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    A Historical NoteWe have included the in ormation on this page to show you the original procedure that the Siouxused to determine the proper tripod pole measurements. I you have a tipi and do not know whatsize it is (or i you lose this set up booklet) you would use the method explained on this page to

    nd your exact tripod pole lengths. It is simple and it works every time. We include this page onlyas an interesting historical re erence. You will not need to ollow the instructions on this page. The

    complete instructions that you will ollow to set up your Nomadics tipi begin on page 4 . All themeasurements you will need are already gured out or you starting on page 5 .

    In order to establish the proper position and length or the door pole, start at A and walk around theedge o the tipi cover to point B . Walk toe-to-heel one oot in ront o the other and count your steps

    rom A to B . Let us say or instance that you count 30 steps rom A to B .

    Simply divide 30 by 1/3 . This gives you 10. That means that you start again at A and walk toe-to-heel around the edge o the tipi cover 10 steps, going towards B again. Stop at 10 steps and place

    the end o the door pole ( D ) at that point on the edge o the tipi cover. Your three tripod poles shouldnow look like the drawing above. The north and south poles going side by side down the middle othe tipi cover, the door pole placed 1/3 o the way rom A to B , and the door pole crossing the northand south poles at Z .

    We pre er to have our tipi cover about 2-3 inches o the ground when it is nally set up. To provideor this , we pull the butt ends o the north pole, south pole and door pole about 4 inches beyond the

    edge o the tipi cover when we lay these tripod poles on the cover or measuring the tripod. We raisethe bottom o the tipi cover 2 inches o the ground to allow better air fow up behind the liner. This isalso help ul even in the winter. It does not make the tipi cold.

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    Instructions for Setting Up a Sioux TipiThese instructions are available for download and printing in their entirety from our website.

    NOMADICS TIPI MAKERS17671 Snow Creek Road, Bend, Oregon 97701

    (541) 389-3980 www.tipi.com

    Greetings from the Nomadics Tipi Makers

    These tipi set-up instructions are complete and detailed in every respect. Although you may beamiliar with setting up tipis, you must use the exact measurements that we provide here. I you

    use the correct tripod pole lengths and the ground plan distances, your Nomadics tipi will set-uptight and winkle ree. Additionally, a secure, properly tied clove hitch is the only acceptable knot

    or ensuring a strongly bound tipi tripod. Always read the entire section o a set up phase be orebeginning that particular part o the set up process.

    Although it is rarely necessary, we are always happy to help you trouble shoot issues that mightarise. Read through all the basic set-up instructions be ore you begin, then ollow them care ully andyou will have a un, enjoyable and success ul set-up experience. Two people who have never set-upa tipi be ore should complete the cover set-up in 2-3 hours. The tipi liner will take 1-2 hours.

    Tools you will need: Optional tools:

    25 tape measure to Electrical staples Pocket knife or sharp scissors Matches or lighter Hammer or 1 Tack or short nail

    Hand saw or hatchet 10 ft. of wooden dowel Short step ladder or equivalent Black felt marking pen

    INDEXI Preparing your Tipi Poles ............................................ 3II Laying out the Tripod Poles .........................................4III Measurements for Tripod Pole lengths ........................ 5IV The Clove Hitch, Tying the Tripod Poles ...................... 5

    V Setting up the Tripod Poles (by yourself) ..................... 7

    VI Laying in all the Tipi Poles ...........................................8 VII Putting on the Tipi Cover ...........................................10 VIII Putting up the Tipi Liner ............................................ 16IX Using the Smoke Flaps ............................................. 20X The Tipi Rain Cap ......................................................23XI The Tipi Ozan ............................................................. 24XII Wood Stoves ............................................................. 27

    XIII Mold and Mildew Problems ....................................... 28 XIV Putting the Tipi on a Wood Deck ............................... 29

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    INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP A SIOUX TIPISet your tipi up on level ground that is slightly higher than the surrounding area - this prevents drainageproblems in wet weather. Avoid living directly under old trees that might drop dead branches on yourtipi during wind storms. Try to choose a tipi site that will get maximum sun in the winter.

    PREPARING YOUR TIPI POLES: I you have purchased tipi poles romus the poles have already been hand peeled. You will need to smooth outany remaining rough spots or branch nodes. Use either a sharp fat bladehatchet, a draw kni e, a hand or small electric planer or an electric beltsander using progressively smoother grades o sandpaper. Once yourpoles are smooth you need to treat them with a wood preservative. This willensure that they will last you 10-15 years and will also help keep the naturallight color o the wood. For an organic treatment we pre er a brew o 50%boiled linseed oil (it comes that way rom the store) and 50% turpentine.

    Apply this mixture three times allowing complete drying in- between coats. An excellent commercial product is called Superdeck. Buy it in a clear,natural color. I you are getting your own tipi poles then any species otree will do for a tipi pole. The important requirements are that it be 3 indiameter at the butt and taper to 2 in diameter where the cluster of polescross. O course the straighter the tipi pole the better. I a pole is a littlebowed, twist the pole so that the bow is against the tipi canvas once the

    tipi cover is around the poles. I your pole choice islimited it is better to get poles that are 2-1/2 at thebutt rather than going to a larger to a 3 12 or 4diameter at the butt. Your poles can extend beyondthe top of your tipi as far as you like. However,i you are trying to keep them short or easytransportation then they only need to be 2 t. longer

    than the stated size o your tipi, i.e. 20 t. long or an 18 t. tipi.

    Regardless o where you live there will usually be one species otree that will grow in a rather tight, crowded stand causing the treesto grow tall and thin. Unless these trees have a lot o limbs they willprobably be your best bet or a good tipi pole. Thin out your tipi polescare ully. This can actually help the remaining trees to grow by reducing the competition or light andsoil nutrients. Work your poles smooth with a draw kni e or sharp hatchet. I time and energy allow,sand the poles smooth with medium sand paper and then rub them down with wood preservative.

    I you gather your poles in the spring then you may be able to simply pull the bark o with you ngers.Poles should be as dry as possible before putting up your tipi. The sooner you remove the bark fromthe poles the easier it will be to get it o . Be sure your poles are laid fat or drying, the rst ew daysbeing critical. If you have no trees available to you and you cant afford to buy any then you can make

    do with ripped lumber. Get a lumber yard to rip a 2 x 6 or a 2 x 8 diagonally rom one corner to theopposite corner on the other end. Round the square edges and you have a tipi pole see drawingabove. Regardless o the kind o tipi pole you use your nished pole must be smooth to the touch.This allows rain to glide down the underside o the pole and disappear behind the tipi liner withoutdripping into the tipi. In wet climates you may want to treat the bottom 4 to 6 of your poles withcreosote or penta that help retard rotting due to excessive dampness and contact with the soil.

