Tipi and not Teepee

[stovie]

Actually it's the 3D model for this weekends project. The Chestnut poles are cut, and I have lots of old canvas taken from tents that have long since had their day, and so have decided to give them a new lease of life. It will be shelter for a dozen scouts on weekend of 25th Nov...apart from those that like to do their own thing (and there's lots of them)...So this is the plan below

I'm quite looking forward to it...geting the ol' star fire going in the centre and having a Pow Wow with Wellsy...

 

[Tony]

:You_Rock_ That's a cool model, I hope it all works out.

 

[Buckshot]

Looks good Stovie
Be carefull the fire doesn't set the kitchen roll on fire though

Mark

 

[loz.]

Hi,

Not being too up on teepee/tipi,

Can you epxlain the pupose of the outer poles, are these to assist in the wrapping/adjustment of the cover ? - ive never seen these in use ( in my vast TV based tipi examinations ! )

Thanks

Loz

 

[gregorach]

They enable you to adjust the angle of the smoke hole, which can be handy if the wind turns against you.

 

[stovie]

Hi,

Not being too up on teepee/tipi,

Can you epxlain the pupose of the outer poles, are these to assist in the wrapping/adjustment of the cover ? - ive never seen these in use ( in my vast TV based tipi examinations ! )

Thanks

Loz

It is a length of canvas attached to two poles which is used as a "draft regulator" for allowing the smoke to rise depending on wind direction. So if the wind was coming from the west, then the flaps are both open to allow the draft to draw the smoke out. With each change in wind direction there is an optimum position for each flap (but don't ask coz I'm not sure, just trial and error).

The design I am using is based on the Chipewayan tipi, whereas other plains tribes used a design that was integral to the skin, but still regulated by poles...see below

 

[stovie]

They enable you to adjust the angle of the smoke hole, which can be handy if the wind turns against you.

Thanks Dunc, a more succinct answer than mine

 

[gregorach]

The principle is simple, but there's quite an art to it in practice. It seems to take full-time tipi dwellers a few months to really get the hang of it.

Are you going to be using a liner? It makes a huge difference and is well worth having.

 

[andyn]

How you going to fit a dozon scouts in that

Sorry mate

It looks really good! They should have good fun building it! Wish i'd been in your scout group when I was a nipper.

 

[stovie]

Are you going to be using a liner? It makes a huge difference and is well worth having.

If i have enough material left, then I will make a dew wall. If not then we will have to struggle through the weekend. In the long run i hope to make it a semi-permanant feature, in which case I will spend more time on it. But for the moment I want it to be servicable....

 

[spamel]

They enable you to adjust the angle of the smoke hole, which can be handy if the wind turns against you.

After 3 days spent eating rice and beans the wind is always against me!!

Good job with the model, I would be interested in seeing how this works out. I take it they are canvas tents you are using to construct the tipi?

 

[stovie]

After 3 days spent eating rice and beans the wind is always against me!!

Good job with the model, I would be interested in seeing how this works out. I take it they are canvas tents you are using to construct the tipi?

You should adjust your flaps, then, young man

Yes, old canvas tents...and odd colours, so the whole will have to be painted at some stage....thought I'd use the Uffington Horse as a design motif...

 

[loz.]

They enable you to adjust the angle of the smoke hole, which can be handy if the wind turns against you.

Ah - I see.

- Would a storm lashing type setup not make the adjustment easier - and also the overall load for carrying and setup lighter ? ( Just to alter obviously ancient and hugely workable and tested design !!! )



Ignore above - lashing type array wouldn't have the angle that the pole mounted cloth would, nor the speed of adjustment. loz

 

[gregorach]

I'm pretty sure that the classic tipi design is more-or-less beyond improvement.

 

[Buckshot]

I'm pretty sure that the classic tipi design is more-or-less beyond improvement.

If only using natural materials I'm sure you're right.
Not so sure if you open that up to the modern day though

 

[gregorach]

Canvas is a modern material as far as tipi-building is concerned.

I can't see how it could be improved. You want something that's highly breathable, spark resistant, strong, moderately water-resistant (the steep pitch takes care of shedding water), easy to repair, rotproof, and ideally suitable for painting or dyeing. Modern rot-proofed canvas is perfect. OK, it might be nice if it were lighter, but it's not like you're going to be putting it on your back and carrying it very far.

If you've never spent much time in the tipi of a proper tipi-dweller, you probably don't appreciate just how good the design is. They're absolutely the best "primitive" shelter I've ever been in.

 

[swyn]

Hey stovie. lovely to see! I hope the real thing goes well. A tip if you don't mind. When you form your bundle of two poles on the ground and one on top, orientated N/S, which then becomes the tripod, remember the top pole should run past the bottom two by approx 9" at the base end. This allows the weather side to be more vertical than the door side. The top pole clocks around to the East and forms the first door pole when erected, then all the poles starting with the other door pole rest in the crook formed by the weather (rear) pair of the tripod. This ensures a well organised crown and consequently a smaller gap for the rain to get into. There is a piece fitted inside called an 'ozan' for this, but maybe another day.
I hope this helps.
Regards from Swyn.
(old tipi dweller!)

 

[stovie]

Thanks for that Swyn...I think I grasp what you say. And I think I found that happening when I put the model together...

Is there an efficient no. of poles to use, or is it dictated by final diameter? I am working on either 9 or 12 poles. The floor diameter will be approx 20ft.

 

[swyn]

Hi Stovie. I re read my post and It seems to make sense too! It was about the three poles that make the tripod.

On a 16' tipi there are12 poles in the frame. Three form the tripod and the remaining 8 fill in around. The 9th is the lifting pole and that fills the gap between the rear set. (If you numbered them all, not counting the tripod, the lifting pole would be no 8 between no 7 & no 9). These are about 23' in length.

On the bigger tipis one can't just get 'bigger' poles as the weight of them goes up so much that they become difficult to move. The answer is simple... more poles. Therefore a 18'--20' tipi has 18 poles. Four in the spaces between two of the tripod legs, but five in the back, two on each side, and the lifting pole is the final one, This means that the prevailing wind pushes on a substantial frame of poles. These always seemed to be about 27' long, which is big enough!!
I always carefully selected the tripod poles to be the best and fattest out of all the poles in the pile, these were then marked accordingly, followed by the lifting pole being another that took weight and marked that too.
The canvas will strech and settle so much faffing to get creases out. All good teamwork though!

I hope this makes sense. It is easier to 'do' rather than write.
Have lots of fun anyway.
Swyn.

 

[stovie]

Thanks Swyn, its good to have some practical advice.

Of course the poles are probably the least of my problems. At the moment all the canvas is of differing tent sizes, which will have to be spread out and stitched together before setting out the "semi circular" (for want of a better term) cover...

It is going to be fun though....thanks again