Through all I have done to explore and try to find out the differences between the tipis offered including the makers, fabrics, etc. I have come away with some interesting prospective….and direction.
One thing I wanted to understand is what specifically justified the price differences out there. I set out willing to pay more for something that is truly better…I was not willing to pay extra for a “brand” unless I could justify it to myself. At present the two main players in the tipi world are Kifaru and Seek Outside with others working their way up that ladder. So I wanted to know specifically what makes a Kifaru Base 8 man tipi worth $325 more than an Seek Outside that has many “bells & whistles” I have concluded are wanted by the “majority” of tipi users …whether they now have them on their tipi or not. I have gotten far more input from Kifaru users…as this thread clearly shows. The one thing I get from the diehard Kifaru tipi users, and believe me there are a lot of them, is they trust their Kifaru and it is worth paying the extra for what I will call “piece of mind”. I can understand that and support it but it’s not enough for me to buy Kifaru. As best I can tell both Kifaru and SO are well liked and respected by their users and both perform under adverse conditions…sever adverse conditions. I find people on both sides of the isle that have had failures and switched from one side to the other. What I have not found is any one material measurable difference I feel makes Kifaru superior to SO or justifies that $325 more. I have read Kifaru garners a better resale price. Granted I do not frequent all the sites/forums where these things get discussed and/or sold, but of the ones I do, this is what I have seen. There are far more Kifaru tipis that go on the resale market than SO, which one could argue is simply because there are far more Kifaru users out there…I do not know that for sure. I have seen very few SO tipis listed for sale; but those that do, as best I can tell, get a good return on the resale market.
The more I dug into fabrics the more I felt there has to be something better out there than Silnylon, which are your only options through Seek Outside and Kifaru. Seek outside I believe used to offer something different and maybe they can still offer it if asked....they do not have it as an option listed anymore that I see. For those of you who have read the description P Smith writes about the fabric Kifaru uses you will know he states what their fabric is not is Silnylon...well despite that statement, a Kifaru person I spoke with told me, when I was trying to get out of him the difference between SO and Kifaru Fabric, is what Kifaru uses is basically Silnylon with a different coating. I even pointed out what P Smith states on the website. So, for me, I summarize in my mind the only real difference between Kifaru & SO fabric is a Coating. What I have come away feeling is both makers are well respected and provide excellent products but what Kifaru has going for it over SO is an army of loyal and trusted users who gain “peace of mind” by buying Kifaru and paying that the extra cost associated. I cannot find fault in that!
Back to fabric and my quest to find something better than Silnylon. What got me really focused on “other” fabric options is when I was referred to Wyoming Lost and Found. Brain over there offers a wide range of fabrics including Silnylon, Cordura and Dyneema…and maybe others. As I understand it, 500 Cordura is his #1 seller, but for my purposes it is too heavy. Dyneema Grid fabric caught my eye and interest. I communicated with Brain about all his options and we went into detail on the Dyneema Grid. Its weight and cost is a little more than Silnylon but its tipi qualities seemed better to me in that it eliminates one of the key complaints I heard about Silnylon…that it stretches/sags when wet . Dyneema brings strength to a tipi. So I starting digging into Dyneema on all sorts of websites, forums and talking to small business that make thing like backpacks and tents with different fabric types. There are pros and cons to all fabrics. Sometimes Price is the biggest con! After all this I decided I would have a 200 level Dyneema Grid tent made through Wyoming Lost and Found….with everything I wanted as extras. Those that have Brian’s tipis have nothing but praise for him, his craftsmanship and tipis. The only issue I could find with WL&F was the owner hit the bottle too much sometime in the past. For me he has been nothing short of professional, knowledgeable, helpful and willing to build me the tipi I wanted in the fabric I wanted…and his prices are very good….check them out for yourself.
Through all my conversations and communications with these small businesses out that that make outdoor products, I came on to one fabric that is even better than Dyneema but no one in the tipi world I was familiar with offered it as an option…it is Cuban. It has even better qualities then Dyneema and as best I can tell weights less than Silnylon... in the area of 5 lbs for a base 8 man tipi. The big downside to Cuban…cost…It is expensive. I discussed Cuban with Brian at WL&F only to find out he too is really interested in it as a tipi fabric….and was already looking at offering it as an option. So I scratched the Dyneema Grid tipi and am having Brain quote out an 8 man tipi made out of Cuban. I know the cost will be significantly more than a Silnylon and Dyneema but if I can eliminate all the shortcoming of Silnylon with a stronger lighter tipi….and I can swing the added cost…why not?
I will keep you posted as I travel this tipi road. .
Topic: Backcountry Tipi buying help (Read 2675 times)
