thing for the hinges we're gonna be using waterproof tape this is four inches wide so there'll be plenty of purchase on both of the pieces and we're gonna put this hinge on the inside by putting it on the inside of a hinge then you don't have to worry about the thickness of the two pieces of material overlapping when it closes up we'll put this in place to get it to fold and once we get the whole thing into shape then we'll go back and line the outside of all of these corners with some other tape just to make sure that water doesn't seep down in it if you remember about a year ago we made a greenhouse and for the outside of that greenhouse we used the same clear corrugated plastic this stuff is basically identical to the white except it's a little bit more brittle and the reason we're using this is so that you can have some more light coming in the two ends of the shelter so you can see in and you can see out and since we're going to use that for the two ends we'll go ahead and use the same material for that spine in the center i got three of these pieces cut down one for the front the back and the middle and the idea here is that this center piece is going to have kind of an archway cut in it so it will go over you when you're inside then we'll get it hinged on the top so once you get the whole thing set up this top section will fold down around you and give the entire thing structure i've got some good progress but i think it's time to check in with the cvs and see if i can get some feedback from sw2 priester hey i want to give you a little update as to where i am so i've got the structure kind of built the outside of it and now i'm at a point where i'm building the inner rib that comes down to actually hold it in place so that's what i'm currently working on it looks great bob um my only question is we'll be able to carry it with only one person we need like two bodies to carry it everybody should be able to handle this on their own so the whole idea here is that you have this really lightweight thing that one person can carry one person can set it up so you could bring in maybe a stack of 50 of these on a pallet and everybody could come get their shelter set it up on their own and hop inside okay bob and i see you're you're a pretty smart guy i already know it should be water resistant correct yeah it's all plastic it's all waterproof tape and the whole idea is it being a temporary shelter but it should be waterproof gotcha bob well it looks great i can't wait to see the final product thanks i'm gonna hop back to work and i'll check in in a little bit i've got the hinges on for these four pieces this is either the top or the bottom it doesn't really matter i'm gonna treat this as the top go ahead and put in that center divider and put in the hinge for that before we go ahead and wrap the whole thing together i got this piece in here and i use tape on both sides of it so it actually has a hinge and no exposed sticky edge this is not the waterproof tape it's just regular duct tape and i was a little bit worried that the thickness of this piece would actually get in the way of the sides but these actually fold down just fine right on top of it luckily so next up i need to attach this edge to the bottom now that i've got that taped on the inside which was incredibly awkward to do by the way i've got the door piece pushed in here and i'm going to tape it on but i wanted to make sure to point out that i'm actually putting it inside this opening not on the front it's inside because the top edge here is supporting this top and the sides are actually forcing the sides of the shelter all the way out to keep it into the shape this thing is good to go it's standing up on its own but i want to make sure that it stays that way in the interest of keeping the materials cheap and easy on this i'm actually going to use some velcro on some tape tabs i'm going to put that velcro on the ends of both the rib and the doors and that'll give you something to grab to pull them down but also having some velcro on them and some velcro on the inside of the box will help you hold them in place so you can get inside pull the doors down and latch them in place with the velcro now that i've got all those tabs and velcro pieces in place this thing's pretty much done i wanted to show you what it looks like when it's folded down because it is very thin and it's really lightweight but with all of these pieces loose it would be kind of hard to carry at this point and keep it all together so another simple thing that we can do here just to kind of lock it all into a single unit is to add some straps around both sides of these the straps will hold the doors down but also give you a way to carry it and obviously you can use anything you want for those straps but i'm going to use something that would be useful in an emergency situation in other ways as well this is velcro that has the hook and the loop on the two different sides so it kind of sticks to itself there's no adhesive and you can just unroll it wrap it around and then stick it back together when you're done and once you've got your shelter set up you can use those straps for anything else all right it's done it's time to jump on a call with sw2 priester give him a demo sw2 priester i've got this thing finished up nice work there bob you tell me how it works so the challenge was to make something that was portable it could give you shelter and it was easy to set up and this totally does that these things are super lightweight and they're made of inexpensive materials but they're still waterproof all the plastic is waterproof all of the hinges are made out of waterproof tape and since they're lightweight and can fold flat you can actually stack them up so essentially you could house a whole bunch of people with an entire stack of these shelters wow bob that was awesome that was some uh some good engineering some good thinking