Lavvu

[Gwhtbushcraft]

Since November I have been saving up my money for a 5 man lavvu. I am tempted by northern lavvus traditional feel (Northern Lavvu (http://lavvu.com/FORMgallery3.html) ), But if this is not practical because of transporting the poles I would be tempted to get a Tentipi (Tentipi (http://www.stunningtents.co.uk/Sales/intro.html) ).
All suggestions welcome

[SMOKOE]

Hi This is my first post so bear with me.
I dont know much about them technically, But I'm with you on the tentipi, I've fancied one of the Arrans for a while now, just never seem to get the dosh together without it being squandered on household items !
Really like the idea of having a stove and doing some winter camping.

[godfather]

Sorry to add another to the list but take a look at the Helsport Lavvu too. I really like the look of them and may just invest in one.

[SMOKOE]

They look a nice tent with some good features, but I cant work the price listings out. If its Euros they appear quite pricey

[ggfh666]

there are some nice threads with reviews etc.

do a search for Bison for example.

[SMOKOE]

Just had a browse on Bison , its a good site, the prices seem to be on a par with Nordic outdoor

[KAE1]

I know I have mentioned it before but check out dutch bell tents or look at www.tentsplus.co.uk.
I should be buying tentipi or bell tent this/next year for same reasons - Autumn/winter camping.

[antwerpman]

I own a 9 person cotton polyester tentipi varrie. Looking at the bell tents , my first impressions are:
Tentipi is a lot more expensive
The Bell tents are very havy
Tentipi will be quicker to set up, and has a better ventilation system.
The weight would put me of. If Tentipi would be to expensive I'd rather look at the Bison tents , mentioned here.

[Gwhtbushcraft]

Thanks for the input I will check the bison site. Not so sure about the bell tents because as I am partly Norwegian I feel I should get a lavvu.

[andyn]

I think ggfh666 was refering to the Bison Lavvu's rather than the Bison Bushcraft store. The Bison Telt Lavvu's are great for the price, the Tentipi's have a few more features but you pay a lot for them imo.

There was a group buy ran on here for the bison telt lavvu recently. As ggfh666 suggested do a search in the forum for "bison" and there are a lot of pics and comments for them.

[big_swede]

Sorry to add another to the list but take a look at the Helsport Lavvu too. I really like the look of them and may just invest in one.

I've used helsport products a lot. They don't stand up to any harder winds. I've experienced 3 different tent models getting bust in high wind. All three had their poles broken and 2 of them got the fabric ripped. This was their tunnel tents though, but still, I feel it says something about the quality.

I will not use helsport again. period.

[Gwhtbushcraft]

I considered the group buy but I decided not to. On hindsight I wish I had.

[sandbender]

I've been living in one of the larger tentipi tents for the past month (varrie 9cp), it's very tough, very well made and very well designed. The more expensive fabric although heavier does a much better job of shrugging of sparks from a fire.

Last winter I had a bad experience with tentipi's own brand of stoves (the bottom fell out during the night) so opted to buy a Helsport Oven from www.tamarackgroup.co.uk, However I'm none too happy with how this little box stove works and am awaiting delivery next week of a Zeltofen stove from www.feuerzelte.de which I hope will do a better job.

I purchased my Lavuu from these guys...

http://www.stunningtents.co.uk

[antwerpman]

Hello Sandbender, about your Tentipi stove, did the bottom fall of or did it burn through ? I hope you have more luck with the Feuerzelt stove . I have seen the Tentipi stove in action and didn't like it too much. One of the Dutch dealers of Tentipi imports tentstoves from Sweden that look very well ,have a look at
www.moosecamp.nl

[big_swede]

Hello Sandbender, about your Tentipi stove, did the bottom fall of or did it burn through ? I hope you have more luck with the Feuerzelt stove . I have seen the Tentipi stove in action and didn't like it too much. One of the Dutch dealers of Tentipi imports tentstoves from Sweden that look very well ,have a look at
www.moosecamp.nl

those cast iron ovens are very solid, but they weigh a lot. Good if you have a boat, canoe or snow scooter. For trekking they're completely useless.

[sandbender]

Hello Sandbender, about your Tentipi stove, did the bottom fall of or did it burn through ? .....have a look at
www.moosecamp.nl

Well truthfully it wasn't my stove or my tent, there were twelve of us spread between three varrie 7's all using Tentipi stoves, at three in the morning the base of the stove fell out in one of the other tents, it may have been that whoever was on firewatch at the time may have been hammering firewood into the top of the stove a little too enthusiastically, it wasn't a burn through, the base just fell out.

Happily the tent didn't catch fire (the stove was sitting in the cold well) but at -35 the temperature inside the tent dropped instantly and the four chaps inside took the decision to head back the 500m to their hut. At least they had that option, trying to put a red hot stove back together and get a fire on again wouldn't have been much fun :(

The stoves from Houtkachel look superb, I'm not moving my lavvu around so much so a cast iron one would be ok, food for thought.