    What if you dont have time to dry your poles before putting up your tipi? If this is the case then twisteach pole 180 each day or about 10 days or so. This will continually compensate or the bow thatwants to develop in the poles. You cannot do this with your tripod poles. They are locked up tight.Likewise, you cannot do this i your tipi liner is up. Leave it o until your poles are su ciently dry.

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    LAYING OUT THE TRIPOD POLES: Select your three sturdiest poles or the tripod poles. Nowselect your two shortest, smallest diameter, and least straight tipi poles. These will be your smokefap poles. Set them aside or now. We will come back to them later. Spread the tipi cover out fat onthe ground with the inside side o the cover acing upward toward the sky as in illustration 1 , below,(Our address label is sewn on the inside o the cover. Also there is one peg loop sewn on each sideo the door hole opening on the outside o the tipi cover.) When the tipi is set up the door hole shouldbe facing East toward the rising sun. All of the following instructions assume that the tipi door willface East.

    The three tripod poles are re erred to as the NorthPole , the South Pole , and the Door Pole . Whenthe tipi is set up with the door facing East the northpole will be on the north side o the tipi, the southpole will be on the south side o the tipi and thedoor pole will be beside the door on the le t side.We re er to the right side o the tipi as the side toyour right when you are acing the door hole, andthe le t side is to your le t. See illustration 4 andphoto 9 .

    To measure the tripod poles or tying, re er again to illustration 1 , above. The north pole and thesouth pole are laid down the middle o the cover, side by side. The north pole is ( N ) and the southpole ( S ). The door pole ( D ) is now laid across the north and south poles and crosses them right at thebase to the li t pole fap ( Z ). See 1 . IMPORTANT: Now see the tripod pole chart under measurements

    or tripod set up on page 5. This gives you the exact measurements you will need. Note: You do notneed to do this layout, measuring and tying on top o the tipi cover itsel . The poles can be layingwherever is most convenient. However it is best to do it as close to your actual tipi site as possible.Lay the door pole across the north and south poles at the approximate angle that you seen inillustration 1. This exact angle is not critical but the measurements are.

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    MEASUREMENTS FOR TRIPOD SET UP

    To insure a correct tripod set up here are the exact measurements or tying your tripod poles. Crossthe three tripod poles as shown in illustration 1. The measurements given below are rom Z to N, Z to S , and Z to D . These measurements already include 4 extra pole length.

    TIPI SIZE Z to N Z to S Z to D12 103 103 11214 1110 1110 13416 14 14 15618 16 16 17420 184 184 19422 1910 20 2126 236 236 258

    TYING THE TRIPOD POLES TOGETHER:You will need 45 feet of good quality 1/2 inch manilarope. Straw rope will also be suitable. Syntheticrope will not do. Synthetic rope slips against itseland will not grip the poles. Begin by tying thethree tripod poles together with a clove hitch as inillustration 2. Start with about 6 eet o rope so thatwhen the clove hitch is tied you have 5 eet o ropele t over on one side o the knot and about 38 to40 eet le t over on the other side o the knot. Nowstarting just below the clove hitch wrap the 5 eeto rope around the poles three or our times and

    nish it o with another clove hitch, see illustration3 . Now the tripod poles have been tied together.The other long end o the tripod rope will be used toraise the tripod - Do not cut it off! Your three tripodpoles should now look like illustration 1 .

    RAISING THE TRIPOD:

    Now, being very care ul not to let any o the polesslide at the knot, carry the tripod to your tipi sitemaintaining the relative positions o the tripod poles.To set up the tripod on the proper location, placethe butts o the north and south tripod poles nearthe black dot S in illustration 4 on the Ground Planpage 6 . Place the butt of the Door Pole at the blackdot D in illustration 4 . The dotted lines in 4 show theposition o the tripod poles on the ground.

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    Ground Plan for the 12 & 14 ft. TipiSet up. Note that the 12 and 14 tipi

    set up requires only 12 tipi poles inthe total ramework.

    Ground Plan for the 22 & 26 ft. TipiSet up. Because o the large size othe 22 and 26 t. tipi, you need to add3 additional poles to the standard 15pole ramework. (This is necessary

    or the 26 t. but optional or the 22t.). Add one more pole to each o

    the three sections as illustrated here.That is a total o 18 tipi poles in the

    ramework.

    POSITIONING THE TRIPOD POLES:Now place the tripod poles as nearly as possible into their

    nal positions. The measurements given here show exactlyhow to position your North, South and Door poles. Find thesize o your tipi on the le t column and then measure out thethree distances S to D , N to D and S to N . See illustration.

    The measurements are made along the ground rom theinside o the pole butts. You will notice that the tripod polesorm an isosceles triangle. An isosceles triangle has two

    equal sides.

    The distances given below are rom S to D , N to D andS to N .See Ground Plan above.

    TIPI SIZE S to D N to D S to N

    12 105 105 81014 116 116 10316 136 136 1218 16 16 1320 18 1711 16522 199 20 18226 2310 2310 223

    4

    S to N

    S to D

    N to D

    THE TIPI GROUND PLAN

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    Now see photograph 5 . One person puts their oot at the base o the N and S poles and pulls on thetripod rope as the other person walks up under the poles pushing up slowly as they are raised. I youare alone, raising the tripod by yoursel is not di cult. Simply prop a ve to six oot pole, board orladder up underneath the tie point and then continue to raise the tripod as in photos 5 and 6 . Thenwhile holding the poles in a near vertical position, with the rope in one hand, simply push the northpole out and away rom you approximately six eet and release the tension on the rope allowing thetripod to sit on the ground. The tripod is now stable and you can begin moving each pole out to itscorrect position according to the ground plan. Take the north pole and slowly spread the poles into atripod by swinging the north pole away rom the south pole and placing the butt o the north pole atthe black dot N in 4 . See this sequence in photographs 6, 7, 8 , and 9 . NOTE: I your clove hitch hasbeen properly tied there should be a reasonable amount o resistance rom the knot as you swingthe north pole into position. You should hear de nite creeking and squeaking of the rope as the clovehitch clamps down on the tripod poles. It should eel very strong and secure.

    The tripod is now locked into position. The three tripod poles should be in approximately the positionshown in 4 for N, S, and D as shown on the TIPI GROUND PLAN . At this point you can test thestrength o your tripod by swinging rom the tie rope. It should easily support two adults. See photo 10 .

    Once your tripod pole distances arecorrectly set it is best to never move them.

    Since the Sioux tipi is an asymmetricalcone, i you move one tripod pole youthrow the entire set up out o proportion.