that's the type of uh thinking that us seabees we try to bring to the table well thanks i i think that there's something useful in there and hopefully it can inspire the work that you guys do all the time which is really awesome by the way thanks again for the challenge it was really great working with you pleasure was mine bob thank you there's obviously a lot of room for improvement as it's just a prototype but i already have several ideas how to make this thing better and it would work great in an emergency situation huge thanks to the navy for this partnership and if you want to learn more about the careers in the navy hit the link down in the description and be sure to watch more in the sailor vs series where i go head to head against a team of seabees in a building challenge you won't want to miss that's lightweight hang on there's something on the lens quit spitting on it check in with the navum natham navalhey i'm bob at i like to make stuff today we're going to make an emergency shelter with the navy today's video is sponsored by the navy and it's part of sailor versus the series where other creators and i see if we have what it takes to be in the navy i've been challenged by cb steelworker second class priester to see if i can build a portable shelter i don't typically do challenges but this is a really cool opportunity because the cbs are a group of construction specialists that include builders electricians plumbers and welders and they work together as a team to build awesome structures in crazy situations let's hop on a call with sw2 priester sw2 priester it's good to see you how you doing hey i'm great bob how you doing i'm doing well i would love to hear about what your days are like as a cb so at cb we do a lot of humanitarian and expeditionary construction so we'll go to different countries we'll help redo their schools refurbish their hospitals and houses for the people that really need it gotcha is is there a time that stands out as like something really crazy where you had to set up and do your work in terrible conditions yeah bob actually one time when we were in the philippines i had a weld on a steel beam and actually started raining so what me and my team did we just built something relatively quickly i was able to get underneath and complete the job and get out gotcha okay so in a shelter like that what are the most important things you want to make sure that it's portable especially if it's just yourself and something that's uh relatively quick to uh set up and tear down gotcha okay so i've got an idea i think for a shelter and it focuses on being able to set it up by yourself and be really lightweight so one person can easily move it into place does that sound good exactly that sounds great bob pretty excited to see if you could if you could do it right on well i'm gonna jump in get to work and we'll check in in just a little bit and i'll show you what i got based on the info i got from sw2 priester i'm going to build a shelter that is lightweight and portable fits one person can be easily set up by one person is rain resistant and is scalable for a large crew of sailors for this project i want to use some corrugated plastic sheeting and this is the same white paneling that i used on my paint booth if you've seen that video this stuff is great because it's really lightweight it has a ribbing on the inside of it so it has a little bit of structure to it and it's plastic so it'll keep you dry i came up with an idea and made a little mock-up to make sure that it would work so the idea is that it's all out of flat materials so it will lay down really flat but then it will unfold and the sides will expand and then inside there's a little rib that will come down to give it structure so once that's in place it will stand up then we've also got a door that will fold down from the inside or maybe from the outside the doors can open and close that's how you can get in and out and that will keep the rain out of the cool things about this material is that because there are two walls you can cut through just one of those walls along the line and then the other wall will act as a hinge so for the side panels we're only going to cut halfway through and that will allow these pieces to bend on the inside keeping this whole wall waterproof and we can even add some waterproof tape to the outside just to be sure this shelter is going to be about 30 inches wide 30 inches tall and 7 feet long so it should be plenty big to hold an adult we're going to do here is measure over 30 inches from the side and then find the cell where that mark lands cut down the center of that cell from end to end we want to make sure that we're cutting down the middle of one of these corrugations not in one of the walls the navy uses gold and navy blue as their color scheme so we're going to use that gold and we're going to cover the outsides of the two side panels i want to make sure i do that and let it dry before i start assembling the whole thing for the hinges we're gonna be using waterproof tape this is four inches wide so there'll be plenty of purchase on both of the pieces and we're gonna put this hinge on the inside by putting it on the inside of a hinge then you don't have to worry about the thickness of the two pieces of material overlapping when it closes up we'll put this in place to get it to fold and once we get the whole thing into shape then we'll go back and line the outside of all of these corners with some other tape just to make sure that water doesn't seep down in it if you remember about a year ago we made a greenhouse and for the outside of that greenhouse we used the same clear corrugated plastic this stuff is basically identical to the white except it's a little bit more brittle and the reason we're using this is so that you can have some more light coming in the two ends of the shelter so you can see in and you can see out and since