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full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

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  • #76
    Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

    ^ ^ Cool. Are you writing or blogging about it?

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    • #77
      Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

      Just writing and using my video camera for documentation at this time.

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      • #78
        Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

        Originally posted by Malamute View Post
        Sorry I missed this. Tipis are more comfortable because of being able to have an open fire inside, having more space, and having good storage space around the edges of the interior. Mine was 16', which isn't all usable floor space, but a good size for all around use and can accommodate 3 or 4 beds easily, more if squeezing in and not having a fire. Being able to have a fire while its raining or other unpleasantness outside is really nice. In zero deg outside weather, I was shirtsleeves comfortable inside with the fire. Any real tipi has a liner, which allow good draft of the smoke, and keeps drafts away from the living space. A tipi without a liner is not really a tipi. Its a complete package, or it isn't really working right.
        A liner? Please elaborate. Also, how do you have a fire in the rain without water getting in? We don't have tipi's here in Mississippi.
        2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

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        • #79
          Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

          Theres probably more tipis there than you realize.


          The liner is set inside the poles and is about 5-6 feet tall, the bottom edge goes under the floor material. The cover of the tipi is generally set an inch or two above the ground to allow air to circulate, the liner keeps the air from flowing across the inside. The smoke hole doesn't allow much rain it, but if a fire isn't being used, the flaps can be set to close the smoke hole. The flaps are also moved/adjusted to help draw the smoke. In pictures, look at the different angles they are set when fires are being used. In rain, some water runs down the poles inside, leaving a drip line until it makes it behind the liver, at which point it no longer matters. Using a finger to make a damp trail down the poles alleviates the drip line. In heavy rain, some people use a cover over the top of the poles, but I've never had to. A little rain comes in the smoke hole, but its usually mostly in the fire pit area.


          I did a simple google search and found a tipi makers site that had quite a lot of pictures, they may be of interest, as well as the instructions for setting them up. In the videos I've seen on youtube, many people make it much more complicated than necessary. I could set mine up alone in about an hour, with help it goes a little quicker. Breaking camp is fairly fast once one has done it a few times. If you have any interest in them, the book The Indian Tipi by Reginald and Gladys Laubin is the best general use book about them that I've seen. There are others, if one gets more deeply into them, but that book is the standard reference.


          Tipi makers site,


          http://www.tipi.com/


          BTW, if you see a tipi lit up at night and can see the poles all the way down, the liner isn't installed. The liner also keeps shadows from falling on the walls, giving more privacy. The liner will show as a dark part on the lower half of the tipi when lit from inside. A tipi without a liner is really missing about half of the package and unique function. Some people use them without a liner for quick camps, but its so simple to set them up I cant figure out a good reason not to use them. I never set mine up without the liner.


          Hope this is of some interest. Tipi camping is really a different animal than most tents, and can be habit forming. Carrying the long wood poles is the only real hassle, and good alternatives haven't really been figured out that I know of. There are some great pics of poles being transported that I'll try to find. Once in love with the tipi, you just deal with the poles.




          Pictures of poles being transported. Some are obviously huge tipis from how long the poles are. The poles for a16 ft lodge are a little longer than a full size vehicle, but aren't unmanageable.


          http://www.tipis.org/roof-add-ons-and-trailors.htm


          Good pictures,


          http://www.tipis.org/
          Last edited by Malamute; 01-11-2016, 09:07 AM.

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          • #80
            Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

            thanks, good info.

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            • #81
              Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

              Enjoyed reading everything. You are braver than I am. We have a hybrid camper but just for camping or traveling on vacations and such. I wish you the best of times!

              Comment


              • #82
                Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                sorry Irate Mormon, I just now got back on line and saw your post...the tent is okay, in storage at the moment...partner is getting tired of putting up and taking it
                down. He is 70 years old and has some mobility issues as a result of a stroke. we are pretty much living out of the van itself...
                there are two bench seats that we use to sleep on at night, do our cooking outside when the weather is good, use an electric hot plate
                in the van when it isn't, and an electric heater at night when needed...but after a month of that scenario I think we are ready to use the tent
                again, mainly when we will be in camp for longer than 5 days...
                Last edited by TNONMYMIND; 02-09-2016, 06:13 PM.

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                • #83
                  Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                  we are currently back at the lake texoma area in a motel, just to give us a break from the
                  van...I'm ready to get back to the great outdoors!
                  plan on getting the tent out of storage and head for warmer climes, if we can find them...
                  need to be back to home base area again in April for Dr. appts. so we don't want to travel too far...maybe down to the Gulf Coast area...April 2 will start our 4th year of full-time
                  camping.

                  Comment


                  • #84
                    Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                    Originally posted by TNONMYMIND View Post
                    we are currently back at the lake texoma area in a motel, just to give us a break from the
                    van...I'm ready to get back to the great outdoors!
                    plan on getting the tent out of storage and head for warmer climes, if we can find them...
                    need to be back to home base area again in April for Dr. appts. so we don't want to travel too far...maybe down to the Gulf Coast area...April 2 will start our 4th year of full-time
                    camping.
                    Just read an article about the lack of "Snowmaggedon" in traditional parts of NY. Ice missing for the Lake George Snow Carnival; Buffalo currently unseated from it's normal place in the Snow Belt
                    “You won’t see this reported in the national media, but Buffalo, N.Y., is currently in 15th place,” The Buffalo News announced in the last week of January, under a photograph of city residents playing outdoor basketball. “Fifteenth. For winter snowfall.”
                    ; Golfers on the greens of Utica in mid December.