[antwerpman]

the tentstove(houtkachel=woodstove in dutch) is not entirely made from cast iron. Most of it is in 2 mm steel plate, but the cover on top(for cooking) and the door are made from cast iron, to prevent warping I suppose. I bought a woodstove from www.campfirestove.de
because I liked the design. The way the chimney comes into the stove prevents sparks coming out . It is made from non corrosive steel and the total weight is 11 kg. It works very well, but the ones from moosecamp are nice and the price is ok.

[sandbender]

....It is made from non corrosive steel.....

Yep, the ease of rusting is one of the problems I have with the helsport stove :(

[Gwhtbushcraft]

I have looked at some stoves on an American website. www.aaoobfoods.com (http://www.aaoobfoods.com) seem to have good deals and a good range, not sure about shipping though.

[Gwhtbushcraft]

Turned into a poll

[Aliwren]

I have a Bison Tundra 4 which I have just spent the week living in and I have been very impressed. Definately recommended. This is a cotton/canvas style tent - with a metal pole so I think this falls between the two options in the poll! The single pole makes the pack size smaller and the material makes it more flame retardant than lightweight tent materials.

[Squidders]

I got the tundra and stove last autumn 16 :o

It was more like a venue than a "tent" and was WAY more than I needed... I ended up swapping it for a tentipi Vagge 8, floor and firebox which i'm SO chuffed with!

The tipi fits in the side pocket of my Karrimor Sabre 75 - Packing down to 10 litres, for me at least is FANTASTIC for such a good sized shelter. Obviously the poles are not part of this packing but do strap nicely to the outside of the pack.

This is my winter solution and I have to say, it takes a lot of beating... when it's raining sideways outside and I still have room to cook stretch and be active, I often risk pushing through the smug barrier!

[rik_uk3]

I have looked at some stoves on an American website. www.aaoobfoods.com (http://www.aaoobfoods.com) seem to have good deals and a good range, not sure about shipping though.

15kg is about £80 plus any cost for packing airmail

[Gwhtbushcraft]

The tundra sounds perfect and i have tried to look on their website but have had trouble translating the page.

[Gwhtbushcraft]

Oh and rik thanks for the info but i was really looking at them as a way of comparing the others.

[Aliwren]

For info on the Tundra have a look at the group buy section on this forum;

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=16528

There is alot of info there including UK prices etc. You can email Vidar at Bison in English mail to:vidar@beaver.no and he responds to questions very quickly in English. I ordered direct from them with a credit card the whole process took about a week from credit card payment to delivery. Hope this helps :)

[anthonyyy]

I have one of these:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w103/kingsmeadow/tourtipi.jpg

and one of these:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w103/kingsmeadow/lavvu.jpg

The first one is a single pole canvas tipi, the second a lightweight lavvu.
Both are easy to set up. The canvas tipi is more comfortable and somehow the canvas feels more "natural". Canvas is heavy and bulky though, so the lavvu is much easier to transport.
I tend to use the canvas tipi for family camping and the lavvu for more "bushcrafty" things.

[Gwhtbushcraft]

I like the Tundra and it feels good that it is a Norwegian tent as my grandparents have a mountain house in Norway. My grandpa dislikes me getting anything Swedish. When I was last in Norway I bought a reindeer hide for £25 so I will be using that in whichever I choose..

[rik_uk3]

Oh and rik thanks for the info but i was really looking at them as a way of comparing the others.

Here is one comparison if sending from the UK to the states as I did recently, 11kg cost £90 airmail, around $170US, that said, My mate in the States paid the postage (and was very happy with what he got) and it arrived in 7 days

[antwerpman]

.
Hello Anthonyyy, are you happy with the lightweight lavvu. I am considering one for backpacking. Living in Ireland, you should know if it is windresistant

[anthonyyy]

.
Hello Anthonyyy, are you happy with the lightweight lavvu. I am considering one for backpacking. Living in Ireland, you should know if it is windresistant

I have used it in force 7 winds and heavy rain with no problems. I am very happy with it. If you are backpacking with it they have an option of an extra light pole.

You can have only a small fire in it I use a hobo stove.

[antwerpman]

thanks for your reply, I think I will buy one. I like it because it is simple , light and probaly very quick to set up

[Gwhtbushcraft]

Can you be confident about safely lighting a fire or having a stove inside a vagge?:confused:

[maddave]

My vote is neither after seeing a £600 Moseskatellan (spelling?) flattened by the wind whilst a £30 Eurohike dome tent thrummed merrily next door

[Chopper]

My vote is neither after seeing a £600 Moseskatellan (spelling?) flattened by the wind whilst a £30 Eurohike dome tent thrummed merrily next door

Could this be down to the way it was pitched ?? :eek:

[antwerpman]

mine survived gale force 9 in Ireland. I think they are very wind resistant. You need to apply the storm ropes and use good pegs of course.

[Scots_Charles_River]

They do recommend a fire in a 'polycotton' and 'fire retartdent polyester'.

Although I think I'll get a canvas one as they safer and warmer. Good for midge season. Smoke killin the midges.

[Still Waters]

I love my bison lavvu i would say its one of the best purchases i made.
The first weekend we used it camping we had torrential rain and gale force winds all weekend and it didnt bother the lavvu in the slightest a lot of other campers got very wet and a few had broken tents.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/paradox1001/bishopscastle005.jpg

[Still Waters]

Heres a pic of it all packed up along with groundsheet and stove

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/paradox1001/tundra004.jpg

[Dave]

Hi Still waters.