    5

    6 7

    8 9 10

    S N

    D

    S N

    D

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    S

    D

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    The tipi is not a per ectly symmetrical cone, it is an asymmetrical cone. It is the longerdoor pole that causes the tipi to tilt to the rear. In the illustration here the dotted linesrepresent a per ect cone. The longer, more angular ront slope to the tipi helped bracethe tipi against the west winds and also a orded more head room at the back o the tipiwhich is the main living space. This also accounts or the tipi foor being egg shaped.LAYING IN THE POLES: Now select your sturdiest pole and set it aside. This will beyour li t pole. It is used to li t the tipi cover into place a ter all the poles have been laid in.When carrying a tipi pole around, carry it straight up and down, perpendicular to the ground. See 17 .

    Now look again at illustration 4 . Smallcircles are drawn to indicate where thebutt o each pole goes. The numbers1 through 11 indicate the propersequence in which the tipi poles shouldbe laid into the three tripod poles.Note: The 14 t. and 26 t. tipi have adi erent number o tipi poles and polepositions than the other tipis. See theGround Plans in illustration 4 . Select apole and place the butt o the pole atthe 1 position as indicated in 4 . I amplacing the number 1 pole in positionin photo 11 . Put your foot at the baseo the pole as you lower it slowly intothe ront crotch o the tripod poles. It isvery important that poles 1, 2, 3, 4 andpoles 5, 6, 7, 8 all be placed in this rontcrotch. I have placed arrows in photo11 to indicate the V that representsthis ront crotch o the tripod. This rontcrotch V is formed by the north poleand the south pole. When the number 1pole is in proper position, the distancebetween the butt o the door pole andthe butt o the number 1 pole should beabout 3 eet. This is where the tipi doorhole will be. See 4 . Also look at 33 . In33 you are looking at the door rom theinside o the tipi. Notice that the doorpole and number 1 pole run right along-side the door hole. This gives the doorhole good taut support and helps holdits shape.

    Now, in the same manner, and usingthe illustration 4 as your Ground Planguide, place poles number 2 , 3 and 4 inposition. See photo 12 , and 13 . Now laypoles 5,6,7 and 8 in the ront crotch also. In photo 14 we are laying in pole number 5. Photo 15 showspoles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 all properly laid in the ront crotch and position correctly.Now, be ore laying in poles 9, 10 and 11, go around to the back o the tipi and look up at the clustero poles. See 16 . You will notice the opening outlined in black and white dots in 16 . This is the backcrotch. Lay poles 9,10 and 11 in the back crotch. Notice in 4 that you do not place a pole in theposition marked L, between number 10 and 11 poles. This is or the li t pole. In 17 and 18 I am laying inpole number 9. Pole number 11 is being laid in place in photo 19 . Note the space to my le t where the

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    12

    13 14

    D 1D

    D 1

    8

    S N

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    Lift Pole will be placed. Once poles 9,10 and 11 are in, the cluster should looklike photo 20 when looking at the polecluster rom the back o the tipi.

    Now see 21 . Take the long rope andwrap it around the cluster o poles.Walk clockwise around the tipi. Keepthe rope taut but do not pull so hardas to shi t any o the poles o theground. Continue around the tipi 4 timeswhipping and snapping the rope up intotight coils around the cluster o poles.When you have nished wrapping therope around 4 times in this manner,bring it over the north pole and let ithang ree toward the ground.

    16 17

    18 19

    2021

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    PUTTING ON THE TIPI COVER: Now take the pole you have chosen or the li t pole and lay it on theoutstretched tipi cover in the same place you laid the north and south poles earlier. See illustration 1 .In 22 , I am positioning the li t pole directly on top o the li t pole fap . At the bottom center edge o thetipi cover extend the butt of the lift pole off the tipi cover about 4 inches. Using a 26 piece of smallrope, run the rope through the loop in the li t pole fap. Now have one person hold the bottom edge othe tipi cover tightly against the tipi li t pole with 4 inches o tipi pole extending beyond the edge o thecanvas as just explained. Now the other person at the li t pole fap pulls the canvas gently but steadilyto stretch the canvas fat against the pole. Now using the rope that has been put through the li t polefap slot bind the li t pole tightly to the pole. See Z in illustration 1 and also in the illustration at right.See photo 22 .

    PLEASE NOTE: It is imperative that you bind the li t pole fap very tightlyto the li t pole. I your tipi slips down rom its original tie point at any phaseo your tipi set-up process then the tipi will not t per ectly. I it slips asmuch as 2 or 3 inches or more you will have wrinkles in the back and thatwill not come out. There ore we suggest you do one o three things:1. Mark on your lift pole with a heavy black or red line just above the topof the lift pole at. Do this after you have tied it down tightly to the lift pole.Now you will be able to look up at the tie point rom the ground and see ithe tipi cover has slipped down the li t pole.

    2. With a sharp kni e, notch out a grove around your li t pole at the top othe li t pole fap and run the top coil o rope into this notch as you bind the li t pole fap to the li t pole. Idone well, one coil o therope will seat down intothis grove and your li t polefap will not slip. There orethe tipi cover will not slidedown the li t pole.

    3. For absolute assurance,hammer a small, or 1,

    tack through the li t polefap at the rope loop andinto the li t pole. This mayseem like you are ruiningyour tipi but you are not.The li t pole fat is ourlayers thick and this smallhole will not weaken it atall or encourage a tearthat enlarges over time.First bind the li t pole fapdown as explained be ore.

    The tack is an additional aid. The reason why securing the li t pole fap to the li t pole is so importantis because of the sheer weight of the tipi cover itself. An 18 tipi weighs 55 to 80 lbs depending on theabric you choose. We highly recommend using a tack with the 22 or 26 t. tipi because o their excessive

    weight. The moment the tipi cover is spread over the poles all stress is relieved rom the tack.

    Now tie a smoke ap line to each of the smoke aps at the bottom of the Cheyenne extension. See W in 1. Use a piece o small cord about 14 t. long or each smoke fap. Use the peg loop provided or thesmoke fap line in the corner o the fap at W. These lines will then be tied to a stake in ront o the tipi asin photograph 40 . Now, with the tipi cover still on the ground, old each side o the canvas in towards theli t pole until the tipi is one long bundle laying along-side the li t pole. See the appearance o the tipi coverand li t pole in photo 23 .

