The Tentipi is Here!!!

Well, the Tentipi showed up yesterday. Since it was coming from the UK, it got here quicker than I had expected.

By the time I got home from work, it was dinner time. We are supposed to be getting 6-10" of snow between the early morning and today, so Jen wanted to run out the store for some supplies in case she couldn't get out tomorrow.

I had to at least get it out, unroll it, read the directions and check everything over. At the first insepction, I was very impressed. By the time she got back it was well after dark, and below freezing. Do you think I am going to go out in the dark freezing weather and try setting up a new tent for the very first time? Of course I did!!!

The tent is a breeze to set up. There are basically ground straps that anchor the tent body to the ground. You go around in a circle and shove 8 stakes in the ground (not all the way, because you need to hook the ground straps to them). Then, you position the door where you want it, and go hook the ground straps all around. The ground straps are loosened all the way up to make setting up the tipi easier.

Next, you put in the center pole and pop the whole thing up. I have to admit, I went inside to put the pole in the center, and saw a bunch of cords inside and started to worry that this is going to get complicated quick. But, that was not the case. I put the pole it, popped the thing up, walked around the outside and tightened up the ground straps. That was it.

After it was all up, and in place, I figured out the cord system. It is actually a really cool setup. There are a couple sets of cords.
1) The storm cords on the outside are meant for staking the outside walls of the tipi in extremely bad weather. The instructions advise that they are only for "strong winds" and from people that I know have used these tipis claim that 99% of the time they do not use them. The cords are bundled up on the to the attachment point on the outside of the tipi, and there is a bungee with lock on it to hold it in place when not in use. A very slick setup.
2) Inside there is a set of cords running up to the ventilator caps. They are all bundled into one location, and run into a sleeve on the inside of the tipi. They each exit their own hole in the sleeve and have a lock on them for individual adjustment. These cords basically control one of the 2 ventilator caps up top. How many cords you pull control how open the cap becomes. Release the cord, and it is pulled back into position from the outside.

The two ventilator caps are pretty slick. The larger one will open directly to the sky with no netting. It is used for sticking a stove pipe through, or when you have an open fire on the ground. The smaller cap has a screen in place when opened up. This one is just used for ventilation in general. More on that later.

Besides having a door with a screen, this particular model has 3 fresh air vents around the bottom of the tipi. Besides allowing you to have an open fire, these vents are supposed to create air flow even on a hot windless day. The height differential between the inlet and outlet is supposed to create a chimney effect, and give air circulation even when there is no breeze. I have obviously not tried it yet, but from what I have heard, this is supposed one tent you can actually stand to get into during the middle of a hot day, while exposed to the sun. I am sure you all know how most typical tents are in that situation.

Back to the lower vents; in between the make support lines of the tent is where the vents are. Big and about 3 feet long. There is a smaller stake that holds the tent to the ground. Then there is a small storm cord that is staked about another foot out. This creates a little inlet. Then, on the inside of the tipi there is a zipper that allows you to control the size of the vent opening. Of course there is a screen in place to keep the bugs out.

I also got the optional floor with this, that unzips in the center to allow you to have an open fire. I checked out the floor, but did not try setting up that part in the dark and cold. More to come on that one.

I did not take any photos because it was so dark. The next time I get a chance to set this up during the day, I will take lots of photos.

All in all, I am extremely happy with the tipi. There is not a single thing I am disappointed with. The construction and the materials are unbelievable. But, while I am super impressed I also say that I damn well better be. This was not the price of your ordinary tent and therefore it should be everything that I expected it to be.

I also got the 2 Tatonka pans which are extremely nice. I won't bore you with a description. I will just take some photos of them in use when I get there.

That is all for now......hopefully some pictures next time.