Tipi In The Wind

[Turtle2]

A good friend of mine is putting plans together to "pack it in" and go live in a 14' tipi by himself for 2 years.
It's been his plan for quite some time and he's looking to start later this year. He has a very detailed plan and knowing him he'll have no problems.
The one thing we were discussing, and his only concern, is how Tipi's hold up in high winds. At local Rendezvous's they seem to do fine in 30-40 mph winds but say above 50 mph...will they hold up? His sight will be some what protected from the wind but he still has a concern. I will be helping him set up his lodge but if it comes down in high winds...he'll be on his own.
I suggested we start a thread here since there are a lot of folks who have lodges and may have experienced some high wind conditions with them.

-Turtle2-

 

[wildeagle]

Turtle, Lodges are great in the wind . i had mine set up in WV at a rondy when hurricane HUGO came thru , 70 - 80 mph winds !! Lodges were some of the few shelters left standing . They are conical in shape , there fore no flat surface for the wind to grab a hold . The wind splits and moves around the shape . Keep the smoke flaps shut and use a anchor rope from the apex of the poles to stout peg inside the lodge(behind the fire pit). IMHO one of the coolest shelters to live in. WE

 

[Holley]

I have had a tipi set up in 120 mph wind. But I did it like the old time Indian tipis...
1. The tie stake in the middle of the tipi only holds the poles...not the cover.
2. Make sure you have plenty of pegs holding down the cover.
3. Make sure the cover touches the ground so the wind does not get so up inside the tipi and blow it out. Out tipis today are set up too high off the ground because of the extensive use of liners/ozans.
4. Most the old tribes had an outside rope tied to the lift or wrapped one time around the top bundle and then brought back behind the tipi or where the prevailing winds were coming and heavliy pegged down about 20 feet or so from the cover.
5. In old times forked sticks were used to keep the poles from bowing inside and breaking.
6. Keep smoke flaps shut very tight to prevent the wind from lifing them up and creating damage to the cover or flap.

These are all documented old time ways of protecting your tipi in very high winds.

 

[Maestro]

... They are conical in shape , there fore no flat surface for the wind to grab a hold . The wind splits and moves around the shape . ...

I agree... I think wedge tents come in second (to tipis) for wind resistance. Our museum wedge (15x10x8) withstood the 72 mph (straight-line, "pre-tornadic") winds at last years' Southeastern. I took note at the time that most of the tents to go down were wall tents and marquis. (I think all of the tipis and wedge tents were still standing.)

Tipis... canoes... they certainly knew something about efficient design! :thumbsup:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

FWIW, One Memorial Day rondy near Cody WY back in the 70's, a lot of the lodges got knocked down in a high wind one night, and some of them were torn to bits.

 

[Haleh]

There was a feller that lived for a few years in a tipi in the North Carolina mountains near Boone.
I believe his name was Eustace Conway. Don't know much about the story but it might be worth while for your friend to check out his story. He runs a place called Turtle Island. Should be able to google some info.
H. Hale

 

[Birdman]

One other thing he can do which most people forget about because they only use the lodge for short periods is to build a wattle style fence around the lodge several feet away from the outer edge and about five feet high. Then you can also pile leaves n forest debris against this to add in insulating the lodge and breaking the wind around it. I have seen sketchs years back on how the Blackfeet did this n they lived up montana way so they knew well about wind n cold. I lived in a lodge for around nine months and never really had any problems with wind but as others have said I made sure I had plenty stakes around the outside and the main tie down rope pegged well inside.oh yea ya can pile yer fire wood inside the fence which makes it easier to get to in nasty weather.*important* Always keep three or four days worth of wood inside with ya in case the weather is really bad and you can't venture out to replenish it!!!! hope he likes chopping n spliting wood cause he's gonna go through way more then he thinks to stay warm n dry as well as fed

 

[nj1639]

Turtle, Lodges are great in the wind . i had mine set up in WV at a rondy when hurricane HUGO came thru , 70 - 80 mph winds !! Lodges were some of the few shelters left standing . They are conical in shape , there fore no flat surface for the wind to grab a hold . The wind splits and moves around the shape . Keep the smoke flaps shut and use a anchor rope from the apex of the poles to stout peg inside the lodge(behind the fire pit). IMHO one of the coolest shelters to live in. WE

Yep, I was there also and in a 16' lodge. Quite exciting.

 

[R. Miller]

I WAS THERE AND MY 18FTR WENT DOWN ,FORGOT HALF THE STAKES AT HOME STICKWALKER

 

[TANSTAAFL]

T'was a miserable night for some, the wind and that heavy wet snow was especially bad for the kids.

Wife & I had a 12' x 12' high wall tent set up with a sheep herder stove, at one count we had over 20 people inside hugging that wood burner trying to warm up.

Were you down with the Livingston MT club? They and the Yellowstone Mountain Men out of Cody were tight and we always attended each other's rondys.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

The tie stake in the middle of the tipi only holds the poles...not the cover.

One does learn to drive those crossed stakes deep for tie off. :winking:

 

[Buffalo Bones]

FWIW, One Memorial Day rondy near Cody WY back in the 70's, a lot of the lodges got knocked down in a high wind one night, and some of them were torn to bits.

I was there with my two sons. We were camped in a 16 foot tipi. We rode the storm out in good shape. Most or all of the lodges that blew over were not properly staked down.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

No doubt they were not properly set up for many did not get downed. But man that wind can roar off Buffalo Bill Reservoir and out of the canyon betwixt Rattle Snake and Spirit Mountains.

 

[Ole]

Hey Turtle2, I've had a 20 foot Nomadics tipi set up at the top of a very windy valley for 5 years. The wind has been over 65 MPH several times with no problem at all. This winter we have had 72 inches of snow so far and the only problem I have had is snow blowing under the tipi and betting frozen in the liner. This causes some fire draft problems but I just keep it swept out. If you get 'er set up right, wind ain't no problem. Ole