Gear Locker : Kifaru Tipi

October-November 2006

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

By Alex Matthews

Kifaru has taken advantage of modern lightweight materials to reinvent the classic tipi.

A good idea endures the test of time, and the tipi is a great example. Directly inspired by the cone-shaped shelters traditionally used by the Plains Indians, Kifaru has taken advantage of modern lightweight materials to reinvent the classic tipi. Kifaru tipis even incorporate an interior cooking fire in the form of a super-lightweight folding wood stove. Yes, a wood stove in a tent! Kifaru offers several sizes of their floor-less tipis. Our test sample was the 8-man, equipped with an interior liner—a recommended option for humid or wet environments. When packed, the tipi itself is only about 9”x16”. The single sturdy center-pole breaks down into sections that fit neatly into a 24”x2.75” stuff-sack—good for sliding into the ends of kayaks. The fiendishly clever folding stove weighs less than 5 lbs and comes in a well-designed 15”x12”x3” nylon carrying case, complete with a set of gloves conveniently stored in an outside pocket so your hands stay clean and soot-free throughout the assembly process.

Setting up the tipi is actually very quick once you’ve done it a few times. Simply stake out its perimeter following a simple formula and then insert the lone center pole and extend it upwards until you have a taut structure. Tipis are not free-standing, so they must be securely staked out to be stable in wind. Firm soil into which you can drive stakes is easiest, although rock and log anchors also work well. The footprint of the Kifaru is large, so you’ll need some space, but the trick is to consider pitching the tent overtop of logs or rocks, rather than thinking that you need a perfectly flat surface. With a little experience, logs start to look more like useful furniture, rather than a hindrance to setup.

Make sure you have lots of water in the kettle, because you’ll attract company!

The wood burning stove takes more time to set up, but since you can assemble it once the tipi is already standing, you can work under shelter, protected from the elements. The stove is manufactured from light gauge stainless steel and assembles into a small firebox (complete with a convenient front door) supported by four sturdy legs. The stovepipe design is incredibly ingenious. When packed, the piece of sheet metal for the pipe is laid flat and rolled up like a long narrow carpet, resulting in a tight 14” long roll. To assemble the pipe for use with the stove, it is unrolled and then rolled back into a tube, but this time along its length rather than its width, so you end up with a long chimney tube. Two mesh screens inserted at the base prevent cinders from escaping out of the top of the chimney.

The little stove cranks out heat and although the small firebox will only burn unattended for an hour at most, feeding the fire is a very pleasant job. Temperatures inside the tent are truly balmy even on cold, wet days. Early in the spring, on a short 4-day trip to the Deer Group in Barkley Sound, we experienced unseasonable nasty weather, with a fierce thunder and lightening storm and ice pellets lashing the tent. Inside the tipi, we were warm and cozy and our wet gear dried out.

With an interior peak height of 8’6” and an oval floor plan of approximately 14’x18’, there’s plenty of room inside the tent, but because of the conical shape, the 8-Man is a more comfortable size for four adults.

In inclement weather, I found that we had a tendency to disappear inside the tent and rarely look out despite the opposing double doors (there are no actual windows). The fit between the stovepipe and the fiberglass stovepipe-collar in the tent was less than ideal so a small amount of water found its way inside. Care when using a wood stove is always essential, and because the ground under the stove gets very hot, it’s important to monitor that area. Set up on rock or sand or simply wet the area down periodically with water if camping near a water source. It’s also important to remember that in many locations it may be very unwise to cook or store food in the tent because of the presence of wildlife.

Overall, the Kifaru is an amazing shelter, particularly for base-camp oriented trips. There’s nothing like coming back to camp cold and wet from a day on the water, and walking straight into the tent with your gear and boots still on (it’s a floor-less design). Even before peeling any clothes off, light the fire that you prepared before departing. Soon wonderful warmth will start to spread through the tent. Slip out of your wet stuff and hang in on the clothesline to dry.

But make sure that the kettle on the stove is full, because soon your paddling buddies will be abandoning their cold and cramped little dome tents. They’ll drop by just to ‘check out the tipi’, but they’ll stay the whole evening. Be sure to charge a scotch or chocolate admission fee for entry.

Color: White or Coyote Brown

Suggested Retail Pricing

8-Man tipi: $978 US

8-Man tipi with stove: $ 1,233 US

8-Man interior liner: $278 US

Stove sold separately: $295 US

Kifaru International, 4894 VanGordon St., Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033

www.Kifaru.net.