Forums > Parts, Accessories & Gear > Tentipi

I think he means Teepees

Bob 

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"Go out, things happen. Stay at home, they don't" .....................Ted Simon

Roborider said:

got a link?

The link to the website is www.tentipi.com

just want to know if anyone has used one for motorcycle travel - and what their opinions are about it? 

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Okauchee Dakar

Hey there,

Never used one of these... but did you notice there is no floor?  The only holes I have in an old ripstop nylon down bag from the sixties are from hot sparks from the fire so I might be concerned about bringing a fire inside the tent.  While they look pretty cool, I think a first rate mountaineering would be lighter and much more efficient.  

Tentipi® Nordic Tipis let you embrace the elements like no other tents. At the same time, they protect you from the elements like no other tents.

No one offers such stability, high performance fabrics, time-saving features and versatility.

And who else lets you have the elemental comfort of an open fire inside your tent?

Not really sold on the above advertising...

cheers

buzzbomb 

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adios

Check out the new generation ultra-lite 4 season teepee travel tents. They seem to be getting rave reviews, but I have no experience with these yet. One standout feature is the material expands at the seams when wet to seal itself. 

http://www.golite.com/Product/proddetail.aspx?p=SH6125&s=2

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Adventure may lie just around the corner; but be sure to enjoy the corners while you're in them.

I'm interested in a tipi-style tent myself.  The ones from Kifaru are pricey but look really nice.  The stove add-on package packs very small but makes a real living space out of the thing.

As for no floor, think about it.  You can WALK RIGHT IN without taking your boots off, and you never have to sweep it out.  That's gotta be worth something.

I think it's worth checking out.  Someone buy it and tell me how it is! ;-)

Why the hell would anyone want to build a fire in the middle of their tent?  Looks romantic, bucoloic yaddi yaddi, but the best result would be that you'd smell like a cured ham everywhere you go, and the worst result could be catastrophic.  Add to that, moisture issues due to the lack of a floor.  Dirt and grass in everything.  How about bugs?  Ya got any mosquitos in Oconomowoc?

If you want to get one for aesthetic purposes, ceremonial purposes or just for hoots, that's fine.  But if you want a tent for camping, take advantage of all the improvements that have been made over the past two centuries.

I often don't even use a tent. I usually carry a bivy sack and a tarp/poncho. In winter or rainy climates a tent is nice. So a floorless, teepee-style tent doesn't seem like a bad idea per se. But it is an inherently inefficient shape as compared to a modern dome tent.

As a semipermanent structure as used by the first-nations, I understand teepees were the Cadilac (BMW?) of shelters. However, the inefficient design means that they will take up more space and weigh more than a comprable dome tent. Not luxuries we have as cyclists.

I'd say get a compact dome design using modern light-weight fabrics. Or go without.  

Jack

-- great thread!

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"There ain't no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk." -- T. Waits

I'd just like to point out now that the Kifaru four man tipi packs down to a claimed size of 6.5x22 inches and weighs 5.5 pounds.

That's really not as big a leap as one might expect from my Eureka Backcountry 2, which I cannot think of as a two person tent, more like one + gear.  it packs into about 5.5x16 and weighs almost five pounds.  Now add the facts that a 6 footer can stand vertically in the tipi, you can cook on the stove safely while sequestered from the weather, and that you can hang out six feet away from the smelly guy on the other side of the tent, and I still say there's something to be said for these things.  It's not like these are being made from saplings and buffalo hides, y'know.

"saplings and buffalo hides" 

Don't all Real Bikers carry a machete, a long-range 50-caliber rifle, and a skinning knife?

Cows are probably just as good as buffalo.  Plenty of cows around. 

C

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Another sunrise, These bright and crystal moments, Crow flies overhead.

Jdluke said:

 It's not like these are being made from saplings and buffalo hides, y'know.

JD, didn't mean to denegrate the Tipis at all. They do look like a lot of fun. I could easily see one of the 6 or 8 man versions being a great shelter for a base camp. Or fall Elk camp.... The stove option would be nice in a snow storm. I could really get into it. But I'd probably put it in my truck along with all the other gear. Does anyone backpack with these?

While you can technically stand up in the 4 man model, the actual usable ground space doesn't look that generous. The sloping walls take away some of the functionality as compared to a dome design IMO. 6- or 8-man looks a bit more comfortable.

I bet dome designed tents do better in severe wind--in Wyoming we know from severe wind. Might be wrong here, but a self supporting structure seems more useful and more structurally stable.

On a bike, one doesn't have the same limitations that a mountaineer has, but still weight and space are at a premium (at least for me).

Obviously a big step up from hide and lodgepole (not that those were bad materials, obviously they worked in the day.), but for motorbike camping I just don't see it. 

Right now I am without a tent, so the topic interests me. I've never found any tent to be terribly comfortable and they all have their drawbacks. I'd be nice to hear from someone who has actually spent a couple nights in one. In some serious weather. The report would best be started, "It was a dark and stormy night...."

If you get one, ya gotta write up a camping report.

Jack

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"There ain't no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk." -- T. Waits

Madhatter said:

If you get one, ya gotta write up a camping report.

Too rich for my blood.    I'm just here trying to convince somebody else to try one out. 

Besides, if I were to ever get one of these things, you're right...  It wouldn't be for motorcycle use.  I'd get one of the bigger ones to take out for comfortable, heated family camping.  I can continue to do quite well with my little dome tent.  ONe of the big ones would absolutely rock as a base camp, though.  I'll bet you could set up five or six little domes inside one to get private but heated shelter for a large group.

My concept of motorcycle camping is sliding a credit card across the counter and saying:  "Single, non-smoking, please.".

C

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Another sunrise, These bright and crystal moments, Crow flies overhead.