Teepee`s and cooking

[BushTucker]

Hi all

I have seen a few nice teepee`s for sale lately and would like to ask a few questions about them.

Can you actually use a stove safely or even have a fire?

How good are they in heavy wind, I believe they have a separate ground sheet?

Are they better and more comfortable space wise then a tent?

Cheers

Don

 

[Greg]

Hi all

I have seen a few nice teepee`s for sale lately and would like to ask a few questions about them.

Can you actually use a stove safely or even have a fire?

How good are they in heavy wind, I believe they have a separate ground sheet?

Are they better and more comfortable space wise then a tent?

Cheers

Don

The answer to all your questions is YES!

 

[Mike Ameling]

A lot depends upon what type of tent you are talking about. The traditional North American Indian tipi? Or one of these new modern materials tents that are just using the name tipi as their logo or model type?

With the traditional NA Indian tipi the answers are YES. They are designed to be used with a ground fire in them - with the top open to vent the smoke. And you can cook on the fire, but you would be better off cooking on a fire outside. The fire inside a traditional tipi needs to be managed differently than a cooking fire. You want to minimize the amount of smoke coming off of the fire. That usually means flames and heat. That's what works with the design to draw the smoke out the top. Managing the fire for cooking quickly leads to a lot of low-hanging smoke inside.

I have not had any experience with those modern tents now being called a tipi. So someone else will have to comment on them.

Just my humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[littlebiglane]

The lavvu or tentipi is easy to erect (1 person can do this with all but the largest), you can have a fire in them but would recommend a firebox or a stove with a chimney. They are spacious - despite the slanted sidewall - and due to their shape (they are wider at the bottom where windspeed is slower) present a small target for wind.

 

[Still Waters]

Hi all

I have seen a few nice teepee`s for sale lately and would like to ask a few questions about them.

Can you actually use a stove safely or even have a fire?

How good are they in heavy wind, I believe they have a separate ground sheet?

Are they better and more comfortable space wise then a tent?

Cheers

Don

I have the Bisan Tundra 8 lavvu

Its brilliant and is by far the best family camping arrangement i have used so far.

 

[Kees]

depending on the fabric you can have a open fire ,have a look at www.moskoselkatan.se they have great tipi's
I have mine for 10 years now (the lightweight version) and have used it for family camping and solo camping,from scandinavia down to corsica, this version has a innertent but you can zip open the ground sheet for using a firebox.
We have camped in storm and heavy rain, and in winter and had no problems at all.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

They is a group of folk who live full time in teepees/wigwams/tentipis etc that post
on SOTP

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7952

An interesting read.

Nick

 

[jimmyh]

I have the tentipi varrie 9 canvas and it is by far the best tent i have owned, total quality.
I set it up in the garden last year just to check it out and went to work The worst gale force winds in years suddenly kicked up that day and blew my brick car port down and its roof away it also blew over fences (and many other things) and sent many roof tiles flying around the area. I couldn't get in the driveway for rubble.
The center pole of the tipi was slightly bowed, otherwise still perfect (casper from lightmyfire sent me a new one at cost price).
You can leave the (optional) groundsheet attatched when packing away.
Stoves and fires are great using the adjustable air flow intake and chimney/hat (i use firelogs)
Great comfort and loads of space, i love it.
Just the cost:aargh4:

 

[stephendedwards]

I have the canvas six man and I cooked on a nova and trangia for four for a fortnight last summer and the summer before. Zip back the floor clear the kids detritus, open the top vent and away you go. Cappacinos for the Mrs in bed, the whole works. Raining? zip the door up and carry on - brilliant!

Open fire? Only in a fire box or some sort of stove/Giko or the like, and no soft spitty wood like larch either. The tent may not burn but sleeping bags always look like fuel to me. Personally I always have a knife at or in bed with me for the dedicated purpose of cutting out of any tent - paranoid or what?

Stephen

 

[jimmyh]

I have a knife ready to cut out my tipi and a small wood/paper fire extinguisher as i can see stillwaters does in his pics.
Your not paranoid mate,just sensible

 

[falling rain]

They is a group of folk who live full tiem in teepees/wigwams/tentipis etc that post
on SOTP

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7952

An interesting read.

