Pitching Your Tentipi

Pitching the Tentipi tents couldn’t be any easier thanks to their simple design which uses only 8 pegs (16 for the Safir 15 & Safirflex) and one pole. While pitching the Tentipi may not come naturally on your first attempt the good news is that after one or two uses the process is incredibly simple and any tent up to the size 15 can be pitched in less than 10 minutes by one person.

All the kit you will need to pitch your Tentipi for the first time will be found within the Tipi bag but check you have everything before starting;

The Tentipi Canvas
Central Pole
Tent Pegs
Fabric Pole Plate
Tentipi Measuring tape.

Start with your fabric pole plate which features two sides. One side has 16 lines of which 8 are dashed lines, while the other side features only 8 black lines. The main side is to be used with any Safir or Zirkon model while the side with only 8 lines is for use with the Onyx model.

Use a peg to pin down the fabric pole plate where you want the centre of your Tipi to sit. If your unsure whether you will have enough space to pitch your tent in any given location you can simply use the measuring tape from this point – hook it over the peg in your centre point, find your Tipi size on the measuring tape, and walk in a full circle – if you can make the full circle with no obstructions then you’ve found a great pitch!

Once your fabric pole plate is pegged down simply pull the measuring tape out to your required Tipi size as marked (please note some newer measuring tapes are only produced to the length of the Tipi they are supplied with).

Using the solid lines for Tipis which are size 5, 7 or 9 and both the solid and dashed lines for size 15. Follow the circle round until you have 8 (or 16 for the larger size 15 Tipi) pinned at the correct point. The pegs should be inserted at a 45° angle to stop them from loosening.

Unroll your Tipi and spread out with the chimney side up in the centre of your ‘peg circle’. Using the ground rings on your Tipi hook these on to the pegs you have placed in the ground.

When the tent it connected to the ground pegs, the next step is to assemble your central pole. Once assembled you can feed the centre pole through the door and into the pole cap at the top of the tipi.

When you’re inserting the pole into the top cap try to avoid getting it caught in any of the cords coming down from the top of the tent.

Raise the Tipi by walking the pole upwards into the centre – don’t worry if at this point the tent seems very loose, all of the strength comes in the next step!

Close the door and go to reach peg and tighten the ground straps to create tension for the Tipi. Try to ensure that you tension each ground strap equally to ensure an even tension on the tent. If at this point you notice the tent is squint or lopsided you can simply retension or slightly move any pegs to create the perfect pitch.

Once the tent it pitched you can head inside and peg down the skirting, folding it inside the tent if you are using a floor and folding it outside if you are not using a floor.

Finally you will peg the cords by the air intakes out to help these create a draw when in use.

For most weather conditions the store cords mounted on the outside of the Tipi don’t need to be used. If you do need them in very windy weather then peg them using Y-Pegs as far away from the tent for maximum strength.

If the door is hard to close once the tipi is full pitched then don’t force it as it might damage the zipper. Instead, release tension on the ground straps by the door and place the two adjacent pegs closer to each other.