TENTS CAMPING

Teepee tents have been used for hundreds of years by native peoples in various countries, probably best recognised as the home of Native American people. These nomadic shelters were originally made from animal skins, typically buffalo hides, and wooden poles that could easily be erected and disassembled quickly and transported on foot or horseback from one camp site to another. Sadly, today even traditional versions are normally made of canvas or modern materials.Teepee tents may not be the most common site on the landscape any more, but camping is becoming an increasingly popular pastime, even in the UK! Many families go camping each year as an affordable vacation. If you have children then it is possible to enhance the experience by taking along a tepee tent. Even if you only buy a basic play tent, the children will be able to play Cowboys and Indians, or hide and seek, for hours on end. It can also then be used at home indoors or in the garden.Larger, family sized teepees are also available that can actually be used to sleep in. The advantage over a normal tent is the headroom. You can stand up vertically. Even if you don't want to sleep in one, they make great places for the family, or camping group, to gather in the evenings, or to cook and eat in or hang wet clothes to dry.Another distinct advantage is using a tepee tent at a music festival. Festivals have massively increased in popularity to the extent that there may be many thousands of people at the festival site, and therefore, there may also be many hundreds if not thousands of tents. So how do you find your tent amongst the sea of other similar looking canvas? A tipi tent is considerably higher than a normal outdoor tent. It's more vertical construction can be seen from a long way away and will stand out a mile, especially if you decorate it or place a flag or similar on top.Today, there are several manufacturers that make tepee tents for play or camping. The camping ones are constructed, like other tents, from water proof fabrics, some with a fly sheet. However, they are not always as waterproof as contemporary designs and can be more susceptible to higher winds. Therefore, they may not be the most practical tents for winter months, but who goes to a festival in winter anyway?