i am new here but i wanted to share a picture of my tipi. i built several of these in various sizes and with different weight tarp. this one has a sewn in floor and bug netting. hope you all like it and share your feedback both positive and negative.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6372.jpg

That's nice, what material,weight? Where R U, those Mtns look inviting.

hi Hoz, i am in rural wyoming, big horn county. the tipi in the picture weighs a little over 6 pounds but i have made some 6 ft. center and 11 ft. diameter with no floor or bug net that weigh less than 2 pounds. i usually cut a center pole at camp from deadfall or just hang it from a branch with the top loop. heres a picture of the lighter one...

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_2272.jpg

I'm headed to the Winds this summer. Love them mountains!!!

if you get the chance to go up the trail from boulder lake lodge, it is really a nice trail and some great fishing and peaks are up there! boulder lake is near pinedale.

We're going in through Big Sandy. I climbed in the Winds throughout the 70's and 80's. This one is a hiking/fishing trip

While I applaud your creative sewing skills and your fascination with the beautiful tipi form, I gotta say that the original Sipley tents of the 1800s were drastically different.

First off, the Sibley had an iron ring at the top of the center pole and from it hung chains which supported the canvas sides, allowing an ample smoke hole which could be covered by a rain cap. See fotogs below. The actual Sibley was 18 feet in diameter and 12 feet high and the single pole was set in a metal tripod on the ground that could raised and lowered.

I camped with a woman who had a fine canvas Sibley set up at a pow wow in Union Grove, NC. It is designed to be used with a Sibley-style woodstove, etc. The iron ring and chain configuration is what makes the Sibley tent unique from other tipis and tipi tents.

I like the idea of being able to use a tent with no poles via hanging the loop from a tree. Or, if no suitable trees were available, just propping up the middle with a large stick. I don't know much at all about tipis, but must say, this thread makes me want read up on them. Any idea how much can you change the angles on the sides, before you run into problems?

Thanks!

Wyatt

I like the idea of being able to use a tent with no poles via hanging the loop from a tree. Or, if no suitable trees were available, just propping up the middle with a large stick. I don't know much at all about tipis, but must say, this thread makes me want read up on them. Any idea how much can you change the angles on the sides, before you run into problems?

Thanks!

Wyatt

Here's some interesting off-the-cuff Tipi tidbits:
**the Plains Indian tipi is a TILTED INVERTED CONE. "Tilted" means the cone is steeper in the back and longer in the front with the door. What does this do? It puts the traditional sleeping area(at the back wall) closer to the firepit and leaves more room in the front by the door for wood storage, entering-exit and door adjustments.

**the original tipis were made from sewn together buffalo hides, and so being heavy, the old tipis were smaller than the current big canvas 18-20 footers.

**tipi side angle is determined by where you tie the "crotch" of the tipi poles and the length of the canvas as it ties to the "lifting pole". Steep sides are good as they allow more inside movement, sleeping and storage, wind resistence and snow-load shedding. Not vertical, off course. Gradually sloping sides are not pleasant in a tipi, and some of the commercial nylon single-center poled tipis have uncomfortable sloping walls which puts the camper in the center by the pole as any outward mvt pushes the sleeping bag and pad into the usually wet and condensated inner walls.

I spent the winter of '86 in a Chouinard pyramid tipi tent and found it to be a poor backpacking shelter, for many reasons. The tipi design works best with no center pole but with an open tripod and a ring of poles, but what backpacker is gonna carry such a thing?

Since the door of the tipi traditionally faced east, the tilt of the cone also put the tipi slanting "into the prevailing wind".

Holy Tipi experts batman ! :rolleyes:

wyominglostandfound, you did a fine job. I really like what you did.

thanks for the kind words to all! Tipi Walter.... while i am by no means a tipi guru or expert, i have been using this design for several years now and i find it to be very simple to use/setup and extremely liteweight and portable. i backpack over 300 miles a year and this is the only tent that i will carry. i tape my trecking poles together if i cannot find a long enough piece of deadfall for the centerpole. we have slept 3 with 2 dogs and all our gear very comfy inside a 6 ft. center by 11 ft. diameter and the whole tent with stakes weighs bairly 3 pounds. not too bad for a 4 person tent??
besides, this is condensation free when i vent the top of the zipper open and i have rolled it up wet and aired it out 2 days later and there was not even a hint of mildew. it cost me less than 80 dollars to build and that includes my labor. what other full coverage tent will claim that?? my days of sleeping under the stars or leanto shelters are definately gone. long live the tipi!!!

I would love to build a big tipi out of Sil, or something alittle heavier for winter trips. I love the Kirafu tipis but they are big bucks!!!
How did you figure out the angles?

You could make a model out of gridded paper and then transpose the lengths to fabric. (Ex: 1" grid equals 1 ft).

Native tipi's were made from a semicircle, not panels.

http://www.manataka.org/Teepee_MakingLarge.gif

There are several diagrams and instructions on tipi construction online.

http://www.manataka.org/page191.html#TEEPEE_MAKING_-_VERSION_2

I really like this design! Do you happen to have any extras you would be willing to sell?

Native tipi's were made from a semicircle, not panels.

http://www.manataka.org/Teepee_MakingLarge.gif

There are several diagrams and instructions on tipi construction online.

http://www.manataka.org/page191.html#TEEPEE_MAKING_-_VERSION_2

While you are correct the finished product was in a semi-circle, the old style Indian tipis were made from "panels" of buffalo hides sewn together in a semi-circular pattern. As far as canvas goes, they were sewn from long panel-strips into a semi-circle.

Great tent, Wyoming. My Megamid is similar, but with 4 sides instead of 6. Have you tried making one with a stove collar?

While you are correct the finished product was in a semi-circle, the old style Indian tipis were made from "panels" of buffalo hides sewn together in a semi-circular pattern. As far as canvas goes, they were sewn from long panel-strips into a semi-circle.

WOW Walter, thx for the clarification. I assumed everyone would know Buffalo hides didn't come in 18-20' sizes...

thought you would like to see the new additions to the family....

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6400.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6406.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6409.jpg

lookin good!

Okay....my entire family is sitting here at the monitor-looking at the diagrams and stuff....this is really interesting. Q. How compact can you get this tent to fold up too? Oh, and, uh, welcome to Whiteblaze-hope you'll stay around so I can pick your brain on this tent! :-))

our weekend campsite......


http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6460.jpg

wyominglostandfound.com

this is the small tipi folded for packing....

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6446.jpg

wyominglostandfound.com

thought you would like to see the new additions to the family....

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6400.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6406.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6409.jpg


we left one of these set up at 9500 ft. for the entire winter. the wood center pole snapped under the snowload but when we got to it this spring after the runoff was over it was in excellent condition. no mildew or rot and after cutting a new pole it was just as comfortable as we had left it the previous hunting season. try that with a nylon or canvas tent. you will end up with a ruined piece of equipment that cost three times as much as this poly tent.

heres one that just got finished....

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u309/elkantler75/100_6672.jpg