DIY tipi tent or buying a tipi tent

[jparker]

So, i've been doing way too much research on building my own tipi tent recently. designed and priced a tipi tent, 8 sided, 7' tall, 13'wide at the widest point. all things considered, including a stove (seekoutside medium or kifaru medium) and stove jack i'd be into it about $720 no counting the time it'd take me to cut, and sew, and seem seal.

My questions:

1. for those of you that have made your own similar sized tipi tents, what was the cost like?

2. For those of you that have dealt with DIY tents and name brand, particularly Kifaru Sawtooth, and Seekoutside Cimarron, whats the benefits to each?

3. is it worth the couple hundred dollars savings to build your own vs buying a name brand?

I'm just starting to get into going deeper into the woods, i currently have a Big agnes rattlesnake UL2 tent, and being 6'4" its just too small for me even hunting solo. My son is starting to get to the age where i'm hoping to take him with me in the next few years so i need something my family can grow into. I'd really like to buy once cry once, but i also love making my own gear.

 

[PredatorX]

#3..Man when it comes to shelters I'm not willing to mess around with my own DIY contraption. Not to save a couple hundos. These guys have been making proven shelters for a while. But I do think it is great to try and make your own. But you run the risk of screwing up expensive materials. With Kifaru and SO,etc they warranty theirs if you have an issue. Plus you could resell it very easy if you wanted to move it.



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[jparker]

#3..Man when it comes to shelters I'm not willing to mess around with my own DIY contraption. Not to save a couple hundos. These guys have been making proven shelters for a while. But I do think it is great to try and make your own. But you run the risk of screwing up expensive materials. With Kifaru and SO,etc they warranty theirs if you have an issue. Plus you could resell it very easy if you wanted to move it.



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thanks for the response, and thats kind of what i've been leaning towards. i priced out the materials alone, and with thread, fabric, seem sealer, webbing, basically everything i'd need to build the tent, NOT including the stove it's only $315.00. the expensive part is the lightweight titanium stove. thats why i'm curious to see if others really found building their own to be worth the savings and experience....

 

[PredatorX]

Well that's not too bad then when you figure you'd be building it for less then half of what a 6 man tipi would sell for. If you have any interest in possibly making and selling more of them, then I think it is a great idea.

Are you pretty good on the 'ol singer?

If the last time you sewed was in home economics, then I'd say you had better just buy a tipi.


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[eagle_eye]

I just finished a tent tonight for my hunt next week.
It's a lot like the SO btb. Just bigger.
The tent itself weighs in at just over 3 lbs, and has a foot print of 9'9"x14' and 7' plus in height.
Cost me less than $250.00
For me its just the satisfaction of making my own tent.
Should be able to accommodate two cots.
The closest I have been to a sewing machine is watching my wife sew stuff.
But she showed me the basics and off I went.
It would be a great project to do with your son.
I should have some pics in my thread: "DIY stretched tut"
You will enjoy what ever you decide.

 

[jparker]

I just finished a tent tonight for my hunt next week.
It's a lot like the SO btb. Just bigger.
The tent itself weighs in at just over 3 lbs, and has a foot print of 9'9"x14' and 7' plus in height.
Cost me less than $250.00
For me its just the satisfaction of making my own tent.
Should be able to accommodate two cots.
The closest I have been to a sewing machine is watching my wife sew stuff.
But she showed me the basics and off I went.
It would be a great project to do with your son.
I should have some pics in my thread: "DIY stretched tut"
You will enjoy what ever you decide.

Thanks eagle_eye, i have been quietly following your progress, and have been learning a lot from what you've been doing. What fabric did you use for it? i was looking at using the 2.2 HEX70 XL ripstop nylon from RSBTR. They make it in a 74" wide cut. I think i estimated that i'd need roughly 18.5 yards of material for just the tent, but was going to order 19 yards just to be safe and build a few bags that i've been wanting to build.

 

[eagle_eye]

I used 1.1 oz. Sylpoly for the ends and 1.1 oz. Sylpoly XL for the connecting tarp.
I started out and made a few stuff sacks/meat baggies before tackling the tent.
The whole tent fits into one of the stuff sacks.
Good luck if you decide to make your own.

 

[Danomite]

I made a tipi about exactly the size you're planning last year before a Colorado second rifle elk hunt. It turned out great, and I learned a new skill and have since made several other things. That said, if I had it to do over I'd probably buy a shelter from Live2hunt on this site and learn the sewing by making a tarp, pullouts, etc. just because of the major time sink the tipi turned out to be (others are surely faster). I made a stove at the same time and it was much easier to make and saved over $100. I followed build threads on this site for both the tipi and stove.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

I’m generally the type to do it myself rather than pay someone else. Welding, rebuilding engines, processing game, building boats, etc.

When it comes to staying alive in 60 mph winds in freezing temps for a week, I’m likely to go with something proven. Nothing against the guys that build their own shelters, and sometimes that’s the only way to get what you want. I’m tempted to try it for early season stuff, but when I feel my cheapness creeping in I ask if I would be willing to spend the $ in the moment. If a blizzard had just shredded my DIY tent, I’d gladly pay $300 to have a Sawtooth delivered right then and there. Tells me I might as well just buy it.

 

[Beendare]

My Take

It all boils down to whether you are a project guy or not. If its a straight "Labor Rate" thing....these tents/tipis are very labor intensive.....there is no way I saved money on mine- pictured. If you are trying to save $$- NOT....you are probably better off working a few extra hours overtime and just buy one.



Now I did build it the way I wanted...which was important to me. I wanted a stronger fabric with higher rip resistance after getting a 30" rip/run in my old SL5 on a hunt along the continental divide. Tenancious tape fixed it...but I wanted something a bit tougher [1.6oz Hyper D from RSBTR.

Then I also wanted features I haven't seen on other tipis. Building it myself solved that. I'm 'all in' at about $250 in materials for a 12'6" wide tipi. Add another $150 if you use the RSBTR Mtn fabric. Now I can tell you that the next one I build will take me much less time...the first time for everything always takes twice as long.