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    Lift Pole Flap

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    With the heavier tipis,or i you are raisingthe tipi by yoursel ,we suggest someadditional supporttechniques. Usingshort pieces o ropeor strips o cloth (abelt will do), bind thetipi cover to the li tpole in two additionalplaces. Use a slip-knot o some sort andleave a long enoughtail that you canreach it and releaseit rom the ground.Now grip the canvasvery tightly againstthe li t pole and raise

    the entire bundle in the air as in 23 . Itis very important not to let the weight othe tipi cover hang from the lift polefap where you have bound it to the li tpole. Place the butt of the lift pole at L in 4 , and slowly lower it into position inthe back crotch. See 23 , 24 and 25 .When you are lowering the li t pole intothe back crotch, the back crotch shouldlook like 20 . Twist the li t pole so thatthe tipi canvas is on the backside oroutside o the li t pole.

    Spread the cover around the polesand bring it together between the doorpole and the number 1 pole. It helpsto billow the canvas as you might asail. This helps oatthe canvas aroundthe poles rather than

    jerking and pulling itacross the sur aceo the tipi polesthemselves. See 26 ,27 , 28 .

    23 24

    25 2625

    27 28

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    When you have broughtthe tipi halves togetherat the ront, then goinside and tie theshort smoke tie tapestogether. They are at thetop o the pinning faps -

    Y in 1 . Tie them togetheras shown in 29 . You willneed a short step ladderor equivalent to reachthe ties.

    PREPARING YOUR LACING PINS AND PINNING YOUR TIPI TOGETHERLacing pins should be in diameter and 14 long each. You will needto sharpen one end o each lacing pin. The pointed end makes it mucheasier to work the lacing pin through the our button holes at each lacingpin location. Do not put a super sharp point on the end of the pin. A sharp

    point could potentially pierce the tipi coverabric i you accidentally poked the abric

    with the pin. For this reason, blunt the endo the sharpened end just slightly. See theillustration here on the right.

    Note , when standing outside the tipi, the left Pinning Flat should goover on top of the right Pinning Flap. Put the lacing pin through thebutton holes going rom right to le t as shown in the illustration. It isvery help ul to rst prepare each button hole - while the tipi cover ison the ground - by putting a pin in it and widening the hole. Work thepin in a circular motion our or ve times to stretch the hole a little bit.It is best to twist or screw the pin as you maneuver it through hetwo holes on the right and then out the two holes on the le t. There aretwo holes on each side because the two pinning acing are on top oeach other in order to bind them together securely. Begin at the top o

    the pinning acing justunder the smoke fapsas shown in photo 29 and 30 . For lacing thepinning acing togetherproperly, see photos30 , 31 and 32 .

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    Once the pinning faps are laced together you are ready to adjust the tipi cover and stake it down.First, move the number 1 pole so that it runsalong side the door hole as in 33 . I the tipi coveris very wrinkled all around the sides and it is6 or more above the ground in most places,then move all the poles inside about 6. To dothis, twist the pole back-and- orth and push itupwards as you move it inside, toward the center

    o the tipi.Note: Do not try to move the tripod poles verymuch. A ew inches is the most you should evermove them if you move them at all. Movingthe tipi poles in some will allow you to pull thewrinkles out o the canvas and give the covera uni orm appearance. I you have too muchcanvas near the ground, then simply move someo the poles to the outside a ew inches. At thispoint you should not be trying to get the tipicover super tight. Just get all the major wrinkles

    out by adjusting your poles in and out.Now you are essentially ready to stake your tipidown. But be ore you do, there are two thingsthat you need to check. First, go inside the tipiand check the way the cover looks or uni ormity.It is OK at this point to have a ew wrinkles butthey should be essentially the same on bothsides of the tipi. Mirror images so to speak, Ifyou see one side that looks basically smoothalthough limp and the other side has long, deep wrinkles or one side is 6 inches or more higher thanthe other side, then an adjustment needs to be made. The usual causes are uneven ground, three or

    our poles sinking particularly deep into the ground, incorrect ground plan measurements or one oyour tripod poles slipped during the set-up process and is shorter than the other two. Also be surethat the door hole opening is between the door pole and the #1 pole. Ideally, the cover should haveno wrinkles but be draped loosely and uni ormly around the poles. Now be sure that none o yourpoles are tight against the canvas. Move your poles so that they are about 4 to 6 inches inside ofwhere you think their nal position will be. This is strictly an eyeball affair. At this point, notice thatthe canvas will be a little tight across your three tripod poles and may even be a little high on themalso. That is OK. Do not move the tripod poles in. We are essentially going to move all the otherpoles out to meet them in the nal nishing stage o the set up. What you are looking or now is auni orm draping o the tipi cover.

    33

    30

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    PREPARING YOUR SMOKE FLAP POLES Now go back to the two tipi poles that you set aside oruse as smoke fap poles. You will need to cut them o so that they are two eet longer than the sizeo your tipi. For example, or an 18 t. tipi, the smoke pole length needs to be 20 t. long, or a 20 t.tipi, they need to be 22 t. long etc.Whatever amount you need to cut oshould be cut rom the small end o thepole. The cut end should be roundedand smoothed so that it is not abrasiveto the canvas in the smoke fap pocket.Now, place the two smoke fap poles inthe smoke fap pockets and cross theirbutts behind the tipi as in 34 and 35 .The ends that go into the smoke fappockets should be very blunt. The buttso the smoke poles should be 2 to 3 t.

    rom the edge o the tipi. See 35 . Donot put a lot o pressure on the smokefaps just yet. Just support them enoughto take any major wrinkles out o thesmoke faps themselves.

    I you purchased tent stakes rom usthen you have received a small coil o cord with a green stripe running through it. Count the numbero peg loops on your tipi cover and cut this cord into 30 inch lengths, one length or each peg loop (Itis best to melt each end of the cut cord to prevent fraying.) Tie the 30 pieces to each peg loop as isshown in the photo below. NEVER PUT YOUR TENT STAKES DIRECTLY THROUGH THE TIPI PEGLOOP. If your tipi is securely staked down, the tipi will withstand very strong winds.

    Now stake the tipi down. To do this, pull the peg loop down and out away rom the poles. Pull out as hard as you can. Position your tie stake about 4 from the peg loop. Drive the stake in the ground

    about hal way in and tie the cord to the stake. See photo 36 . When the cord is taut hammer thestake all the way into the ground. See 37 .Start your staking at the ront o the tipi and go towardsthe back side, doing both sides at once. When your tipi is nished being set up the bottom edgeof the tipi cover should be about 3 off the ground. Dont worry if your cover is even 4 to 6 inchesaway rom your poles. See photo 38 . When the tipi is completely staked down, go inside and pushthe poles outward against the cover as hard as you can. Again, twist each pole and pull down on itas you push it out again the cover. See photo 39 . Attach the smoke fap lines to the pole in ront othe tipi and pull them taut as in 40 . This stake should be 6 t. tall and placed 6 t. in ront o the doorhole. Now push the smoke poles up taut in the smoke fap pockets as in 40 and 36 . Your tipi shouldnow look like illustration 39 and the color photo on the back cover o these set up instructions.

