How many of you have spent time in a big (12 - 16 man) tipi and can provide your experiences with that?
I take students on canoe trips and sometimes we end up where there are no trees to string tarps. In inclement weather we lack a place to hang out where we're not exposed to the elements. (That's less of an issue for me and more of an issue for skinny high school kids who don't always pack enough clothing.) This has made me start looking at big tipis as a place for us to gather when they're not in their tents. You can imagine that it's not a lot of fun trying to huddle around a small campfire with a group of kids when the drizzle starts and it's just above freezing.
A major manufacturer of tipi shelters has offered me a significant discount on a 16 man tipi. It looks like it would fit a bunch of students, even with my wood stove in the middle. This wouldn't be used to sleep in - just to get kids inside, out of the weather. It might be a real game changer in terms of safety and keeping morale up. Discount or no it's still a hefty chunk of change for us to fundraise so I'm trying to get some real world intel from folks who spent time in them.
In our "no tree" trips we have great ground for staking. I understand that a 16 man has a lot of fabric to catch the wind so we'd need it stuck down pretty good. On northern trips the ground would be too rocky for a tipi but we'd have plenty of trees for tarps.
Have you spent time in a big tipi? Can you imagine 15 - 20 kids sitting cross legged on a tarp in one? Any and all thoughts are welcome.
I take students on canoe trips and sometimes we end up where there are no trees to string tarps. In inclement weather we lack a place to hang out where we're not exposed to the elements. (That's less of an issue for me and more of an issue for skinny high school kids who don't always pack enough clothing.) This has made me start looking at big tipis as a place for us to gather when they're not in their tents. You can imagine that it's not a lot of fun trying to huddle around a small campfire with a group of kids when the drizzle starts and it's just above freezing.
A major manufacturer of tipi shelters has offered me a significant discount on a 16 man tipi. It looks like it would fit a bunch of students, even with my wood stove in the middle. This wouldn't be used to sleep in - just to get kids inside, out of the weather. It might be a real game changer in terms of safety and keeping morale up. Discount or no it's still a hefty chunk of change for us to fundraise so I'm trying to get some real world intel from folks who spent time in them.
In our "no tree" trips we have great ground for staking. I understand that a 16 man has a lot of fabric to catch the wind so we'd need it stuck down pretty good. On northern trips the ground would be too rocky for a tipi but we'd have plenty of trees for tarps.
Have you spent time in a big tipi? Can you imagine 15 - 20 kids sitting cross legged on a tarp in one? Any and all thoughts are welcome.
