Bush Tepee/Lavvu Project (pic heavy)
- Thread starter Gus1990
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Thanks so much for sharing! I really miss Scotland. I spent 10 years living in remote areas of the West and Central Highlands and coming back to England and the restrictive Wild Camping rules has been quite depressing.
I've enjoyed the reminder of your beautiful Country.
ATB
Ed
I've enjoyed the reminder of your beautiful Country.
ATB
Ed
Well you still have to be carefull here in Scotland. I have just been reliably informed that the spot I chose for the fire really wasn't a good idea. It turns out that if you check Annex 1 of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, (I only checked the wild camping part) lighting a fire within a plantation is not permitted...Ooops! So I can only advise people NOT to site a teepe like this and choose a more suitable site.
That aside, I'll post up the last installment soon.
I got to do more work on my tipi today. I had already done the heavy work of cutting the poles and raising the tripod with the parachute cover attached.
With a few extra poles and a bit of adjustment to their length and angle and a bit of pegging down the canopy, I got to this,
I wanted steep sides to help its water resistance but mainly so that I can have an open fire inside and I reckon the steeper the sides the greater the chimney effect and the better the smoke will evacuate the top hole. I might put in a skirting around the base to further regulate air flow but we'll see how it works as it is first. I had a fire today before it was properly pegged out and it dealt with the smoke reasonably but there was no wind so we'll see.
One issue is the door. The fabric comes to the ground all round the tipi and I don't want to cut it, so how do I get in and out? I decided (for now) to try pulling one bit of the canopy up and attaching to a nearby tree then when I'm inside with a fire going I can fasten it down easily enough.
So there it is, still a work in progress. I will probably need to cover the smoke hole and plan to do this with a smallish tarp over the extruding poles. I wanted a shelter that is stable in wind and can deal with rain and snow and at the same time can take an open fire. We'll see if it fits the bill.
With a few extra poles and a bit of adjustment to their length and angle and a bit of pegging down the canopy, I got to this,
I wanted steep sides to help its water resistance but mainly so that I can have an open fire inside and I reckon the steeper the sides the greater the chimney effect and the better the smoke will evacuate the top hole. I might put in a skirting around the base to further regulate air flow but we'll see how it works as it is first. I had a fire today before it was properly pegged out and it dealt with the smoke reasonably but there was no wind so we'll see.
One issue is the door. The fabric comes to the ground all round the tipi and I don't want to cut it, so how do I get in and out? I decided (for now) to try pulling one bit of the canopy up and attaching to a nearby tree then when I'm inside with a fire going I can fasten it down easily enough.
So there it is, still a work in progress. I will probably need to cover the smoke hole and plan to do this with a smallish tarp over the extruding poles. I wanted a shelter that is stable in wind and can deal with rain and snow and at the same time can take an open fire. We'll see if it fits the bill.
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Great stuff treadlightly, I am really interested to see how this more portable tipi type works out.
With the shape of the parachute I take it there is a load of extra material around the base? Is it easy to fold away, or does it flap around? For the doorway is there any way you could pull up the material and hold it up with a forked stick?
With the shape of the parachute I take it there is a load of extra material around the base? Is it easy to fold away, or does it flap around? For the doorway is there any way you could pull up the material and hold it up with a forked stick?
Yes there is quite a bit of extra material but it folds away pretty easily. I'll try your idea for the door. It's very much a work in progress at the moment. Not sure how waterproof it will be or how well it will cope in wind. The smoke hole will probably need a cover too.
Gus, how well did yours cope with the smoke?
Gus, how well did yours cope with the smoke?
Yes there will be a part three don't worry! I hope I will get it written up in the next couple of days.
Right now to answer some questions:
Outdoor dude: Much of the boughs came from a tree that fell in a storm after my first visit to the site, which provided easy access and reduced the amount taken from live trees. I cut boughs from many different spruces but these were mature trees, 30 to 40 foot so the boughs I took were a tiny fraction of the total. I left saplings be.
With a shelter like this demanding large quantities of material, I think the most important thing to think about when you choose a sight is what kind of woodland you are in. Make sure you are taking material from a plantation not native caledonian forest. You couldn't put these demands on a native pinewood, they are struggling to survive in most places just contending with the deer! For deciduous woodland, I would imagine a beech wood would be best with the deep leaf litter for thatching, although sourcing straight poles may be difficult.
Man of Tanith:
Having two people made it much quicker. Its also good for moral support, as things speed up it feels like you are getting somewhere!