    Looping the tie cord throughthe peg loop

    36 37

    34 35

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    TROUBLE-SHOOTING: Most problems arise from an incorrectly positioned tripod. If your tipi is fullo wrinkles at the top but has none atthe bottom you have probably spreadthe tripod poles out too wide. It is alsolikely that your Lift Pole Flap has sliddown the Lift Pole. Check your mark onthe Lift Pole. Move all the tripod polesin about 4 to 6 inches and try again. Iyou have a lot o wrinkles at the bottomo the tipi but the top seems O.K.then move the tripod poles out a ewinches. Remember! The tripod poles

    should only be moved i all else ails.Normally all the wrinkles can be easilystraightened out by simply pulling onthe tipi canvas and moving the otherpoles in and out a ew inches. I yourcover is wrinkle ree except or thevery top, your tipi poles may be toolarge at the point where they all clustertogether.NOMADICS TIPI LINER: Put yourtipi liner up a ter your tipi cover is putup. Liners or all size tipis come in

    A properly staked down tipi be ore the tipi poleshave been pushed out against the cover to their

    nal positions. Note that the tipi is staked about 3o the ground.

    Final set up a ter the tipi poles have beenpushed out to their nal positions. Now lookaround the tipi and space the poles evenly butnot necessarily equidistant.

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    three sections. The liner for the 14 tipi has 3 sections of 3 panels each. The liner for a 16 ft. has 2sections made up o 3 panels sewn together and one section made up o 4 panels. For an 18 t. tipiall 3 sections are made up o 4 panels. A 20 t. tipi has 2 sections o 4 panels and one section o 6panels. The 22 t. liner also has 2 sections o 4 panels and one section o 6 panels. A 26 t. tipi has 3sections, 6, 8, and 6.

    HANGING THE TIPI LINER: Your 6 t. high tipiliner has a row o liner ties at the top, at the 3ft. mid point and 6 up from the bottom. Youwill put a continuous rope around each tipipole at these three heights. Start by putting thebottom rope on rst. Starting at the door pole,tie the rope as low on the poles as possible as close to the ground as you can get it andrun it around the entire tipi i.e. to every pole.See illustration 41 and 43 . Note in 42 that theliner rope crosses on the inside side o the tipipole.We suggest putting a to electricalstaple in every other pole to keep the rope

    rom sliding up or down. Nail the staple intothe side o the pole. We do this on all threeliner ropes. Pull the rope very taunt from poleto pole as you go around but do not pull sohard that you move the poles. Now you needto mark all your tipi poles at the proper height or your middleand top liner rope. To do this, rst lay out a portion o your linerso that you can measure this distance rom the bottom linertie to the middle tie (approximately 30) and from the middletie to the top tie (approximately 34). Note that the bottom tieis approximately 6 up from the bottom of the tipi liner. Thisextra 6 of canvas is to provide a seal between the vertical liner

    wall and the tipi oor. The 6 fabric should go on top of yourground cloth vapor barrier and underneath your foor carpetor rugs. See 41 and 45 . Using your bottom liner rope as yourmeasuring point, measure up each tipi pole the exact distanceo the liner tie and put a mark on the pole. Keep your measuringtape fat against the pole when you measure. There is a reason

    or this. Since the tipi is a tilted cone, the angle o your liner willchange as it goes around the tipi. This measuring system assures you that the liner will t and hangproperly.Now starting at the #1 pole and going to the #2 pole etc., tie the middle and top liner ropes aroundeach pole in the same manner as you did with the bottom rope. End the middle rope at the doorpole. Do not tie it across to the #1 pole. The top liner rope should be tied to every pole all the wayaround the tipi just as you did the bottom rope. I you have a 9 t. liner, put the necessary top rope innow. See illustration 43 .

    NOTE : Tie these ropes 4 above the marks that you made on the poles. This assures you that theliner ties will have adequate tension on them to keep the liner taunt and wrinkle free against the tipipoles. See 44, 45, 46 and 47. Before hanging the liner, it is best to insert two small dowels ( x 2),small sticks or nails underneath the liner rope at every pole on the middle and top liner ropes. See42 . This is not necessary or the bottom rope. When it rains, water will slowly begin to run down theunderside o the tipi poles. I it hits a wood knot or rope or any obstruction, it will drip into the tipi. Ithere is nothing in its way, it will continue to run down the underside o the pole, underneath the littlebridge, and on down to the ground behind the liner.

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    To begin hanging yourliner, start with the middlesection. This is the onethat goes in the middleback o the tipi. I one oyour three liner sectionsis bigger (longer) thanthe other two, then thisis the section you beginwith. Lay it down on thetipi foor and center itat the back middle withthe bottom liner ties upagainst the bottom liner rope. Tie the bottom liner ties to the bottom rope starting in the very centerat or very near to the lift pole. Moving outward from center, pull the bottom of the liner gently fromtie to tie to keep the canvas smooth and wrinkle free. Do not tie the liner ties to the tipi poles eventhough some may align directly in ront o a pole. When the bottom is nished, do the same process

    or the middle and top ties. When the back section is up, smooth out any wrinkles by sliding the tiesoutward on the rope. See 45 . Hang the remaining two sections in the same manner making sure thatthe edges o the liner sections are as close together as you

    can get them. See 47 .When you are nished, the le t rontliner section and the right ront section should look similarto illustration 44 and 46 . Note that in 46 the liner ends havebeen wrapped around the poles in order to acilitate ease oentering and leaving the tipi when there is alot o constanttra c in and out. For complete instructions on weatherizingyour tipi liner see the in ormation on SEALING THE TIPILINER on page 26.

    4344

    The back center section o your liner should look like this whenproperly hung. Notice that the top liner rope is higher than theliner ties.

    45

    46

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    THE NOMADICS TIPI DOOR COVER

    We designed this door cover a ter many experiences with deep snow, heavy rains, and coastalstorms. The photographs here demonstrate how the door cover looks rom the outside and inside othe tipi. The top o the door cover passes up underneath the top o the tipi door hole and is tied up

    inside the tipi as shown in the drawing at the right on page 19 . A shingle e ect is created between thetop o the door hole and the door cover. Any rain or melting snow that runs down the tipi cover to thetop o the door hole will drop onto the door cover and continue on down to the ground. Notice thatthere are ties on each side o the door cover that correspond to the loops sewn onto the tipi coveritsel . When the door cover is tied directly to the tipi in this way the door will remain secured to the tipieven in gale force winds. See Photo 48 .

