It’s common for people to refer to a yurt as a tent, but yurts are not tents. The truth is that yurts are as similar to a tent as a backyard treehouse is to your house.
Let’s take a look at several reasons why yurts are not tents.
What Exactly is a Yurt?
Yurts, or gers, are traditional, moveable housing structures for nomadic people living in the steppes of what is now Mongolia and parts of China and Russia. Yurt designers intended them to provide maximum efficiency in extremely cold temperatures, and they were also intended as mobile housing.
Modern yurts are designed to be used for a variety of purposes, including glamping sites and permanent housing units. While they are different from a traditional house in that they are round and designed for efficient airflow, yurts are most definitely not a tent.
How is a Yurt Different from a Tent?
It’s easy to get confused about a yurt, particularly since there are what are known as yurt tents, but a proper yurt and a tent are actually two very different things. There are several features that distinguish a yurt from a tent. Here are the basics.
Size Matters
Most yurts are much bigger than even a family-sized tent. Even a small yurt is big enough to have a separate bathroom area.
Yurts are designed to be big enough to house people. That means a yurt is for more than just sleeping. Tents are usually designed as simply sleeping quarters for a short period of time.
Oh Yeah, Yurts are Not Tents Because of the Bathroom
Speaking of bathrooms, a yurt is designed to have one, whereas a tent is not. If you’ve ever spent a cold night tent camping, trying desperately not to have to get up and go out into the cold to use the bathroom, this is a feature you’re going to love.
Again, even small yurts have enough space to include an enclosed bathroom facility. That also means plumbing is present in the yurt, which is clearly not the case with a tent, and that means having the luxury of a shower each day.
Wooden Wall Supports and a Foundation
These are the structural features that really set a yurt apart from a tent. An expanding wooden lattice structure provides support for the thick canvas, nylon, or fabric walls.
Instead of skins, today’s yurts utilize reflective insulation and thick walls made of durable materials. This material is as impenetrable as a regular house wall and very different from the thin material of a tent wall.
Additionally, yurts are not tents because they are set on a foundation. Tents sit directly on the ground. While it is possible to break a modern yurt down and move it, it’s still a solid permanent structure.
Curious? Check Out Escalante Yurts and See the Difference!
If you’re really curious and would like to check out just exactly what a yurt is like, Escalante Yurts has got you covered. We’ve got a variety of yurt sizes to accommodate any family, and our yurts come with heating and cooling, comfortable bed linens, and a private porch.
After booking a stay at Escalante Yurts, you’re going to be a believer in what we have come to know – once you go yurt glamping, you’ll never go back to tent camping!