What style of tipi do you make?

We only make the Nez Perce, Plateau style tipi.

What size of tipi is right for me?

It depends on how you plan to use the tipi, when and how many people plan to be in it. If you plan to use it for camping, hunting, recreation type then we recommend a larger one. If you plan just to set it up in your yard for your children then a smaller one would suffice.

How long does a tipi last?

It can last for many years if you take care of it correctly. It should be completely dry before taking down and folded. If it is left up year round it probably won’t last more than five years.

Do I need a Liner?

Generally in summer camps, in warm weather, we do not use a liner; they just are not necessary. As soon as it gets cold, they are nice. Packing in the mountains in the summer, where it may get cool, we have often set up the tipi and utilized a few pack manties to block the draft in the bed area. If you plan to use the tipi in the winter we highly recommend the liner. Think about what your use will be and use your own judgment.

How do I take care of the tipi?

Before taking the tipi down it is recommended that the tipi be dry to prevent mold/mildew from occurring. If there is dirt, washing or spraying with water while the tipi is up may be all it will need. If there is ground in dirt or mildew you may want to use a solution of ¼ cup of bleach with 2 gallons of water, apply, scrub if necessary and rinse then allow that to dry before storing.

Will the tipi blow over in high winds?

We have our own system of securing our tipi frames so that the tipi will not blow over. Our tipis go up with a four-pole base, known as “front legs and back legs” and when there is a rope around the place where these “legs” come together, which is then drawn parallel to the cover and tied to a large stake in the direction of the prevailing wind, the tipi should not blow over. Ordinarily just staking the tipi down using the peg loops we sew on will keep the tipi right side up. However if there is any concern the rope around the legs and stake down is good insurance. On a few occasions we have added several more ropes paralleling the cover when the tipi was acting like it “wanted to go.” In twenty-five years of camping we never had a tipi blow over when set up properly. We did get lazy and distracted a few times, and went off to the pow-wow or whatever only to have the wind surprise us. It is wise and prudent to secure a rope around the four base poles on the inside of the tipi and secure it to a stake in the direction in which the wind is blowing. We know others recommend tying a rope to the center of the tipi, near the fire but we like to “take the rope to the wind” parallel to the cover and it is effective and completely out of the way.

How do I adjust the smoke flaps?

If there is a driving rain and you don’t have a fire its best to close the flaps over the opening by bringing each smoke flap pole to the front. If you have a fire and the wind is blowing from the right side, raise that flap until it is upright over the hole and drop the left side flap back a little. Do the opposite if the wind is blowing from left side.

How do I take care of the poles?

Old timers have told us that the best poles were red fir off of North slopes. These are beautiful, long and straight, and they can be stood up against a tree near the campsite and used again and again. The bottoms of the poles were much less likely to rot out than any other pole. Now days this is not so practical because we have found people do not respect your poles as they were in the old days. We have returned to a few of our campsites to find that someone believed our fine poles should be their firewood. We now use lodgepole pine for our poles and we use a drawknife to put a five to 8 inch taper on the blunt end. This does two things, first it means less pole meeting the ground and less moisture absorbed and less rot. Secondly, the cover of most plateau tipis is tied directly to the two door poles and the taper keeps the tie from sliding up the pole and out of position. Also to save continuously replacing rotted poles we sand and oil our poles by soaking a cloth glove in linseed oil and rubbing each pole. Then for insurance we keep the poles standing in our haybarn or supported horizontally in the garage or shed, in other words out of the weather when not in use. In this way tipi poles last for years.