    48 49

    50 51

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    The ties are also designed so that you may haveeither a right-hand or le t-hand opening door. By tyinga short stick to one side o the door cover a use uldoor handle is made. This helps keep animals romnosing their way into the tipi. Generally a right-handdoor is best since the prevailing winds are rom the

    le t to right when the tipi is acing east.See 49 and 50 .

    On the inside o the tipi the door coveris tied to the tipi poles that are on eachside o the door hole. The door cover tieat the top o the door cover is tied to thebackside o a lacing pin above the door.See the illustrations and photo 51 and52 This is usually the second lacing pinabove the door hole. It is easiest to gentlypull this lacing pin out until the pointedend just reaches the gap in between thetwo sets o button holes. Slip one strando the top tipi door cover tie behind thelacing pin and push the lacing pin back tothe correct position. Now tie the top doortie and snug the top o the door cover up

    to the lacign pin. See the illustration above and 52 . Whenever door ties are tied around tipi poles besure to place the two small sticks under the tie to allow rain to run down the pole. See illustration 42 .

    Top Door Cover Tie. Inside of tipi.

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    USING YOUR SMOKE FLAPS

    The smoke faps are essential in eliminating smoke rom the tipi. Iproperly used there will be no smoke in your tipi. By creating a partialvacuum between the two smoke faps smoke is encouraged to riseto the top o the tipi cone. As smoke reaches the top o this partialvacuum between the two smoke aps the smoke is quickly suckedout o the tipi. It is essential that the smoke faps always be angleddown wind . The ollowing photographs assume that your tipi door

    hole is acing east. The prevailing winds are usuallyrom the west and south. It is always best to ace

    the tipi to the east because o these prevailingwest winds.

    Photograph 53 shows the smoke faps set or awest wind. Sincethe tip door is

    acing east thewind is blowing

    rom directly

    behind the tipi.Your smoke faps will probably bein this position most o the time.Notice that the right smoke fap (asyou look at the photo) is angled out

    to the right just a bit. This compensates or any occasional changeo wind direction rom the south or southwest.

    With the smoke faps set in this position your smoke fap poles willappear as in photo 54 as seen rom behind the tipi. Notice that thepoles are crossed and that they have a slight bow in them as theypass around the tipi. By using small, limber poles or your smoke

    fap poles you can keep a gentle tension on the smoke fap.Photo 55 shows how to change the setting o the smokefaps. By moving the butt o the smoke pole the smoke fapwill change direction. Do notallow the pole to slip out othe smoke fap pocket whenmaneuvering the smoke fap.

    By moving the smoke polesto the positions in 56 thesmoke faps will be set ora south or southwest wind.This is a very commonsetting. Notice that the buttso the smoke fap poles areonly about 2 t. rom theedge o the tipi.

    Notice that the smoke fap

    lines help keep the smokefaps taut, by securing themto a stake in ront o the tipi.See 40

    53

    54

    56

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    It is important that the butts o the smoke poles beabout 2 t. rom the tipi. I the smoke poles are toolong and the pole butts cannot be brought near thetipi edge then they will not t properly in the smokefaps and wrinkles will result in the smoke faps. Yoursmoke faps should always be kept taut as in 53 and 57 . When the poles are positioned as in 56 thesmoke faps are set as in photo 57 . These faps arenow in the proper position or a wind blowing romthe southwest. This photo gives you a good view ohow the smoke faps eliminate smoke rom the tipi.

    As the wind blows across the opening o the smokefaps air is drawn out rom between the two faps.This creates a relative absence o air in this area. Air

    rom the inside the tipi then moves upward to ll thespace between the faps and is then sucked on outthrough the smoke faps. This is the primary way inwhich smoke is eliminated rom the tipi.

    This alsodemonstrates how

    the smoke fapsprevent rain romcoming in the smokehole. Assume rain iscoming rom the le tto right in photo 57 .The le t hand smokefaps is simply angledover the smoke holeto whatever extent isnecessary to preventrain rom coming inthe smoke hole. Theright hand smokefap is then angled

    arther to the rightto maintain an adequate opening for smoke to go out. Most majorstorms come rom the southwest. I winds get too strong you may

    want to tie the smoke fap lines along the north side o the tipi to prevent the lower portion o thesmoke faps rom being whipped and torn by strong winds. See photo 58 . Notice that an adequatesmoke hole opening still remains. For added security during storms tie your tripod rope to a longstake driven deep into the ground just behind the re pit. See 59 . This is the same 45 t. rope thatyou used to wrap around your tipi poles to hold them together. This is also a good idea i you are

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    leaving your tipi or a ew days. I you live incoastal areas or in areas that receive strongblasting wind storms then a ew additionalguy wires are a good idea. See 60 . Tie rope around the cluster o poles and stake itto the ground 10 or 20 t rom the tipi acinginto the wind direction.

    I your tipi is staked down well there isvirtually no chance o it being blown over.The anchor rope and the guy wires arenecessary or extreme circumstances only.

    Occasionally the wind may shi t and blow rom the east. This is theonly time smoke elimination can be a problem. Photo 61 shows

    how to set your smoke faps or an east wind. The smoke fap linesare tied around the opposite sides o the tipi. As the wind blowsdirected into the faps it is directled upward across the top o thecrossed faps. This creates the partial vacuum necessary or goodsmoke elimination rom the lodge. I you are leaving home or a ewdays you will want to close the tipi completely as in photo 62 . Walkyour smoke poles around to the ront o the tipi and lay them on topo the smoke faps. Again, do not let the smoke pole slip out o thesmoke fap pocket as you are maneuvering the poles. Notice thatthe left ap goes on top of the right ap just in case a south windkicks up while you are gone. Notice the smoke fap lines tied to atent stake on the right side o the tipi.

    60

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    EXTREME WEATHER

    Rain in moderate amounts is very easy to deal with. I you use your smoke fapsproperly as described in the Using Smoke Flaps section then rain will not all throughthe smoke hole. However, rain will hit the tipi poles that extend above the tipi cover.Rain will run down the poles to the rope that binds the poles together at the top othe tipi. The rain will soak through the coils o rope and emerge again on the poles

    just below the rope. From here it begins its journey down the underside o the tipipoles. Unless this tiny bead o water is interrupted by a rough spot on the tipi poles,or i excessively strong, gusty winds are shaking the tipi pole, this little fow will

    continue down the entire length o the pole, pass behind the liner, and disappear into the groundat the bottom o the pole. It is or this reason that your tipi poles need to be smooth. I , when rainbegins, some o the rain trickles stop at some points along the poles and begin to drip into the tipimomentarily, reach up and touch them with your nger or a stick. Now guide the trickle slowly ondown the pole to its destination behind the liner. Once established during the rst ew minutes o arain shower the water will fow continuously down the underside o the pole or the duration o therain all. Note once again diagram 48 in the set up instructions. This stick bridge is essential to ensurethat the rain does not drip rom you liner rope.

