Two round shelters, two different philosophies
Tipis are nomadic, fast to raise, and designed around an open fire. Yurts are semi-permanent, insulated, and built to live in year-round. Both have been made in our Montrose, Colorado shop since 1976 — here's how to choose between them.
Setup time
- Tipi (18' size): 2 people, 45–90 minutes.
- Yurt (24' size): 3 people, 1–2 days including the deck.
Fire and heat
A tipi is engineered around a central open fire — smoke flaps at the top vent it. That's the magic of a tipi evening. A yurt uses a wood stove with a stove jack, which is more efficient but less primal.
Four-season use
Yurts win here easily. Insulated covers, a proper door, and a woodstove keep a yurt comfortable in single digits. A tipi with a liner and stove is comfortable into shoulder-season winter, but it's not the same all-winter home.
Cost
- Secret Creek tipi (18', poles included): around $3,500–$6,000.
- Secret Creek yurt kit (24', insulated): around $18,000–$26,000.
Best use cases
- Choose a tipi for: event rentals, ceremonial gatherings, summer basecamp, kids' backyard hideout, glamping properties that want a fire-forward experience.
- Choose a yurt for: full-time living, four-season guest cabin, off-grid studio, long-term glamping units.
Can you have both?
Plenty of our commercial customers pair them: yurts as the year-round lodging, tipis as the seasonal wow factor around the fire pit. It's a proven combination on retreat properties from Vermont to Montana.
Explore both: yurt builder · tipi builder.