The leuku excelled at cutting spruce boughs and anything that is thinner and "bouncier". For my normal bushcraft trips with a tarp, or if i'm in deciduous woodland I don't think I will carry it as the axe does everything I need. Also its probably not going to be part of my lightweight Bushcraft-hike carry as its quite specialised and weighs quite a bit, I will stick to my lighter tomahawk for that. I would also imagine it would be good to use when butchering large game in the field but sadly I don't get the opportunity to do this. I can see it will get most use in the coniferous environment, when I'm not using a tarp, shelter building as I go.
On the side of the pack is my reindeer skin, but more about that in part three...
The lavvu cleared smoke remarkably well. In fact because it was thatched rather than covered with, e.g. a tarp, some of the smoke just escaped through the walls at the top, so it probably clears better. What makes a big difference though is the size you split the wood down to. In the evening we were burning quartered wood which burned hot and fast with no smoke. The following morning we tried burning whole logs but they smoked a lot more, so we had to go back to splitting them.
Part 3 teaser:
Right now to answer some questions:
Outdoor dude: Much of the boughs came from a tree that fell in a storm after my first visit to the site, which provided easy access and reduced the amount taken from live trees. I cut boughs from many different spruces but these were mature trees, 30 to 40 foot so the boughs I took were a tiny fraction of the total. I left saplings be.
With a shelter like this demanding large quantities of material, I think the most important thing to think about when you choose a sight is what kind of woodland you are in. Make sure you are taking material from a plantation not native caledonian forest. You couldn't put these demands on a native pinewood, they are struggling to survive in most places just contending with the deer! For deciduous woodland, I would imagine a beech wood would be best with the deep leaf litter for thatching, although sourcing straight poles may be difficult.
Man of Tanith:
Having two people made it much quicker. Its also good for moral support, as things speed up it feels like you are getting somewhere!
The leuku excelled at cutting spruce boughs and anything that is thinner and "bouncier". For my normal bushcraft trips with a tarp, or if i'm in deciduous woodland I don't think I will carry it as the axe does everything I need. Also its probably not going to be part of my lightweight Bushcraft-hike carry as its quite specialised and weighs quite a bit, I will stick to my lighter tomahawk for that. I would also imagine it would be good to use when butchering large game in the field but sadly I don't get the opportunity to do this. I can see it will get most use in the coniferous environment, when I'm not using a tarp, shelter building as I go.
On the side of the pack is my reindeer skin, but more about that in part three...
The lavvu cleared smoke remarkably well. In fact because it was thatched rather than covered with, e.g. a tarp, some of the smoke just escaped through the walls at the top, so it probably clears better. What makes a big difference though is the size you split the wood down to. In the evening we were burning quartered wood which burned hot and fast with no smoke. The following morning we tried burning whole logs but they smoked a lot more, so we had to go back to splitting them.
Part 3 teaser:
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right i have awaited part three long enough
gimme gimme gimme
i jest take your time im enjoying reading it as it appears
perhaps a billhook would work for a british version of the leku
gimme gimme gimme
i jest take your time im enjoying reading it as it appears
perhaps a billhook would work for a british version of the leku
Part 3
After the fire had got going and the place had warmed up a bit we got dinner on the go. We boiled up some pasta and mixed in some bolognese. No need to make a pot hanger, we just suspended the pot from some chord tied around the Lavvu apex. I tied an adjustable loop knot on the end which I normally use for my tarp guy lines. It worked a treat, letting us raise and lower the pot. To make it even better, you could carve a small hook to attach to the loop so you don't have to untie the knot every time.
After eating our fill we settled down for the night. The fire burnt well with little smoke, keeping the place warm and we only had to re-stack it a couple of times each throughout the night. It was like having our own wee log cabin!
The main problem I had, being so close to the fire was that I was paranoid of melting my bivi bag with a stray spark. I had brought a reindeer skin with me to use as a ground mat. But the bed I was lying on was good and thick, so I stuck the skin on top of my bivi bag instead to protect it. When I go again, I won't take my synthetic sleeping bag and bivi, instead I will take a wool blanket. Wool isn't going to burn through in a hurry and its much tougher. Combined with the reindeer pelt, this would be a better sleeping set up for the tipi. The same can be said for clothing and rucksacks, non-synthetics are a safer bet.
I woke up first in the morning, with the fire smouldering by my side. There was a definate chill in the air, I stumbled out of the Lavvu and winter had descended!
Yours truly:
A good inch or two of snow had fallen overnight and it was continuing to fall heavily. Jonathan woke at this point and we decided to go for a pre breakfast exploration. We followed the river down to the loch and out of the trees there was quite a wind blowing the snow. I was regretting not bringing the fur hat, but we were loving it!
We headed back to the lavvu and we really appreciated the warm and dry space where we could hang up our coats to dry off. We could see the difference a shelter like this would make if you were staying long term. My breakfast fare is always porridge, so I got a good amount bubbling away and johnathan toasted some bread. This was the only point where smoke became a problem. Basicly we were too hungry to bother splitting any more wood, so we cooked over whole logs...mistake, the place soon got smokey.
