How to pick the best winter tipi tent

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How to Pick the Best Winter Tipi Tent

Winter camping is a very popular type of winter activity, so there is always a demand for winter tents and related items and accessories. Campers have different needs and preferences, and there are various types of camps that cater to users’ diverse requirements. Shelters differ in size, seasonality, quality, and shape. A tipi (teepee) is just one of the most popular types of shelters.

What is a winter tipi tent?

It gets its name from its historical predecessor – a conical shelter, which used to be red Indians’ year-round home. It was cone-shaped too, and Native Americans would use different materials (animal hides, sticks, leaves, etc.) to erect them. There were good reasons why tribesmen chose to build these conical dwellings. First, teepees were easy to relocate, as Indians lived a nomadic life and would move from place to place all the time. Second, the shape and structure would enhance air convection and help maintain optimal temperature inside year-round.

Third, the conical shape increases wind resistance, so the structure remains stable even during strong gales regardless of wind direction. For this reason, these huts are good for camping in uplands and locations, where high winds are a common thing. These conical shelters can withstand heavy rainfalls, but not heavy snowfalls. Snow (especially wet) puts a lot of downward force on the structure and may upset it in less than no time.

Tipis of today have pretty much inherited these advantages. They are easy to set up/take down/stow away, so you can camp out wherever you like, and they mimic their old-time cousins’ design, which helps maintain continuous and effective ventilation day and night. Winter teepee huts offer a good amount of space and headroom for people regardless of height, so you can stand and walk inside a tipi without stooping.

These shelters are easy to pitch, and oftentimes just one person can do the job. Even though they offer a good amount of room, they are compact and lightweight. Their old-time progenitors were well suited for burning fires inside, and the heirs are keeping pace: many teepees are equipped with stove jacks, and stove heating works very well for these huts.

There are companies offering nice products that suit customers’ needs very well. Here are a few examples, so you can read descriptions and decide which one is the best for you.

How do I pick the best winter teepee tent?

If you are on the point of buying a teepee, there are a few things for you to consider:

Size and weight.

Tipis come in different sizes, and you should choose one that can accommodate everyone you want to camp with. Just see how big your family is and how many friends you are planning to invite to camping trips. Check your future product’s weight and try to solve all possible transportation issues beforehand.

Shape and design.

These shelters differ in shapes as well. The most common ones are quadrangular and hexagonal. Quadrangular huts have a smaller number of poles, pegs and guy lines. Hexagonal huts have a little larger pack of accessories, so they are more heavyweight. However, they offer a greater amount of space and headroom. Some canopies are designed to be heated with the help of a stove and come with stove jacks.

Weather resistance.

Shelter that uses high-quality synthetic polyester and/or polyurethane canopies with properly sealed seams and durable zippers. These materials are lightweight, not very pricey, and they can prevent condensation inside. Fiberglass and metal frames can withstand harsh weather. Some camps feature high-tech popup frames. They are very easy to set up, but they are more likely to break down over time. Once again: winter teepee tents do not do well during heavy snowfalls, so check weather reports prior to moving out!

Price/quality ratio.

Now that you have some knowledge, match these three points to your wallet and buy the best product you can afford.

All-season tent with stove jack UP-2

RBM presents a lineup of best-in-class shelters for campers, hunters, fishermen, etc. UP-2 is an example of how good quality correlates with user-friendliness and affordability. Although it is not a winter tipi tent (RBM does not offer tipis), it does have some strong points that are typical of teepees.

This shelter has a stove jack, and the stove area is equipped with heat-resistant mats. The door and windows generate effective ventilation. The hut is designed for the use of a particular type of stove, which has proved to be very safe and user-friendly.

The two-layer polyurethane canopy ensures proper insulation and prevents condensation. The camouflage pattern makes the camp ideal for hunting in a variety of terrains. The umbrella-type frame is made of a sturdy alloy (B95T1), and it takes but a couple of minutes to set it up.

The combination of the umbrella frame and hydrodynamic shape ensure exceptional stability even in high winds. For this reason, UP-2 is really great for camping, hunting, fishing, recreation, etc. in any season and in any type of terrain.

Vidalido Dome Camping Tent

This free-standing shelter is famous for its user-friendly design and abundance of space. It is big enough to accommodate four to five campers. Some say it can accept six persons, but pretty much at the cost of the freedom of movement inside and with much less space for gear.

There is a vent at the top, so the hut inherits the effective ventilation pattern that was typical of old tribal teepees. It should be noted that it is not recommended to put a stove in this shelter and use other heating methods instead.

Like all winter tipi tents, it provides a lot of headroom and space: it is 7.9 ft tall and 12.5 inches wide. The canopy is made of a sturdy and highly durable 150D Oxford polyester fabric, and the central pole is made of anti-rust steel. Most campers say yes to reliable tapered zippers.

Vidalido Dome comes with a carrying bag, six guy ropes, 12 pegs, flags, and a huge insect net that covers the entire structure. In a quiet night, you can use this net instead of the canvas and sleep in fresh air without any bug problems. This feature is a great compensation for the absence of windows.

Vidalido dome rolls up in a lightweight and compact pack, so it can be great for hiking. However, it is not a free-standing hut, so you may have difficulty staking it in a rocky terrain. It takes a couple of minutes to pitch this shelter, but it is a little difficult to set it up single-handedly because of its height.

BaiYouDa Family Camping Teepee Tent

This shelter is appreciated for its size: it is 10.2 ft wide, so it can handle a large family and a good amount of gear. Besides, it is tall enough (6.5 ft high), so almost everyone can stand upright inside it without stooping. The package includes a polyester/polyurethane canopy, center pole, rain fly, stake bag with 25 stakes, and a carry bag. The whole kit weighs 11.87 lbs, which is not quite so lightweight, but still transportable.

The canvas comes in brown or green, so it is less visible in the wild. For this reason, BaiYouDa can be good for hunters or wildlife observers or photographers. It is well ventilated: on top of the good old natural tipi ventilation pattern, it has three windows with mosquito nets and rain covers, so you can keep the air flow going while keeping the rain and bugs outside. Also, there are three lower vents that enhance the convection (in case you are going to use a stove). Such air movement minimizes condensation and prolongs the life of the pole and the canvas.