How to Make a Life-Size Teepee
If you want to try some more "primitive" camping, skip the store-bought tent and take a cue from the traditional dwellings of the Native Americans who lived on the American plains. A "teepee" is a cone-shaped dwelling that was very convenient because it didn't take much to heat, was large enough for a whole family to live in and was portable. If you can gather the materials you need, you will be able to make you own life-size teepee.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 12 18-foot long poles
- Needle
- Thread
- Canvas
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- 30-foot rope
- Ladder
- Safety pins
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure and cut an elongated half-circle piece of canvas that is 15 feet at the widest point and 30 feet long. A teepee this size will be able to hold a small fireplace. Attach two 5-foot triangular-shaped smoke flaps to the middle of the straight edge. Sew pockets the ends of the smoke flaps for the poles used to hold them open. Cut out a half-circle at each end of the straight edge to form the opening.
-
2
Arrange three 18-foot poles on the ground to form a tripod. The ends of the three poles should be touching, with 3 feet extending from the point where they touch. The other ends of the polls should be spaced out evenly. Wrap the end of a 30-foot rope around the point where the poles meet and tie it to hold them together.
-
-
3
Lift the end of the tripod up off the ground (you may need to enlist the help of two other people) while someone pulls the rope. You will need to walk as you push the polls upward, until the point where the three poles meet is pointing straight up. The ends of the poles touching the ground should be evenly spaced and far enough apart to create a large opening between them.
-
4
Add eight more poles and space them evenly around to form the frame of the teepee. Wrap the end of the rope around the top where the poles touch to secure them together. Tie the center of the canvas to one end of the ninth pole. Lift the pole up so that it touches the other poles and spread the canvas over the frame until the two half-circles meet to form a round opening.
-
5
Stand on a ladder so you can reach and tack the two edges of the canvas together where they meet. Use safety pins or sticks that weave through two slots on either side of the canvas. When you get to the circle, sew a circular flap to the bottom to form the cover for the door.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit teepee image by Mike & Valerie Miller from Fotolia.com
