Christian Reinwarth and Judith Senger live near Düsseldorf in Germany. They visited Tentipi, Sunne, a Friday in July to get a tent repaired, to buy a floor and to expand their tent range with an Olivin in cotton/polyester. That’s their fifth Tentipi tent and in an interview the couple told how it comes they are so fond of Nordic tipis from Tentipi. They gave some advice on camping as well.
A tent with standing headroom
Christian has been camping with his family all his life, but Judith wasn’t accustomed to it when the two of them met, and she demanded that there should be standing height in the tent if she would be camping. To give it a go, they rented a tent where they could stand and then Judith also became attached to outdoor life.
They bought a used Nordic tipi in 2017. This Zirkon 7 later became a birthday present for Christian's sister, as Judith and Christian wanted a slightly larger tent to be able to have their camping beds to sleep more comfortably. They changed to a Safir 9 and the next year they also bought a used Zirkon 5 for shorter journeys and overnights.
-The thing about the Nordic tipis are the mosquito netted door, top and air intakes also with mosquito net and the possibility to make a fire inside the tent. Well, and the floor and the ventilation which is something extra and can be adjusted from the sleeping bag, says Christian. Judith nods and adds:
-But the very best is that you can stand in the tent and just have to bend a little when going through the entrance.
They tell of an elderly couple who became jealous when they learned that there are tents where you do not have to kneel through the door and that can be raised in a few minutes. The fire inside the tent also made them surprised because they didn’t know that there are such as Nordic tipis. Judith is happy that she and Christian found Tentipi when they were looking for a tent with a standing ceiling height.
They bought a used Nordic tipi in 2017. This Zirkon 7 later became a birthday present for Christian's sister, as Judith and Christian wanted a slightly larger tent to be able to have their camping beds to sleep more comfortably. They changed to a Safir 9 and the next year they also bought a used Zirkon 5 for shorter journeys and overnights.
-The thing about the Nordic tipis are the mosquito netted door, top and air intakes also with mosquito net and the possibility to make a fire inside the tent. Well, and the floor and the ventilation which is something extra and can be adjusted from the sleeping bag, says Christian. Judith nods and adds:
-But the very best is that you can stand in the tent and just have to bend a little when going through the entrance.
They tell of an elderly couple who became jealous when they learned that there are tents where you do not have to kneel through the door and that can be raised in a few minutes. The fire inside the tent also made them surprised because they didn’t know that there are such as Nordic tipis. Judith is happy that she and Christian found Tentipi when they were looking for a tent with a standing ceiling height.
The use of a Nordic tipi in everyday life
In their garden they have a wooden pole set on a permanent decking with carabiners to easy raise a Nordic tipi when their friends come to visit.
-It is a special feeling to sit and socialize in a Nordic tipi and drink beer, play cards and talk. It is impossible to describe how cosy it feels. You have to experience it, Christian urges.
Safirflex for teaching and camping
Christian and Judith study at the university and to earn extra money, they work as teachers to help students of all ages with extra lessons. Judith teaches maths, chemistry and biology and Christian teaches maths, physics and electronics.
-I didn’t think I would think it was so funny and interesting to be teaching, but I have even started a company. At first, I had home tuition but now the students come to me and I have bought a Safirflex to be able to have outdoor tuition during the summer, Christian smiles with shining eyes.
-We will also use it for camping, Judith interjects.
-Yes, in May it was about 30 degrees and when we could lift two of the walls of the Nordic tipi and have the air intakes open, it was cooler and more comfortable in the tent than outside, says Christian.
They look forward for hot summer days with shade and ventilation in their Safirflex.
The most frightening experience in a Nordic tipi
The worst or most frightening situation Christian and Judith have been in, in a Nordic tipi was in the summer of 2019 in Lofoten, Norway, when they and a couple of others had pitched their tents about ten meters from the Atlantic. A high mountainside lay behind them, and they pitched their Zirkon 5 in the rain. After dinner the weather shifted and there was a fantastic sunset right in front of the tent entrance.
-We went for a walk to watch the sun go down from a higher point before we slept. The wind started to blow and on the way back some unlucky persons’ dome tent blew towards us and out over the sea, Christian tells.
They decided to pick up large stones and place them on the attachment points against the sand to be sure that the tent would stay. No problem. The fabrics fluttered in the constant wind but the tent stood there.
-But then it became really awful with the wind pulling down along the mountainside during the night, Judith says.
-We didn’t sleep at all. We held the central pole and the tent wall on the windward side. There was no danger with the tent, but we were scared and thought that we could just as easily do something because we couldn’t sleep, Christian continues.
They tell of other windy nights where they have slept well and only woke up for short moments, but here it was about such big gusts of wind and high waves that life felt fragile.
Winter camping
-We have a tradition to go on winter camping for a week around the New Year’s Eve. Then we go to the same camping site in Germany, enjoy the stove and to be able to camp comfortable. Judith and Christian look at each other and nod.
-A good thing is that we bring a camping toilet so that we do not have to go over the entire camping area to go to the bathroom, Christian says.
It is an ingenious toilet that they take with them almost everywhere, even when they are out paddling because it is so small and easy to handle, especially compared to a normal chemical camping toilet. Their camping toilet doesn’t use any chemicals. This is one of the things that Christian and Judith recommend others to bring with them when camping.
-A stove is also good to have, if you can have it in the tent, the couple agrees.
What is your best advice for someone who isn’t very used to camping?
-It’s to try, says Christian directly and Judith agrees:
-Buy a cheap tent or rent a tent to get out.
-It is a different vacation and has something that can't be explained in words, but must be experienced. Try, that is the best piece of advice I can give, says Christian.
-Yes, and take a tent with a standing height, Judith adds and laughs.
Summer holiday in Scandinavia
For a few weeks Christian and Judith are camping in Mangskog, Sweden, at a place Christian’s family has rented. They live in their Safir 9, sleep on their camping beds and make a fire in their stove. They are not a bit sad that the cottage doesn’t have enough rooms. A wish is that they can use their little inflatable rubber boat (pack raft) in Glaskogen and come to Kosteröarna together with the family. Then the journey continues north in Sweden and possibly Norway. It is in the northern parts of Scandinavia that they thrive best.
-The national parks and the opportunity to set up the tent overnight anywhere in Sweden is great, Christian answers the question about their hideaways.
-Tiveden National Park and Abisko National Park, these are places we return to, says Judith.
-Tiveden National Park and Abisko National Park, these are places we return to, says Judith.
They pack their Olivin and their floor in the car and go for this time. Maybe they will visit next summer as well.
We wish them a pleasant trip and a wonderful holiday.
See more about the adventures of Christian and Judith on Instagram @tipiandknife and @foodyjudi.
Images by tipiandknife
We wish them a pleasant trip and a wonderful holiday.
See more about the adventures of Christian and Judith on Instagram @tipiandknife and @foodyjudi.
Images by tipiandknife
