TenTipi 7 Man Canvas Tipi

[tomtom]

John.. dono if you can have a fire with the ground sheet.. but i have no holes in mine from having a fire.. and mine is even smaller! what you have to remember if you only need a very little fire the thing will warm up very hot very quickly!! i tend just to use fine kindling in the fire in my tent. because wood that has been split down a lot with the bark taked off also cuts down on smoke.. (which is something you will be wanting to do!)

 

[aquanaut]

Hi Magikelly

could I ask you about the midge netting you mention - do you mean the inner tent or is there some midge proofing in the outer tent? is it effective? I live in the western isles so it'd have to be for here

many thanks

R

 

[MagiKelly]

The midgie protection is built into the main canvas tent. The main opening has two zips, one for the canvas and another for a midgie netting door. So you can have the canvas part open and still have the midgie netting shut so as to stop any midgies getting in. The vents built in round the side all have midgie netting on them (if you look at the third picture in my original post you can see the vent but the midgie netting is there I promise you) and the top part of the vented cap has midgie netting as well.

The only problem you can have is if you are not using a ground sheet. Then you are likely to have the insects from the grass already inside.

I have used the tent in some prettty infested areas and i tend to have a mozy coil burning and that has dealt with any that are inside the tent.

This all applies to the varrie model. I do not think the arran has the same level of protection.

Oh and welcome to BCUK

 

[aquanaut]

Oh and welcome to BCUK

interesting that that the outer does the job as far as midgies are concerned (or pretty much), that would seem to make a purchase of the inner tent almost redundant (at least for the Tapp Varrie) - which is a relief given the cumulative cost

Móran taing

 

[led]

Casper from LightMyFire doesn't particularly recommend the inner for use in the UK. If you've got the canvas Varrie, then that should be ideal on its own (the canvas breathes nicely, minimising any condensation).

The netting of the door is mosquito-proof, but not quite midge proof as the mesh isn't quite fine enough. I've not found it to be a problem, but in extremely midgey areas you might want to burn a mossie coil as MagiKelly suggested.

 

[aquanaut]

Casper from LightMyFire doesn't particularly recommend the inner for use in the UK. If you've got the canvas Varrie, then that should be ideal on its own (the canvas breathes nicely, minimising any condensation).

The netting of the door is mosquito-proof, but not quite midge proof as the mesh isn't quite fine enough. I've not found it to be a problem, but in extremely midgey areas you might want to burn a mossie coil as MagiKelly suggested.

Thanks LED, shame about the netting not being fine enough to keep the wee buggers out - anyone much experience of using these tents in full midgey season in the NW of scotland? (May to Sept) - the coil is maybe a good solution and I am sure a fire inside will keep them out too....but would rather not rely on them. more research or stick to my small no fires allowed go-lite

 

[outdoorcode]

I wonder if the Helsport Varanger Lavo has finer mesh... anyone seen one in the flesh?

 

[MagiKelly]

I would be very surprised if midgies got through the mesh. I could be wrong but it seems as fine as any mesh I have seen.

As for the inner tent it is not needed with the canvas model. I think it may be an idea with the nylon version but is definately of no real benefit with the canvas version.

 

[innocent bystander]

I wonder if the Helsport Varanger Lavo has finer mesh... anyone seen one in the flesh?

Might have .

Like this :

 

[innocent bystander]

12kg sounds a lot, but if shared by seven in an expedition, it would be easily man portable. A one man tent is about 1.5 to 2.0 kg so not much difference between seven of them and one tipi.

Don't forget that you cant divide a tipi by 7 Doc - unless you cut the tipi up and re-sew it together at the destination. I would imagine the largest single part - the canvas - must weigh about 7 kg or so...?

 

[MagiKelly]

Don't forget that you cant divide a tipi by 7 Doc - unless you cut the tipi up and re-sew it together at the destination. I would imagine the largest single part - the canvas - must weigh about 7 kg or so...?

Yes but if that is all you are carrying and the rest of your stuff is spread among the others it is not bad at all. To be honest if all my stuff was spread between others carrying the tent would not be a problem.

 

[innocent bystander]

Aye, that's true enough...

Innocent Bystander - Nil points...

 

[MagiKelly]

I am going to reply to your questions on thie thread

As I think it may be of interest to others as well. Hope that is okay.

Hello John,

Regarding the tentipi I have a few questions. If you could spare a few minutes to help me with them I'd appreciate it very much.

1) Are those loops on the side seams of the tentipi designed for additional guy lines? If so, that's a good feater. On the Kifaru there are no such lashing points and in a heavy wind the structural integrity of the tipi is entirely dependant on the perimeter, ground-level stakes.

2) How does the ventilation work? From visiting the website and from studying the pics it seems that there is some sort of "bonnet" that covers an open top? In my application of the tentipi I would use a woodstove with a stove pipe and am unsure how that works with the standard top.

