How to Make a Teepee Tent

Construct teepee tents.

A teepee is a Native American type of shelter. Native Americans would light a fire inside it to keep warm; for this reason a teepee has an opening at the top, to let the smoke out. These days, these cone-shaped structures are used outdoors for camping or in the backyard for fun. The homemade teepee needs to be large enough to be safe to start a fire inside. Teepees are decorated in native style patterns.

Things You'll Need

• Bamboo poles
• Rope
• Measuring tape
• Fabric
• Marker
• Scissors or knife
• Pegs
• Sticks

Instructions

1. Gather 12 bamboo poles, or any other type of poles, and cut them to equal lengths. They should be of the same diameter as well. Make sure the poles are three feet longer than the width of the fabric you will use as a cover.

2. Take three poles and place them on the ground. Take some rope and tie the poles together just off the top, so that they can form a tripod. Leave the rope hanging from the top.

3. Dig the other ends of the three poles into the ground and arrange them at an equal distance.

4. Dig the remaining poles, one by one, into the ground, forming a circle. Lean the poles onto the tripod structure that you made. Use the rope hanging from the top of the tripod to tie all the poles together.

5. Take the fabric for the cover and a measuring tape. Mark a semicircle with a diameter that is twice the fabric width. For example, if your fabric is 15 feet wide, make a 30-foot semicircle. Make a cut in the middle of the semicircle for the smoke flaps.

6. Cut out half circles at both ends of the fabric to form a round opening, when the semicircle is joined.

7. Cut out holes along the edge of the semicircle. Take a rope and run it through these holes. Fasten the rope to the top, this will help when putting up the cover.

8. Grab the cover and hang it around the frame. Secure the cover with pegs at the top. Take wooden pegs and insert them through the holes along the bottom of the cover into the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• Run gently over the poles with your hands to make sure that nothing sticks out that could tear the teepee tent cover.

References

• Shelter Pub: Plains Indian Teepee
• Tiny House Blog: The Tipi