With breakfast eaten we prepared for the trek back. The weather hadn't let up and the snow was still falling heavily, we though it best to get out while we still could. It was really difficult to leave our warm, cozy refuge for the blizzard outside. We finally packed up our bags, extinguished the fire and wrapped up for the hike out. Walking down past the loch, the snow was lying heavily and the trek through it made a fantastic ending to our trip.
The tipi/lavvu type shelter is a lot of work to complete but there is something magical about it; with the light of the fire dancing around the walls and the scent of spruce boughs in the air. These shelters have been used for thousands of years...and its easy to see why.
After the fire had got going and the place had warmed up a bit we got dinner on the go. We boiled up some pasta and mixed in some bolognese. No need to make a pot hanger, we just suspended the pot from some chord tied around the Lavvu apex. I tied an adjustable loop knot on the end which I normally use for my tarp guy lines. It worked a treat, letting us raise and lower the pot. To make it even better, you could carve a small hook to attach to the loop so you don't have to untie the knot every time.
After eating our fill we settled down for the night. The fire burnt well with little smoke, keeping the place warm and we only had to re-stack it a couple of times each throughout the night. It was like having our own wee log cabin!
The main problem I had, being so close to the fire was that I was paranoid of melting my bivi bag with a stray spark. I had brought a reindeer skin with me to use as a ground mat. But the bed I was lying on was good and thick, so I stuck the skin on top of my bivi bag instead to protect it. When I go again, I won't take my synthetic sleeping bag and bivi, instead I will take a wool blanket. Wool isn't going to burn through in a hurry and its much tougher. Combined with the reindeer pelt, this would be a better sleeping set up for the tipi. The same can be said for clothing and rucksacks, non-synthetics are a safer bet.
I woke up first in the morning, with the fire smouldering by my side. There was a definate chill in the air, I stumbled out of the Lavvu and winter had descended!
Yours truly:
A good inch or two of snow had fallen overnight and it was continuing to fall heavily. Jonathan woke at this point and we decided to go for a pre breakfast exploration. We followed the river down to the loch and out of the trees there was quite a wind blowing the snow. I was regretting not bringing the fur hat, but we were loving it!
We headed back to the lavvu and we really appreciated the warm and dry space where we could hang up our coats to dry off. We could see the difference a shelter like this would make if you were staying long term. My breakfast fare is always porridge, so I got a good amount bubbling away and johnathan toasted some bread. This was the only point where smoke became a problem. Basicly we were too hungry to bother splitting any more wood, so we cooked over whole logs...mistake, the place soon got smokey.
With breakfast eaten we prepared for the trek back. The weather hadn't let up and the snow was still falling heavily, we though it best to get out while we still could. It was really difficult to leave our warm, cozy refuge for the blizzard outside. We finally packed up our bags, extinguished the fire and wrapped up for the hike out. Walking down past the loch, the snow was lying heavily and the trek through it made a fantastic ending to our trip.
The tipi/lavvu type shelter is a lot of work to complete but there is something magical about it; with the light of the fire dancing around the walls and the scent of spruce boughs in the air. These shelters have been used for thousands of years...and its easy to see why.
Very good thread fella. Been following with interest.
Would be interested to see how it ages too over the year and what maintenance it needs. It looks a stunningly fun project.
Would be interested to see how it ages too over the year and what maintenance it needs. It looks a stunningly fun project.
Thanks for satisfying my need for the last part.
As albus said be interesting to see how it ages and what it needs to maintain it.
The natural spark resistant kit sounds like a wise move.
I have completely and thoroughly enjoyed this thread and look forward to more contributions from you
Thank you very much it's one the best threads I've read in a while
As albus said be interesting to see how it ages and what it needs to maintain it.
The natural spark resistant kit sounds like a wise move.
I have completely and thoroughly enjoyed this thread and look forward to more contributions from you
Thank you very much it's one the best threads I've read in a while
A great thread, I've really enjoyed Following your build and use. Keep us posted as to how it goes in the coming months. Cheers.
Wow, that was amazing, I really want to get out and make one now, but unfortunately my usual stomping grounds are patrolled by the FC and any shelter building is promptly removed because of homeless people squatting
Glad you folks enjoyed the read! Unfortunately I won't be using it again due to the issue of fire lighting in a plantation. If any of you are having a go at anything similar, we can use this thread as an ideas/experience pool. I'll also post up more trip reports in the future, it was good fun and great to see people are interested.
That is a very cosy looking shelter. I hang pots from an adjustable loop using a toggle like this:
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