Materials of Our Yurts

Most canvas yurts in Mongolia and the grassland regions are unlikely to be waterproofed. The high altitude region climate is generally dry despite heavy extremes of temperature. The wooden parts also tend to be made from lower grade woods, and generally there is a lack of attention to detail. These yurts are certainly not suited to our much wetter European climate. We have adapted our yurts to be waterproof and insulated, so they can be used in our often cold and damp UK environments. All yurts are available to buy online.

Roof crown
Roof crown is the centre piece of a yurt and need to be both beautiful and strong. Once it is made we then paint with traditional Mongolian patterns before sealing with a layer of water resistant yurt varnish.

Timber Yurt Door
We also provide solid wooden doors. Single doors come set in a wooden frame with a window to allow maximum light into the yurt. The doors also come painted with traditional patterns. All sealed in protective, waterproof varnish. We also supply a padlock and slide bolt for security.

Khana (wooden wall trellis)
Our Khana are made from traditionally ‘steam bent’ willow wood and are fastened together using traditional rawhide. We are one of the few yurt makers to apply the steam curving method to our wall structure. It makes it much stronger than flat trellis alternatives. It also means we can make yurts up to 6.7m diameter without needing to use central ‘dragon post’ supports, allowing far more space within the yurt for large furniture. The Khana sections are left natural, without paint, just a layer of linseed oil is applied to protect them from moisture. Additional layers of oil can then be added over time.

Canvas
Our team in Oxford have selected a heavy-duty natural canvas to protect our yurts from the environment. The canvas has been silicone treated to resist water yet is still breathable. It is very important that yurts canvas does not trap damp or moisture within the material. Manmade materials such as PVC/or Teflon are not breathable and can cause the air within the structure to become stale and uncomfortable. It also traps unpleasant odours. If well cared for, the canvas on our yurts will last many years. It can then be easily re-proofed. This canvas has been used by our customers for many years now with great feedback. The canvas comes in 2 options: plain white or with patterns. These traditional patterns are stitched onto the canvas and are common to our local region of Inner Mongolia they are symbolic of the universal elements.

Crown cover
All yurts come with a transparent crown cover and a standard crown cover. A transparent crown cover is made by a canvas cap with a transparent PVC central section to maximise light in the yurt. A standard crown cover is made by canvas /felt cap with pre-cut flue hole with cover flap. Each crown cover comes with authentic horse hair rope fastenings.
Outer straps
The decorative outer straps of the yurt are made from woven horsehair. This has been used in Mongolia for a millennium as it is both weather resistant strong and beautiful.
Inner straps
The inner horizontal straps bear the yurts weight holding the walls in place. We prefer to use poly nylon for this important job. It is very strong and resistant to all moisture that is common with UK climate.

Triple layer windows for an insulated yurt
We are the only yurt makers to offer a triple layer window design providing insulation for colder weather regions. Firstly the first layer is a layer of fine mosquito resistant mesh; Then a clear PVC layer, which is fastened by Velcro. This prevents draughts and moisture and can easily be removed in the warmer month. Finally a roll up canvas felt layer on the exterior which will prevent the windows from becoming a weak point in the yurts insulation.

Groundsheet
Our groundsheet is made up of two layers. The bottom layer is a waterproof plastic. The top layer is made of canvas, as it is more pleasing to the eye and comfortable to walk on. We have tailored our groundsheets to be curved up naturally, for you to tack under the yurt and in between the canvas and felt layer, to keep water and moist out.