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ACF Fieldcraft: Building a Basha Shelter – by Dave Hazlewood
The main shelter of the British Infantry soldier while out in the field is the basha. It is very simple and requires very little equipment to make. If constructed properly the basha provides very effective shelter. The purpose is to protect the soldier from the rain, give somewhere to sleep and provide an area to carry out personal admin tasks.
Dave Hazlewood is an Army Cadet Force instructor and author of numerous Cadet Training handbooks. Here he explains how to set a basha up for cadets.
Equipment needed
You will need:
- basha sheet (one side has a corded seam, the other a waterproofed seam). The seamed side should face out.
- bungee cords with hooks on either end. Paracord or string can be used as an alternative.
- 6 – 8 tent pegs. Pegs can be made from sticks if necessary.
When cadets are directed to a harbour area they will be expected to set up their bashas. The harbour area should be large enough for a group of cadets to set up their shelters. Here they will sleep, cook and carry out personal admin. It should also provide a good place for defence.
To create the shelter, cadets will be paired up with a battle buddy. Battle buddies work together to put up their shelter which they will share. They also collaborate for preparing meals and performing admin duties.
Setting up a basha
Preparation
- Find a space with flat ground between two trees. These should be spaced far enough apart to accommodate the basha.
- Check that the basha will fit between the trees with a reasonable amount of space at either end.
- Clear the ground of any stones, sticks and branches etc that would make the sleeping area uncomfortable.
- Do not remove too much undergrowth so that after leaving it is not obvious that you had been there.
- Lay the basha out between the trees ensuring that the waterproofed seam side is facing upwards.
Setting up a ‘Lean-To’ Basha
The lean-to basha is the usual set up. Its front end is open with the rear end tailing away behind.
- Align the front edge of the basha sheet with the trees
- Use bungees to attach the basha to the trees. More than one bungee can be used depending on the size of the tree. Wrap the first bungee around the tree at waist height and attach both bungee hooks to the metal eye of the basha sheet nearest front corner.
- Wrap the second bungee around the other tree and attach the bungee hooks to the metal eye of the other front corner. Make sure that the front of the basha has been pulled tight.
- Peg down the rear corners using the tent pegs. Again make use of the metal eyes in the corners. Ensure that the basha sheet is pulled taut and that pegs are inserted at about a 45 degree angle.
- Use extra pegs as appropriate to secure the basha.
If extra height is required, eg for equipment, another bungee can be attached as a guy rope at the rear corner and connected to a peg fixed into the ground further back.
If the basha is sagging in the middle, raise the centre. This can be done a couple of ways. You could attach another bungee, or string, to the centre loop, at the top of the basha, and connect to an overhanging branch if available. Alternatively, get a sturdy stick and use this as a centre pole to hold the basha up. This should ensure any rainfall runs off the shelter as well as giving more area for personal admin.
Now that the basha is in position, the sleeping area can be set up. Use a ground mat or roll mat etc to insulate from ground cold and damp. Place your sleeping bag inside your bivvy bag and position on top of your ground mat. Your battle buddy should have done the same at the opposite end of the basha. Bergens and other equipment can be positioned in between.
Cadets will be allocated a stand-to position which will normally be a short distance forward of the basha. At times of stand-to, cadets will go to this position with their rifles and be prepared for possible attack. This is generally at dusk and dawn but also when at risk of attack at any time.
At night time the basha should be lowered for tactical reasons. Likewise the basha should be packed away when not in use. However, if more appropriate, the shelter should be lowered and camouflaged using foliage from the surrounding area.
Basha variations
A-Frame. This gives a traditional tent shape. Bungees are connected to the middle metal eyes at the edge of the bash. This gives more protection from the elements so is suitable in worse weather. It is more difficult, and more time consuming, to get in and out and provides less space for personal admin.
Open. Only bungees are used to fix this shelter in place. All sides are open. This is most likely to be used in the centre of a Patrol Harbour ie by the commander.
Poled A-Frame. This is basically the same as the A-Frame but, instead of attaching bungees to trees, incorporates bungee poles. Sturdy sticks could be adapted for use too. The bungee poles are designed to fit with the metal eyes and are then held firmly with bungee ‘guy ropes’ pegged to the ground. The sides of the basha are also pegged down.
About Dave Hazlewood
Dave has a background in education and publishing as well as being a Cadet Instructor for several years now. On becoming a Cadet Instructor he found the system in place for getting information to deliver lessons quite confusing. He therefore started putting together his own handbook, and reviewed it constantly to ensure that content was always current.
Dave is extremely proud of this and found it to have worked well for himself and his Cadets.
For more information:
Visit the CadetBooks website.
View more of Dave’s videos on the CadetBooks YouTube channel.
Like One8e publishing on Facebook.
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