"David Walker" wrote in message
...

Lloyd Bowles wrote:

The tipi shape should be fine in summer. I wouldn't want it in winter
though partly because I can imagine snow building up & flattening the
sides
at the base.

Oh contraire - from what I've read about the Kifaru tipi I think winter
camping it their strong point and summer camping
their weak point .

I have too much experience with slope walled tents & tarps to trust it in
winter. A heavy snowfall would be a problem, especially if it was wet snow.
We'd anchor a tarp well & pull it tight between trees. In the morning, we'd
find that the bottom foot or so was flattened on the ground under a
snowload. The fabric & rope were stressed. Native tipis were ok because
they had several poles supporting the walls rather than a single center
pole.

Take a look at the first photo on page 2 of
http://community.webshots.com/album/22633638trtUyoKldg . A prime candidate
for snow buildup. It wuld do better if it was taut, but that may only delay
the inevitable.

While they may also work fine for summer camping , I remain concerned
about condensation during the summer months living
where the humidity tends to be rather high in the summer . Maybe ok if the
doors are open but with inward leaning doors - if
its raining the doors will most likely be closed .

It's roomy enough that you simply stay clear of the open doors. TThere's no
floor to get wet. If there's a wind, close the upwind door. If you are in
a really humid area, get the optional liner. Oh, and if it's going to rain,
don't camp where water will flow under the tent. My youngest son & I found
made that mistake with the nylon lean-to, but we convinced the water to run
under our groundsheet instead over it.

I'm not quite
sure about the bug issue with a floorless tent .

It'll be ok as long as it has a sod cloth, or any fabric that drapes loosely
onto the ground. I added a narrow sodcloth & bugscreen to a Eureka lean-to
& had no bug problems in bug season.

Lloyd Bowles
www.madcanoeist.4ever.cc