Each Bundle comes with two shelter halves (now a shelter whole) and three pole & stake sets. This healthy serving should provide a introduction into NVA shelter building.

The shelter half dates from early Tsarist Russia. On first glance, it's an odd tarp-looking piece, but to call it such would hardly do it justice.

Properly worn, it breaks up the human silhouette very effectively, especially in static positions. It excelled in this role — Russian marksmen in WWII came to rely on the shelter half for exactly that purpose.

For the regular grunt, the shelter half was also a godsend. It's light weight, low cost, and easy portability ensured every soldier could carry adequate cover into the field. It was one of the first and most important pieces of "modular" field gear.

Please see the product photos for original East-German-suggested shelter and tent configurations.

Shelter Half Specs

• Tightly woven cotton with durable water-repellent treatment
• East German rain pattern (Strichtarn) camouflage print
• Arm slits and internal drawcord "hood"
• Strong and multipurpose — can be used as a litter, ground tarp, poncho, lean-to, tent etc.
• One shelter half measures 175cm x 175cm and weighs 1.2kg
• Strong aluminum buttons and grommets for combining with other shelter halves and tying down shelters

Pole & Stake Specs

• Three guy lines
• Nine stakes
• Two interlocking wooden poles