Any one had any tipi experience? Any recommendations?

[dinkystinky]

Hello all - my other half has managed to convince me to give luxury camping a go with our 2 year old - we're going to be staying in a permanent tipi in Herefordshire in August. Am keeping my fingers crossed for a nice sunny August. Anyone stayed in a tipi before - how did you find it? And how early does it get light in one of those (have a 5-6am early riser toddler so wondering if should be steeling myself for a 4am start on holiday!)

Anyone?

jimjams did one once and it was great

We stayed in tipi in Wales last summer (remember the rain?)

Plus points:

• Very pretty to look at and very exciting for DD
• Sitting outside with a campfire as it got dark with tipi silhouetted against the stars was v. atmospheric.
• Very light and airy inside. Can stand up and walk around. Much cooler than a tent.
• If you lie in the middle you can look up and see the stars through the gap at the top.

Negative points:

• Not as waterproof as a modern tent. Gap at the top means the rain comes in - unless you have a tarpaulin strung underneath which rather spoils the whole airy tipi effect.
• The 'door' of ours was a fairly basic flap which meant that when we had wind and rain it came through the entrance. Possibly other tipis have a more effective closure.
• Groundsheet was obviously separate which means that all sorts of wildlife wanders in under edge of tipi: slugs, a toad, mice etc etc
• No separation between sleeping compartments so we all had to go to bed at the same time - no staying up reading for the grown-ups. In the end this was nice as we all got LOADS of sleep but initially was irritating.
• Everything was slightly damp and smelt musty but that was the fault of the astonishingly wet weather the previous couple of weeks, rather than of the tipi itself
• We weren't allowed to cook in the tipi so had to dash out to 'kitchen' tent in the rain to make tea/breakfast, then wrestle it back in through flappy 'door' of tipi.

I should emphasise that our experience was very much coloured by the wet weather and alarming profusion and size of slugs and squalid toilet facilities. In a hot and sunny August the annoyances would have been a lot less. However, having camped in a proper tent many times I'd say that a modern tent performs much better than a tipi in bad weather.

Thanks guys - will just have to keep my fingers crossed for a sunny August (dont much fancy my chances!) and take a tarp in case the rain comes.... our tipi is apparently on decking so fingers crossed we wont have so many local wildlife invasions...