It was one of the most interesting times of my life when I lived in a tipi. This is a picture a native American Sioux style lodge that I made my dwelling. It is 20 feet in diameter with plenty of room for eight or more people, if desired. The lodge poles are 27' long, and the structure itself is 17' tall, with 10' of pole sticking out of the top of the lodge.
You may be wondering what it is like to live in a tipi. First of all there are no windows in a Sioux lodge, so when the canvas door is closed, you are in an enclosed environment that is in the shape of an egg rather than a circle like people might think.
I had an open fire pit that is off center, not right in the middle of the lodge. It was like having an open fire right in my bedroom, and I enjoy being by a fire anytime, day or night.
When it started to get down to 20 degrees at night, it was time to pack it in rather wake up during the night to put more wood on the coals. I do not mind roughing it a little, but I do like to be warm enough to be able to sleep well.
A person does need to have a water source for cooking, cleaning and drinking. I would have preferred to have set up camp somewhere near a river or creek or on a lake island but that wasn't to be. Maybe at a later time!
