What you should look for when buying a tipi

As you can read in my previous blog post, I am more than convinced of the added value of a teepee and can therefore highly recommend gifting one to your child :)

But which one is the right one? The selection is vast, and there is a multitude of different shapes, colors, and materials. Since I have delved into this subject very intensively, I am taking the liberty of sharing my experience with you!

So, what is important when buying a teepee? What should you look out for? After all, a good teepee isn't cheap and you want the kids to be able to enjoy it for a long time!

Point 1: The most important thing is STABILITY

The fact is, if a play tent isn't stable and collapses with every little movement, then it is useless and your children will very quickly lose interest in it. The sad truth is that most teepees on the market are completely unstable. There are different ways to make a teepee more stable, but very few stability solutions live up to their promises. So don't be fooled!

-) The "stabilizer": This is a small part, usually made of wood, sometimes round, sometimes square, with a long screw that you insert into the wooden poles from above and tighten from below. Apart from the fact that installation is tedious finger work, it does little for stability... especially the round spheres provide a maximum of 10% more stability... whereas the square stabilizers with the cutouts for the poles contribute significantly more to stability (about 50%). However, we at LIONHERZ were bothered by every solution on the market because of the long screw and the small nuts, which can be swallowed by children and are therefore dangerous. That's why we quickly invented our own stabilizer with cords instead of screws, and it lives up to its promise :)

-) The "corner pocket mat": The word is made up, haha... but it's meant to convey that this is a floor mat that has small pockets/loops at the 4 corners into which you can place the feet of the teepee, which is supposed to prevent the legs from sliding outward. The idea is good, but in practice, this system only proves moderately effective because the tent feet can still slip out due to children romping around. I would say this adds no more than 50% stability.

-) The "anti-slip pads": These are small parts, usually made of rubber or silicone, that you can slip over the tent feet and are also intended to prevent sliding. Our set from LIONHERZ includes these, but only as "protective caps" so as not to scratch the floor with the wooden poles! They only contribute about 20% to additional stability.

-) The "sewn-in floor mat": In my opinion, the only way to make a teepee truly 100% stable. Only when the floor mat is sewn to the entire tent can the feet under no circumstances slip out and the teepee collapse... that's why we at LIONHERZ naturally decided on this stability solution :)

Point 2: QUALITY

We all know, if you buy cheap, you buy twice! Especially with a play tent that is intended/can be used for many years, it is important to rely on high-quality materials. We at LIONHERZ also believe that it should be as natural/unprocessed as possible for children.

-) Tent fabric: All teepees on the market are made of either pure cotton OR poly-cotton (a blend of cotton and polyester) OR pure polyester. Cotton is the best and most natural choice here, but also the most expensive to purchase. Whereas polyester is a synthetic fiber and very cheap to acquire.

-) Wooden poles: With the wooden poles, it is less about what type of wood it is (the main thing is that it is finely polished and rounded so that no injuries can occur), but much more important is the length. Either the poles arrive in one full length, or they are divided into thirds/quarters and supplied with connecting pieces. Many manufacturers and we at LIONHERZ have opted for the quartered version because a lot of packaging material can be saved here! But BE CAREFUL! Most teepees on the market have connecting pieces that are only plugged in. If you want to carry the tent from one place to another or if your child romps around too wildly, the plugged-in parts can very easily come loose, which has the negative consequence of having to reassemble it. We at LIONHERZ therefore rely on an intelligent screw system where the wooden poles and the connecting pieces can be screwed together rock-solid by hand without tools. In our opinion, the best choice!

Point 3: COMFORT

Children should feel comfortable in the play tent, both when playing and romping around and when reading and resting. A thick, comfortable cuddle mat is indispensable here. Many teepees have either no mat at all or a very thin one without padding. It was very important to us at LIONHERZ to include a thick, cozy mat in our set so that your child can feel completely at ease. Due to its size and thickness, our mat arrives vacuum-packed, which in turn saves packaging material.

Point 4: ACCESSORIES & COLOR

Teepees are available with a wide variety of accessories. Bunting, fairy lights, cushions, and blankets are very popular. We at LIONHERZ decided on decorative wooden feathers for hanging and unique decorative fabric feathers for the top of the tent. This is, of course, a matter of taste, just like the color. We found muted colors without patterns particularly important here, not only because it is gender-neutral, but also so that your child can visually calm down, as most toys for children are already far too colorful and shrill anyway.

Under this point, it should also be mentioned that we find it important that the teepee 1. has a window for ventilation and 2. that this can also be closed. The child should be able to decide freely when to leave the window open and when they might prefer to withdraw undisturbed on their own. A private retreat is very important even at a young age.

I think I have now put together the most important points that matter when buying a teepee. Using this list, you know what is on the market and can decide for yourself what you value most. We believe that no compromises should be made on stability, quality, and comfort; everything else is ultimately a matter of taste :)

I hope I have helped you with your decision with this brief overview and wish you much joy in choosing, assembling, and playing,

your Martina from LIONHERZ