    I however you are in an extremely wet climate and would pre er to avoid rain situations altogether,then you will want to make a rain cap for your tipi. I saw this many years ago in an obscure littlebook by an 18th century mountain man named Thomas Earl Seaton. He had drawn a sketch of whathe called a Missouri Rain Cap since he rst saw it while spending time with the Missouri Indians.The cap is simply an umbrella secured over the tips o the tipi poles. See drawing above.

    INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUTTING ON THE RAIN CAP: Be ore putting your tipi up you will need to besure that the length o your tipi poles will properly accommodate the rain cap. The tipi poles need tobe our eet longer than the stated size o your tipi in order or the raincap to t over the top o the poles properly. For example, i you havean 18 t. tipi you will want to cut your poles o so that they are 22 t.long. When cutting your poles o to accommodate the proper length

    or the rain cap be sure to cut o whatever is necessary rom thesmaller end of the poles. Do not cut the larger end of your tipi poles. There are two di erent methods to t the rain cap on top o thepoles. You may build a simple rame like an umbrella using smallfexible branches or twigs like those o young willow shoots, thenattach the rain cap canvas to the rame as the photo 63 shows.Small fexible irrigation pipe can also be used to make an umbrella

    rame. The rain cap may also simply be placed over the extendingpoles by draping the canvas over and on top o the extending polesabove the tipi. In either case the two smoke fap poles can be usedto care ully hoist the rain cap up over the poles and position it overall the tips o the extending poles.

    Note: Be ore you hoist the rain cap into place you must tie at leastfour long guy wires from the edges of the rain cap so that you can secure the cap from strongwinds that might blow it o the top o the poles. These guy wires should be rope or wire and shouldbe about 30 ft. long each. Put a stake in the ground to tie them to so they will be secure. Do notstake a guy line in a place that would prevent you rom maneuvering your smoke fap poles whennecessary. Tightening the lines be ore an expected storm would always be a good idea.

    The reason for the umbrella construction is to shed large quantities of rain. In climates with a lotof rain all at one time the rain cap, if simply draped over the poles, might begin to puddle a largeamount o water and place excessive strain on the canvas itsel either tearing the abric or possiblycreating a drip point to the fabric. A tightened rain cap can prevent this. Put on the tipi rain cap onlya ter the tipi is completely erected. See photo 63 .

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    It is essential that air fows under the edge o the tipi cover, up behind the tipi liner, and on, up andout the smoke fap hole. See the drawing below showing the air fow. I deep snow piles up aroundthe tipi you must clear away snow rom the bottom to re-establish your air fow. I big dri ts continue,build a snow ence around your tipi on the snow side.

    PUTTING UP THE TIPI OZAN

    The ozan goes in the back middle o the tipi at theheight o the top o the tipi liner. It extends about 14to 1/3 o the way into the tipi space at this height.It should not extend so ar into the tipi that it trapssmoke underneath it rom the re. See illustration 64 and Photo 66 . Begin your set-up by tying the middleor center o the arc o the ozan to the liner rope atthe very center back o the tipi. You will notice thatthere is about 6 of extra material beyond the ozantie. Do not be concerned with this fabric at this point.Continue to tie the ozan to the liner rope around theback circum erence o the tipi. When you are nished,slide the ozan ties along the liner rope as needed to

    assure a smooth, snug t. The extra 6 of fabric isprovided to create a shingle-like roo e ect over thetop o the tipi liner. See illustratioin 65 . To customize

    this ozan unction, you now need to slit or cutthis 6 ap right at the center of each tipi pole.The ozan is constructed in such a way that thisslit will not weaken the integrity o the ozanfabric. After you cut the slits, then drape the 6fap sections over the top o the liner rope anddown behind the tipi liner. See illustration 65 .Now go to the long straight ront edge o the

    ozan. You will notice a tie loop in the center othe edge. Run a long rope rom one side o thetipi to the other side o the tipi through this tie

    loop. Attach the rope toany tipi pole that seemsto best accommodatethis support line. Your tiepoints on the tipi polesmust be high enough tocreate a slight backwardangle to acilitate thefow o small amounts orain water back to andover the top o the tipiliner. When nished, yourozan should look likephoto 66 .

    THE OPEN FIRE

    The re pit should belocated underneath thesmoke hole. This location

    64

    65

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    is not the very center o the tipi. It is more toward the door hole o the tipi. To locate the correct spotor your re pit or stove, stand in the ront middle o your tipi and look up through the smoke hole.

    Move until you are standing directly beneath the center of the smoke hole opening. This is the centero your re pit. It is a good idea to line your re pit with re bricks or stone. It will radiate more heata ter the evening re goes out and help prevent the re pit rom burning itsel a larger area overtime. Stumps around the re pit are handy counters and pot stands. The open re must be tendedconstantly. The smaller size wood you use the more fame your re will have and thus the less smokeit will give off. Pine is oneo the smokiest woods.Green wood will smokemore than dry wood. Sowill rotten wood. Althoughit will vary by year andlocation, you will probablyneed at least 3 cords owood each winter. We stashour wood just to the le t

    o the door as you walk into the tipi. Cooking is more convenient iyou use a large sturdy grill over the re. Bread making and bakingcan be done in an enclosed Dutch Oven over the re. Eliminating

    smoke rom the re is partly acilitated by keeping a small, hot rethat is all fames. This is best accomplished by using small pieces owood (1 to 2 in diameter) and selecting the correct wood to burnas mentioned above. But the primary way to eliminate smoke romthe lodge is accomplished in 3 di erent ways: 1. Use o the smoke

    aps (explained earlier), 2. Maintaining constant air ow under thetipi cover, behind the liner, and up and out the top o the tipi. Seethe illustration 41 and 64 . A third and very use ul way o encouragingthe rise o smoke is to use your door hole as an air vent. By simplypulling the door cover back just a ew inches, air will fow toward the

    re, rise with the warm air and help carry smoke upward. Photo 67 has much too large an opening to serve as a door few. An openingto 4 to 6 is suf cient.

    During the summer you may want to remove the lacing pins frombeneath the door hole and pull back each side. This makes a moreconvenient door opening when snow and mud are not a problem,See photo 68 .

    SEALING THE TIPI LINER

    There are a ew extra things that you can do to add to the insulation

    67

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    value of your tipi liner. If you arent going to be moving your tipi too frequently then sewing yourliner sections together will make your liner one solid insulator. Just sew the edges together by hand

    after you have put the liner up. Sewing wide Velcro on each sideworks very well also. Photograph 69 shows this junction where twoliner section meet.

