TENTIPI SAFIR 9 TENT
Make winter camping fun
THE TENTIPI was definitely one of the stars of last year’s summer show scene. Anyone who visited the Nene Overland stand will remember this unique-looking tent as it had a stove with a chimney standing in the middle of it. The heat from the stove and chimney meant it was like walking into a sauna. Back then I made a mental note of this rather neat set-up as it would make winter camping heaps of fun and much more bearable because as long as the fire was going, there was no way that you could be cold unless you had to leave the tent to go to the toilet. So when on a recent greenlaning trip I used the tent as my trump card to convince the friendly chaps from the Shropshire Greenlane Association to join me for a night of camping and tent testing.
The Tentipi website says that it takes three minutes to erect. Even with six blokes it took a lot longer than that to put up and that isn’t because we were not practical. I think that the instructions need a little more detail. Once the tent was more or less up, it was at least quick and easy to install the floor, stove and chimney. I am sure that with a wee bit of practice we will get close to that threeminute mark.
The Safpir 9 can sleep between six and ten adults while it can seat between 16 and 20 adults, it stands 3.1 metres high and is 5.3 metres wide. That is loads of space and it meant each of us could put a big camping chair inside the tent. The tent was obviously designed for expeditions to really cold places and so it comes with useful accessories, which we did not have or need, such as a porch, inner tent and drying rack for wet clothes.
It’s made from top-quality and highlybreathable cotton/polyester fabric which, when you touch it, feels pretty strong and durable. Due to its size this is the kind of tent you want to use when winter camping in the same spot for several days. It’s a great feeling when you are out hiking, biking or greenlaning in the cold and snow and in the back of your mind you know that that you will be returning to your warm and cosy Tentipi.
How many tents are there that you can stand up in, cook in and be warm in? Not too many, I think. I chucked a few extra pieces of coal into the stove before we went to bed and the next morning when I emptied it the coals were still glowing orange.
The Tentipi proves that there is absolutely no reason why one should not go out camping in the cold, wet, snow and strong winds. The Tentipi has been designed to comfortably withstand them all while its occupants will feel like a piece of toast in a toaster.