Perks of Living in a Teepee

Not all that many years ago, many indigenous peoples lived, hunted and foraged in what would one day be the United States. These were fairly nomadic societies, following the herd migrations of buffalo or bison, so they needed dwellings that could be taken down and set up quickly.

Enter the teepee. It was made from upwards of a dozen logs that were lashed together with rawhide and covered with animal hides. There was a small flap that served as a door, and an opening at the top to let out smoke.

Believe it or not, there is some appeal to enjoying life in a teepee even in modern times. What are some of the ways living in a teepee benefits you? Below we’ll cover why someone should want to live in a teepee.

Movability

The key benefit of teepees when they were first used was how easy they were to set up, take down and carry from place to place. That’s still one of the main perks of using a teepee today. These days, instead of using animal skins, there are special natural and synthetic materials that are specifically made for use in teepees. These materials are not only lightweight, but they can offer legitimate protection against the elements as well. Canvas is the most widely used material.

Brings you closer to nature

Although the teepee is technically a dwelling that shields you from the effects of nature, it has the effect of bringing you nearer to the earth as well. There are multiple smoke flaps you’ll need to have open when you have a fire going. This means that, depending on the time of day, sunlight or moonlight will be streaming in.

While the teepee should protect you from wind and rain, you’ll still be able to hear it and feel it if the smoke vent is left open. And most of all, you’ll be sleeping on the ground, not on a canvas floor like in a tent. You’ll also be hearing all the natural sounds of the Great Outdoors. There are few ways to get closer to Mother Nature than living in a teepee.

Climate controlled

One thing many people don’t know about teepees is that they’re customizable. The indigenous peoples who first used them had to be able to survive in extreme cold and extreme heat, and they used teepees for both. For sizzling temperatures, there are additional flaps on the teepee that you can open, including an inner flap that can let air inside through the bottom.

If the air got too cold, you could build a bigger fire and add an extra lining to the interior of the teepee. Some indigenous peoples added a windbreak around the outside of the teepee, used hay as additional insulation or even built an ozan that protected the interior from rain and functioned as a teepee within a teepee.

Surprisingly roomy

Why should someone want to live in a teepee? Because they’re unexpectedly cavernous. One man named Chet Rideout who lived in a teepee for six months as part of a research project said he slept in a teepee comfortably with four other people and a fire. The oval base of a teepee can span as much as 16 feet in diameter, which is much larger than most tents.

Call to begin building your teepee today

What are some of the ways living in a teepee benefits you? It’s a unique experience between you and nature that’s more portable and comfortable than you might expect. For your teepee materials, get in touch with the experts at Huberwoods, where we offer logs specifically made for teepee construction.

Categorised in: Teepee Tips

This post was written by Writer