                    Maybe it's time to come North.
                    2017:

                    July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                    Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                    Comment


                    • #85
                      Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                      nycgirll: your thoughts made me smile, but no thanks...I think we'll stay here in TX.
                      we seem to be a bit warmer than the east coast now. just spent about 7 days at Lake Brownwood State Park near the town
                      of Brownwood (duh). daytime temps were in the upper 60's/low 70's, nighttime temps mid to upper 30's.
                      with a small electric heater running on high all night we stayed warm enough...the only downside was having to make
                      those late night trips to the bathroom in the cold/dark...
                      about the second day there I got hit with a bout of Vertigo that knocked me for a loop for a few days...
                      there was quite a lot of wildlife active in the area...besides deer in the mornings, we also saw a grey fox wandering through
                      the campsites, songbirds in abundance, and a clutch(6) turkeys on the way out of the park. I also saw my first
                      wild boar lying dead on the side of the road just outside the park...looked to be some good fishing by the number
                      of fish we saw breaking the surface at times, but we didn't try our hand at it, as we have no gear with us...
                      we are back at Lake Texoma for the next 14 days and trying to find a park to go to after that, but so far the search is
                      not promising, as we will be in the middle of spring break...most parks are booked solid during that timeframe...
                      Anyone have any suggestions for someplace to go from 13 march to about the 10th of April? Someplace warm and not too
                      far from Texas?

                      Comment


                      • #86
                        Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                        TN, there is a free campsite called Rocky Springs campground that is not too far from me. There is a site for a campground host that has hookups - all the rest are primitive. It is operated by the National Park Service. Not exactly on the coast but not far away either.
                        2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

                        Comment


                        • #87
                          Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                          hope everyone had a nice Easter...we spent the weekend in a motel in Huntsville, Tx. as there were NO campsites
                          available anywhere nearby this past weekend...
                          ended up staying at Eisenhower state park for 23 days...that included 2 weeks of spring break and a weekend of
                          cub scouts...aaaahhhh!! we needed a weekend to ourselves to get our sanity back


                          what is going on with scouts nowadays? our exposure to the kids this year was crazy...kids running around everywhere including
                          through our campsite as it was closest to the playground, parents setting up the sites and doing all the cooking, bicycles and even
                          a dog included in the mix...campsites lit up like Christmas trees to all hours of the night...the kicker was when the scoutmaster
                          left before all the other pack troops and the sites were left a mess with campfires left smoldering...is it just Tx or all over?

                          Comment


                          • #88
                            Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                            Originally posted by TNONMYMIND View Post
                            hope everyone had a nice Easter...we spent the weekend in a motel in Huntsville, Tx. as there were NO campsites
                            available anywhere nearby this past weekend...
                            ended up staying at Eisenhower state park for 23 days...that included 2 weeks of spring break and a weekend of
                            cub scouts...aaaahhhh!! we needed a weekend to ourselves to get our sanity back


                            what is going on with scouts nowadays? our exposure to the kids this year was crazy...kids running around everywhere including
                            through our campsite as it was closest to the playground, parents setting up the sites and doing all the cooking, bicycles and even
                            a dog included in the mix...campsites lit up like Christmas trees to all hours of the night...the kicker was when the scoutmaster
                            left before all the other pack troops and the sites were left a mess with campfires left smoldering...is it just Tx or all over?
                            Can't say on my end. The last GS troop my building's kiddos attended died through lack of attendance a few years back and most of that generation are now getting ready to graduate from college. Wouldn't be surprised if the same is true for the local BS troop as well.
                            Kind of sad that the DGD will miss out on that aspect of growing up but on the bright side the Call of Thin Mints can't be heard.


                            So what are you doing in TX now and how long are you planning to stay there?
                            2017:

                            July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                            Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                            Comment


                            • #89
                              Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                              Parents started pulling their kids out of scouting with all the controversy over gay scoutmasters. The LBGT community wanted it, parents didn't. And thus another great institution died.
                              2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

                              Comment


                              • #90
                                Re: full-time tent living...anyone doing it?

                                Originally posted by Irate Mormon View Post
                                Parents started pulling their kids out of scouting with all the controversy over gay scoutmasters. The LBGT community wanted it, parents didn't. And thus another great institution died.
                                I suspect the problem was just the opposite on my end. The BSs ended here because many parents boycotted the national organizations for its LBGT stance.
                                Yanno how that goes-different strokes for different folks.

                                Signed ,

                                I would have been an Eagle Scout as an "associate" member of the BS troop my cousins ran if only I had the balls.....oopsy. Even though I've now forgotten all my knot-craft. Sigh ish ish.
                                2017:

                                July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                                Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                                Comment

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