What you should pay attention to when buying a teepee

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

But which one is right for you? The selection is vast, with a variety of different shapes, colors, and materials. Since I've studied this topic extensively, I'd like to share my experience with you!

So, what's important when buying a teepee? What should you look for? After all, a good teepee isn't cheap, and you want your kids 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's useless, and your children will quickly lose interest in it. The sad truth is that most teepees on the market are completely unstable. There are various ways to make a teepee more stable, but very few stability solutions deliver what they promise. So don't be fooled!

-) The "stabilizer" : This is a small piece, usually made of wood, sometimes round, sometimes square, with a long screw that you insert into the wooden poles from above and screw in from below. Aside from the fact that installation is a tedious job, it doesn't add much to stability... the round balls, in particular, provide a maximum of 10% more stability... whereas the square stabilizers with the recesses for the poles contribute significantly more to stability (about 50%). However, we at LIONHERZ were bothered by the long screw and small nuts of every solution on the market, which are dangerous for children to swallow. So we quickly invented our own stabilizer with cords instead of screws, and it delivers what it promises :)

-) The "corner pocket mat" : The word is a made-up one, haha... but it's supposed to mean that this is a ground mat with small pockets/loops at the four corners into which you can place the teepee's legs, thus preventing them from slipping outwards. The idea is good, but in practice, this system is only moderately effective because the tent legs can still slip out due to children running around. I'd say this provides no more than 50% stability.

-) The "slip inhibitors" : These are small pieces, usually made of rubber or silicone, that you can slip over the tent legs and are also designed to prevent slipping. Our set from LIONHERZ includes these, but only as "protective caps" to prevent the wooden poles from scratching the floor! They only contribute 20% to increased stability.

-) The "sewn-on floor mat" : In my opinion, this is the only way to make a teepee truly 100% stable. Only when the floor mat is sewn to the entire tent can the feet never slip and the teepee never collapse... which is why we at LIONHERZ naturally opted for this stability solution :)

Point 2: QUALITY

We all know that buying cheap means buying twice! Especially for a play tent that will be used for many years, it's important to use high-quality materials. We at LIONHERZ also believe that it should be as natural/unpolished as possible for children.

-) Tent fabric: All teepees on the market are made of either pure cotton OR polycotton (a blend of cotton and polyester) OR pure polyester. Cotton is the best and most natural choice, but also the most expensive to purchase. Polyester, on the other hand, is a synthetic fiber and very inexpensive.

-) Wooden poles: With wooden poles, it's not so much about the type of wood (the main thing is that they are finely polished and rounded so that no injuries can occur), but the length is much more important. The poles will either arrive in their full undivided length, or they will be cut into thirds/quarters and delivered with connectors. Many manufacturers, including us at LIONHERZ, have opted for the quartered version because this saves a lot of packaging material! But CAUTION! Most teepees on the market have connectors that only plug together. If you want to carry the tent from one place to another, or if your child is running around too wildly, the plugged-in parts can easily come loose, which will have negative consequences when reassembling. That's why we at LIONHERZ rely on an intelligent screw system, with which the wooden poles and connectors can be screwed together securely by hand and without tools. In our opinion, this is the best choice!

Point 3: COMFORT

Children should feel comfortable in the play tent, whether playing and romping, reading, or relaxing. A thick, comfortable mat is essential. Many teepees either have no mat at all or a very thin one without padding. At LIONHERZ, it was very important to us to include a thick, cozy mat in our set so your child can feel completely comfortable. Due to its size and thickness, our mat arrives vacuum-packed, again saving on packaging material.

Point 4: ACCESSORIES & COLOR

Tipis are available with a wide variety of accessories. Bunting, fairy lights, pillows, and blankets are very popular. At LIONHERZ, we opted for decorative wooden feathers for hanging and unique decorative fabric feathers for the top of the tent. This is, of course, a matter of taste, as is the color. Muted colors without patterns were particularly important to us, not only because they are gender-neutral, but also to allow your child to find visual calm, since most toys for children are far too bright and garish anyway.

At this point, we also want to mention that we believe it's important that the teepee 1. has a window for ventilation and 2. that this window can be closed. The child should be able to freely decide when to leave the window open and when they might prefer to retreat undisturbed. A private retreat is very important, even at a young age.

I think I've now compiled the most important points to consider when buying a teepee. This list will give you an idea of ​​what's available on the market and help you decide for yourself what's most important to you. We believe that stability, quality, and comfort shouldn't be compromised; everything else is ultimately a matter of taste :)

I hope this little overview has helped you with your decision and wish you lots of fun choosing, assembling and playing, Your Martina from LIONHERZ