    It is very important to seal the area where the liner meets the tipifoor. As explained on page 16 and 17 o the Set-up Instructions,the bottom of the liner has 6 extra fabric intended to be used tomake this seal. Be sure that this seal is a permanent, snug weather-stripping. We have discovered a method that works well. Weplace log rounds end-to-end on an old blanket or tarp and roll thelogs up inside the blanket. The logs are only 3 to 4 in diameterand are about 14 long each. They are placed about 1 apart onthe blanket. This long wooden snake is then placed down on topo the joint where the foor tarp meets the bottom o the liner. Seeillustration 70 and photo 71 . Blue jean pants legs make great logtubes for this purpose. NOTE: Be sure your oor tarp does not actas a gutter that collects rain that drips off the bottom edge of thetipi cover. Check to be sure the foor tarp does not extend outside

    the tipi onto the ground. Also, i you do not close your smoke fapsproperly and tightly when you leave the tipi, a sudden rain can

    create a small puddle on yourtarp foor just behind your re pit.This can cause rugs and bedsto be wet upon your return. Seethe section on the proper use oyour smoke faps. Speci cally 62 ,page 22 .

    AT HOME IN THE TIPI

    Our kitchen is to the right othe door as you enter the tipi. Aseries o custom made shelvesmake a nice kitchen pantry. Forkeeping ruits and vegetables

    rom reezing in the winter we

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    bury a storage cooler near the door hole. With the top o the cooler at ground level (or with an inchor two of insulation on top in very cold climates) the cooler used the earths warmth to keep veggiesfrom freezing. Water and other liquids can be stored inthis manner also. Likewise, in summer the buried coolerwill keep foods and liquids cool. Grains etc. should bekept in glass jars. I you leave a small stash o grains andloose cloth in a cubby hold somewhere you can usuallydiscourage any small rodents rom raiding other oodsupplies or clothing.

    For the tipi foor we use a layering e ect. On the groundwe put a waterproo tarp as a vapor barrier. Next we put

    down a large piece o carpetthat is cut to t the entiretipi. A 3 t. diameter holeis then cut in the tarp and carpet or the re and re ring. Then we putour nice indian rugs down on the carpet as the nal layer. This layersystem offers excellent insulation. Putting this layer system on top of abed o small rock or gravel makes an excellent foor oundation.

    PAINTING DESIGNS: Either oils or acrylics are ne for painting designswe recommend exterior house paint or your tipi cover. To achieve ourantique wash look use semi transparent stains. To create the ultimatelook or painted liner designs use artists oil base paint rom the tube,to achieve this deep, rich look in your colors you must rst paint yourentire design in gesso. This is an artists preparation material that issimilar to a very thing plaster. It can be purchased at any art store. Abeauti ul stained glass e ect can be achieved by painting designs onthe inside o the tipi cover above the tipi liner. For these designs youmust use inks. Use only high quality artists drawing ink. Ink designs willnot soak through the canvas.

    WOOD STOVES may be desirable in very cold climates but you must not run the smoke stack up between the smoke faps . That is too much heat near the canvas . I you do this the canvas willrapidly dry out, become brittle and may ignite due to the excessive hear near the top o the tipi. Your

    smoke stack should only be 4 to 6 t. high above the stove . This way the smoke goes up as it wouldrom an open re and is cool by the time it reaches the top o the tipi. All

    smoke stack pipes should be triple wall insulated pipe that is approved by your local building codes . Our tipis are designed or a two ooddiameter open re at ground level. USE COMMON SENSE ANDGOOD JUDGEMENT . Do not build an excessively large re and donot leave it unattended.

    MOLD AND MILDEW PROBLEMS

    All o our abrics are treated with chemical solutions thatare speci cally designed to resist mold and mildewgrowth. Although highly effective, they can only resistthe inevitable. You cannot make any abric mold andmildew proo . I their habitat is provided, mold andmildew will show up. It will even grow on plastic

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    and metal as well as on cotton. Our mold and mildew resistant treatments are excellent and areeffective in all but excessive conditions of rain or high humidity. Mold and Mildew are organismsthat feed off of microorganisms associated with warm moisture. They do not eat canvas. Althoughrare, sometimes a tipi cover will get excessively moldy a ter only being up a ew months. This canoccasionally happen in the South and Southeastern U.S., the Paci c Northwest Coast and Hawaii.

    What to do: First dry the canvas out completely. This will kill the mold and mildew. Next you willwant to scrub out the stains le t by the pigments in the organisms. We do not recommend usingany cleaning products that contain chlorine. Chorine not only can potentially weaken the abric butit can remove the weatherization nishes that we have put on the canvas or ultravilolet radiationprotection and longevity. The product you will need is called GLEE. It works wonders and we havehad many positive customer feedbacks. It can be purchased from the manufacturer, L.H. Taylor Inc.The phone number to call is 301-990-6376 in Germantown, Maryland. GLEE is an oxidant similar inper ormance to that o pure chlorine but is a sodium hyperchloride instead. It does not damage thestructural integrity o the cotton bers.

    After you have removed the mildew with GLEE, you may want to treat your tipi with a MildewProtective coating. One possible product comes from National Allergy Supply, Inc. and is called NoMore Mildew . It is non-toxic and e ective or up to two years. 1/2 gallon is $10, 1 gallon is $20.(ph: 800-522-1448 / www.natlallergy.com)

    BUILDING A TIPI DECKThe deck should be larger than the tipi. This illustration uses an 18 t. tipi as an example. The deckshould be 2 t. larger than the tipi on the sides and at the back o the tipi. You should allow a 3 to 6 t.front porch in front of the door hole.

    In dry climates pressure treated 2x4 or 2x6 can be used as foor joist and be placed directly on theground. In damp climates or or permanent locations it is best to elevate the joist using concreteblocks or concrete pads. The supporting beams under the joist should be 4x4 or 4x6 depending upon

    the distance between concrete supports. Consult a builder or suggestions on joist size and joistspacing ratios.

    Cover the joist with plywood or 1 or 2 decking. Deckingthickness depends upon the distance between joists.

    The deck must slope outward rom the middle so thatrain will run o o the deck. Only a slight outward slopeis necessary. The sur ace o the deck should slope down1/8 for every 1 ft. of horizontal distance.

    To prevent the tipi poles rom sliding on the deck, placewooden stop-blocks against each pole. Nail the block intothe deck once the nal pole position has been established.

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    NOMADICS TIPI MAKERS

    17671 Snow Creek Road,Bend, Oregon 97701

    (541) 389-3980 www.tipi.com