Tentipi Varrie 9 - Is it really worth the money!

[petesoper]

Hi,

We've been researching Tipi tents, and have almost settled on a Tentipi Varrie 9 for our family of 6, for regular camping trips. We like the build quality, the ability to have a fire, the small & light packed size, and many other aspects of the tent. We have recently had a good look at a friend's Arran 7 so have a good idea of the quality we can expect, and decided that we need the next size up.

A lot of our camping is in the forest in the East Midlands in the UK, at a site that regularly gets very wet, and we have on several occasions ended up with the ground sheet of our tent floating in an inch of water in places.

The main thing that worries us about the Tentipi (apart from the price) is how watertight the bottom of the tent can be made to be. We are looking at the Varrie over the Arran mainly for the reinforced bottom edge. Is it possible to safeguard against water running in under the edge of the tent????

Thanks in advance,

Pete

[preacherman]

I have had one now for a couple of years and it has been out in allsorts of rain and wind. I dont have a proper grounsheet for it, just a cheap hardware shop tarp cut roughly to size and we have yet to get wet inside.

You can peg out the bottom to the outside rather than the inside if that makes sense in a real bad storm. Weigh it down with stones or whatever is to hand also. The skirt material on the Varrie is a cordura type material which wont get damaged by the stones etc.

Also I would recommend bringing a small flat piece of board to put under the centre pole where the ground may be soft as in high winds it can burrow down into the ground increasing the chances of getting a soaking.

These are a great tent, very expensive I know but should last a lifetime with proper care.

[preacherman]

I dont know if you are aware that Tentipi now have a Varrie 15. Same design but must be huge. More than enough space for six people stuck inside on a wet weekend without cabin fever setting in...

[sandbender]

I dont know if you are aware that Tentipi now have a Varrie 15. Same design but must be huge. More than enough space for six people stuck inside on a wet weekend without cabin fever setting in...

Cathedral like I'd imagine, I have a nine and there is more than enough room for six people and all there gear.

[preacherman]

I have not seen one in the flesh, just in their catalogue. They must have had a demand for it. Scout groups i'd imagine.

[verloc]

I have not seen one in the flesh, just in their catalogue. They must have had a demand for it. Scout groups i'd imagine.

Scout groups and gear monsters (want one!)

[preacherman]

Room for anaverage family and their car !!!!!

[Rob]

The fixings that you use to join the floor to the tent on the varrie do raise up the edges of the floor do lift the outside slightly, They also mean that the floor is kept inside the tent.

The floor has got a hole in it where the pole goes, so although you would stop water running in under the edges, you could still have water coming up through there if you got to a point that there was more than a couple of mm of water under the tent.

I suppose that it is more about site selection, but if you are halfway up a hill on a slight gradient, you would still have a problem if the rain was casing water to shed down the hill in your direction.

Solution? If you find yourself on saturated ground with a monsoon outside, get the kids to sleep on the downhill side and hope for the best

[petesoper]

Great advice!

Thanks for that. On the basis that I have yet to find anybody who has anything negative to say about this tent (other than price!) I think the decision is made...

Will keep you posted...

Pete

[sandbender]

Pete

You mention having a fire in the Varrie, have you looked into the stove options?

Thingswelike posted this excellent list of tipi stove options in another thread...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22650