3) What function does the skirt around the base of the tipi serve? It appears from the photos that there is almost a vertical knee wall around the perimeter. If that is the case, what prevents wind from blowing the excess skirt material inward and thereby admitting drafts?

4) A removeable floor is not an option with the Kifaru tipi. I notice you have that option. How do you like it?

5) Did you get the poly/cotton fabric or the lightweight fabric? Why did you choose the fabric on your tentipi?

6) How sturdy is the center pole? My needs lead me toward the size 9 (and I'd want a size 11 if they made one). In the Kifaru 16-man tipi this September the center pole was SEVERELY stressed in sustained winds of 65-75 kph. I need something that can handle such winds with comfort and aplomb. Since the center pole provides all of the structural support it must not fail.

Sorry for going on so long, but I'm interested in getting set up with a replacement base camp system well in advance of next year's hunt. Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Best regards,

John

1) Yes there are two rows of guy lines. These are held out of the way by a small elastic loop, ready for use. I have never had to use them but I would imagine that with both lots pegged out the Tipi would stand up to the harshest of conditions.

2) Ventilation. There are three vents round the bottom, which have insect netting on them. At the top of the pole there are two caps. A small one at the top that can be opened in a number of directions and a larger skirt below this that can also be opened in a number of directions. These are both opened by pulling strings at the bottom of the tipi so you do not have to reach up or go outside. The smallet top cap has insect netting fitted so that when it is used the insects cannot get in. In addition in the lower skirt there is an opening specifically for a stove pipe. When not in use this is held shut with velcro. I am not sure how heat resistant the material is so you might want to have something between the pipe and the material to insulate it.

3) The skirt round the bottom can be tucked inside the tipi, under the groundsheat to better seal the inside of the tent. Alternatively it can be dressed out the way and covered with earth or snow to better seal from draughts. It has pegging points on it so you can just peg it out or in the Tipi. In hot weather you can also roll it up to give you a gap round the bottom of the tipi and better ventilation.

4) I like the removable floor. I think I would use it on almost all occasions. Thanks to the really clever tensioning system it ends up very flat and smooth. The zips to open it up for stoves etc are great, however, if I was going to have an open fire inside I would not sue it. too much chance of burning holes in it.

5) I got the Poly / cotton (canvas) becuae it just felt more homely and solid. From a use point of view there is simply no comparison. The penalty is the weight but as I will be using it for canoe or car journeys only it was not really a draw back.

6) The centre pole is very sturdy. I would have no concerns about it breaking. What you do need to do is get a sturdy disk of wood or plastic to put it on. The first time I set up the tent I was tensioning the straps at the pegs and did not realise that I had driven the pole anout 5 inches into the ground

Hope that helps

 

[pfmueller]

John: I too, like John above, have some additional questions about the tentipi.

Does the floor button or zip to the tent?
What made you choose the Varrie 7 over the Varrie 9?
I am 6 ft tall and tried to calculate the standing room in the Varrie 7 from the specs on Tentipi's web page. If I calculated it properly seem that there is only about an area 2 feet from the pole where I could stand, Is this your experience?
Is the material of the Varrei floor the same as the Vagge floor?(which did you purchase?)

John, Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions- it's hard to order something you've never seen up close. It does seem like a wonderful product.

Peter

FYI: Hilleberg is going to introduce a new tent that has 155 sq feet, self standing,
just over 6 ft tall, in a dome shape with two huge doors. They have named it Atlas
and will sell for about $1100 US for the outer tent, $285 for the inner tent and $185 for the flloor. But it's not a tipi!!!

 

[MagiKelly]

Does the floor button or zip to the tent?

The floor buttons to the Tipi. Where these buttons attach there are cords attached to the Tipi on the outside, in line with the pegs. You pull these cords and tie to the pegs to tension the floor and keep it flat.

What made you choose the Varrie 7 over the Varrie 9?

The 5 would probably have been big anough for my purposes but I went for the 7 so that there was plenty of room for my girls to play if it was wet for a long period. I did toy with the idea of the 9 as the price jump was not that big but decided against it on the basis that it would further restrict the number of places I could pitch it. As it is it can be difficult to find a 4.5m diameter spot.

I am 6 ft tall and tried to calculate the standing room in the Varrie 7 from the specs on Tentipi's web page. If I calculated it properly seem that there is only about an area 2 feet from the pole where I could stand, Is this your experience?

Sounds about right but it seems more, if that makes sense.

Is the material of the Varrei floor the same as the Vagge floor?(which did you purchase?)

The vagge floor used to have exactly the same features but was made of a heavier material. for this reason I went for the Vagge as the heavier material was, in my mind, a benefit rather than a drawback. When you have a 12.5 Kg tent a few grams saving on the floor is not really an issue. However, tentipi have changed the spec slightly and the Vaggie floor still has the same zip configuration but the long zip can no longer separate completely. So on the floor opening options on the web site you can do all except the large rectangular opening. So to my mind no big deal and nothing you cannot alter in a few minutes. Certainly not worth spending double the money on the floor.

Hope this helps