Nick

Thanks very much for posting that Nick. Very intersting and gave me some good information for my year long adventure trip this year. Ive been leaning towards the Varrie 9 and it's great to hear someone is actually living in one give a report on how it stands up in the weather. I'm planning on using something lighter for the summer but will move to the Varrie 9 come the colder weather. Thanks again for the link facinating stuff.
I liked her tip on listening to the shipping forcast. I listen to it if I'm going fishing but making it a regular daily thing will allow me to tighten up ship if things are going to be heavy. Great idea.

Jimmyh. How easy is the Varrie 9 to put up on your own? This is very important for me because I will be putting it up alone most of the time unless my son is visiting me. Cheers for any tips.

Nick

 

[stephendedwards]

They all go up the same measure and or peg out around the outside, open the zip get in and put the pole in the socket and lift and up she goes. Then zip back up and wander around it tightening and tidying the pegs

Steve

 

[jimmyh]

Nick
I always put it up on my own no matter how many people come with me. Its very easy and you will tend to do a better job of tensioning the tipi on your own, tensioning one strap and then an opposing strap etc giving a good even spread.
Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are It can take less than ten minutes from opening the bag to an hour. There are differerent factors e.g.; are you attaching and tensioning the floor, putting all 16 guy lines out, weather etc.
If its raining its up in ten and i its a half decent evening I’ll take my time doing everything thoroughly and getting it perfect, this takes about 35 minutes + 5 or 10 to stand back and admire.
There are loads of little tips to get it right and save you time, if you go for it let me know and I’ll give you some tips.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

I would like one but would go for a thicker canvas to give more fire options. Although you we need a fire in it up here in scotchland all summer to get rid of midges.

We were in Tignes at the tour de france cycle race in the alps last year. We 'popped up' our Quecha Tent and some Norgees next to us slung a cord over a branch and hoisted there teepee up. We smiled and then they offered us some cold refreshment !

Always impressed how decent scandanavians are when I meet them abroad.

Nick

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Thanks very much for posting that Nick. Very intersting and gave me some good information for my year long adventure trip this year. Ive been leaning towards the Varrie 9 and it's great to hear someone is actually living in one give a report on how it stands up in the weather.

There are some stay in overnight at Tyndrum, WHW, and I think at Ben Glas farm, top end of Loch Lomond, again WHW.

A yurt would be cool as well. A raised platform of wood, like a decking, would be a must I think for either varries or yurts if you spent more than a week in them as the ground would get churned up etc. Would also give inuslation.

Even at scout camps our cooking shelters needed stacks of bracken laid down as a carpet otherwise the grass/earth/mud churned up badly.

Nick

 

[w00dsmoke]

I have the Bisan Tundra 8 lavvu

Its brilliant and is by far the best family camping arrangement i have used so far.

I have the bison Tinde 8 the polyester version of this tent and it truly is an amazing tent for the price. The only problem I had was the centre pole bent in a gale that blew up when I did not have the guy ropes pegged out. Bison had repalcement steel poles which are a thousand times better than the alloy ones supplied.

I use a huge trianga type burner in mine for heat and cooking but this winter I'm going to try and use a petrol lantern for heat as they pump out more heat and the flame is enclosed so safer.

WS

 

[falling rain]

Deleted myself because I didn't want to hijack the thread.

Thanks for the advice Steve and Nick.

 

[TAHAWK]

One issue about cooking inside your tipi or tent would be attracting unwanted "guests."

Our neighbors at Scout Summer Camp a couple years ago cooked inside a large wall tent during a day of non-stop rain. Spills on the grass inside the tent were mostly cleaned up.

That night, Mr. (or was it Mrs?) Skunk paid a visit. His (or her) peaceful snacking was interrupted by a Scout who eek: ) threw a boot at him (or her). The skunk reacted predictably to this churlish behavior.

The tent was not used for the four remaining days of camp.

Soooooooo, we try (actually more than merely try) not to cook (or store food) where we sleep.

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, that's certainly a concern in some parts of the world, but not really in Blighty - unless you've got a real problem with mice. So we can get away with all sorts of bad habits that only become a problem when we travel abroad...

I'll never forget waking up in the middle of the night to find a Brushtail possum in my tent!

 

[ZDP-189]

All it needs is a TV and a cable box.