we're going to use that for the two ends we'll go ahead and use the same material for that spine in the center i got three of these pieces cut down one for the front the back and the middle and the idea here is that this center piece is going to have kind of an archway cut in it so it will go over you when you're inside then we'll get it hinged on the top so once you get the whole thing set up this top section will fold down around you and give the entire thing structure i've got some good progress but i think it's time to check in with the cvs and see if i can get some feedback from sw2 priester hey i want to give you a little update as to where i am so i've got the structure kind of built the outside of it and now i'm at a point where i'm building the inner rib that comes down to actually hold it in place so that's what i'm currently working on it looks great bob um my only question is we'll be able to carry it with only one person we need like two bodies to carry it everybody should be able to handle this on their own so the whole idea here is that you have this really lightweight thing that one person can carry one person can set it up so you could bring in maybe a stack of 50 of these on a pallet and everybody could come get their shelter set it up on their own and hop inside okay bob and i see you're you're a pretty smart guy i already know it should be water resistant correct yeah it's all plastic it's all waterproof tape and the whole idea is it being a temporary shelter but it should be waterproof gotcha bob well it looks great i can't wait to see the final product thanks i'm gonna hop back to work and i'll check in in a little bit i've got the hinges on for these four pieces this is either the top or the bottom it doesn't really matter i'm gonna treat this as the top go ahead and put in that center divider and put in the hinge for that before we go ahead and wrap the whole thing together i got this piece in here and i use tape on both sides of it so it actually has a hinge and no exposed sticky edge this is not the waterproof tape it's just regular duct tape and i was a little bit worried that the thickness of this piece would actually get in the way of the sides but these actually fold down just fine right on top of it luckily so next up i need to attach this edge to the bottom now that i've got that taped on the inside which was incredibly awkward to do by the way i've got the door piece pushed in here and i'm going to tape it on but i wanted to make sure to point out that i'm actually putting it inside this opening not on the front it's inside because the top edge here is supporting this top and the sides are actually forcing the sides of the shelter all the way out to keep it into the shape this thing is good to go it's standing up on its own but i want to make sure that it stays that way in the interest of keeping the materials cheap and easy on this i'm actually going to use some velcro on some tape tabs i'm going to put that velcro on the ends of both the rib and the doors and that'll give you something to grab to pull them down but also having some velcro on them and some velcro on the inside of the box will help you hold them in place so you can get inside pull the doors down and latch them in place with the velcro now that i've got all those tabs and velcro pieces in place this thing's pretty much done i wanted to show you what it looks like when it's folded down because it is very thin and it's really lightweight but with all of these pieces loose it would be kind of hard to carry at this point and keep it all together so another simple thing that we can do here just to kind of lock it all into a single unit is to add some straps around both sides of these the straps will hold the doors down but also give you a way to carry it and obviously you can use anything you want for those straps but i'm going to use something that would be useful in an emergency situation in other ways as well this is velcro that has the hook and the loop on the two different sides so it kind of sticks to itself there's no adhesive and you can just unroll it wrap it around and then stick it back together when you're done and once you've got your shelter set up you can use those straps for anything else all right it's done it's time to jump on a call with sw2 priester give him a demo sw2 priester i've got this thing finished up nice work there bob you tell me how it works so the challenge was to make something that was portable it could give you shelter and it was easy to set up and this totally does that these things are super lightweight and they're made of inexpensive materials but they're still waterproof all the plastic is waterproof all of the hinges are made out of waterproof tape and since they're lightweight and can fold flat you can actually stack them up so essentially you could house a whole bunch of people with an entire stack of these shelters wow bob that was awesome that was some uh some good engineering some good thinking that's the type of uh thinking that us seabees we try to bring to the table well thanks i i think that there's something useful in there and hopefully it can inspire the work that you guys do all the time which is really awesome by the way thanks again for the challenge it was really great working with you pleasure was mine bob thank you there's obviously a lot of room for improvement as it's just a prototype but i already have several ideas how to make this thing better and it would work great in an emergency situation huge thanks to the navy for this partnership and if you want to learn more about the careers in the navy hit the link down in the description and be sure to watch more in the sailor vs series where i go head to head against a team of seabees in a building challenge you won't want to miss that's lightweight hang on there's something on the lens quit spitting on it check in with the navum natham naval\n"