Ive got the same lavvu, and have been toying with the idea of having a groundsheet made, or buying the bison one. However, I have heard that the 4m groundsheet, is a bit small, and does not fit right up to the edge?

Also I notice from your photo, that you have not attached your guy lines to the exterior tabs on the outside of the lavvu. [The black nylon tabs, attached to the seam nr the base of the lavvu, with the two brass grommets]

I had assumed that the black straps and buckles on the inside of the lavvu, [not pictured in your photo,] that are adjacent to the exterior tabs, were used to connect the groundsheet, and keep it taut?

From the photo it looks like you have used these interior black straps and buckles to peg it to the ground?

[Hope that makes sense.]

Am I correct?

If so, Why havent you run a guyline from the exterior tabs, to the tent pegs? [Or am I missing something?]

And do you have any photos, which you could post, of the groundsheet attached to the inside of the lavvu?

Many Thanks.

Dave.

[Ogri the trog]

Dave, if I may....
I have a Bisontelt Tundra 8 the same as SW.
The supplied groundsheet is a very simple disk of waterproof material with no means of attaching it to the tent - it is adequate, but only just.
My prefered groundsheet is a large polytarp from a builders merchant, 7m square from memory. I cut a "T" shape cut from one edge to the centre - so that when I have the stove going, I can fold the sides of the "T" back, leaving a bare earth walkway upto and around the stove itself. The larger size also allows bunching of the spare material at the sides of the tent creating a better draught seal and preventing water ingress under the sides.

HTH

Ogri the trog

[Dave]

Thanks for your reply Ogri.

I thought it looked a tad large to be the 4m one! [The one I have]

I have used a round builders tarp in the past, which was ok.

But Ive been toying with the idea of having a better one made, similiar to the tentipi ones.

[but in a hendecagon.]
To fit the 11 panels. Slightly oversized as you suggest, to 'bunch up, and stop water ingress. maybe adding some grommets, and using internal round topped groundsheet pegs] Or even using another method, to attach the groundsheet, like 'iron on velcro'. To create a bit of a bathtub.

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:6w0mLjFPEZPs_M%3A http://www.mathsisfun.com/images/undecagon.gif


I was thinking of using Waterproof Proof fabric PU (7 Oz Heavy weight) or 15oz weight for the groundsheet.

http://www.fabricuk.com/fabrics.php?fabric_type=177

Alternatively this company can make one, to the exact requirements. The material they have suggested is a more 'rubberised material'

http://www.canvasrepaircentre.co.uk/gallery.php?catid=5

They can also add a T shape, and even add 2 waterproof zips to make the T.

I havent decided yet. But I think It might be worth doing.

So what are the black internal straps and buckles, on the inside of the tent at the base for?

They are not there to tension the lavvu....

[iano]

These things look immense. I'm a few years off really needing one (don't mind roughing it at the mo, and haven't got a car to lug a big one around in in any case) but the idea of putting a wood stove in there for extreme cold really appeals, as does the idea of an old school canvas tent which you can actually stand in (always seem to get condensation on the sides of a regular waterproof-fabric tent, which in a smallish portable 2 or 1 manner always seems to get me, my dossbag and my kit wet too, and theres often not room for anything more than sitting up inside one either, which can really suck when you have to get changed outside in the rain). Obviously not a thing you can stuff in your own rucksack for a few days in the mountains given the above picture, but would be just the thing with a group of you or with a wagon. Someone remind me to come back to this thread in a couple of years and get me one of these!

I can see how these things would be just the business in a v cold wintery sort of place where you need it to last and you have wood on hand, hence why the Saami use them I guess.

One question tho, if you intend to use a lavvu in a place where there are not so many trees to be burnt, does it matter if you don't have the stove in there? Or do you mount it even if you don't intend to use it? Just thinking as without a chimney there might be something of a hole in the middle of your tent letting any heat out and the wet in... I know there is the option to buy wood and take it with you if you're going to a woodless land but thats not really a long term sort of solution in the same way as being able to chop some of your own is...

[stevemedlock]

Dave, I'd be very interested how your groundsheet works out if you go ahead with it. I used my Tundra for the first time the weekend before last and draughts were a big problem. I would advise against anyone buying the standard groundsheet as its very hard to get it central under the pole and it just bunches up all over the floor.

The biggest problem though was the leaks and drips during heavy rain. There seemed to be areas of canvas without proofing in the shape of guylines, looking like the proofing had been sprayed on with the lines in the way. It also leaked where anything touched the outside - even the loose ends of the lines to the cap. After years of camping in a cotton canvas tent and never getting wet, I was quite disappointed by this.

Steve.

[spiritwalker]

hmm stillwaters thats a nice lavvo i have been looking at a tentipi (very expensive) do you know if there is a UK stockist of it?

[stevemedlock]

Try here:

http://www.littlebarefoot.ie/home.php?cat=249

Mad Bear Outdoors did have them but couldn't see it on their website at present.