Are yurts really portable?

[WannabeShepherd]

Hello, my wife and are trying to get into the offgrid homesteading thing. The only places that we can afford land of ample size are way out west, and that land is really barren so in order to raise sheep and goats and properly graze them so that we can have milk, fiber and meat is to do the semi-nomadic thing. Yurts seem like a good option for us so that we won't have to start off every day and end every night by herding animals across acres of our property, which would be bad for the land (as they'd inevitably graze the already grazed land as we walked) and not so fun for us, and because it will take a very long time to build a home, and we won't be able to live on our land and start everything up (sheepfolds, solar and water stuff, planting etc.) until we have somewhere to live. We have also thought about doing the Bedouin tent which is definitely portable, but that seems unsafe as a coyote or an axe murderer could walk right into our "bedroom" whereas in an enclosed structure there is that layer of felt that will give us a moment.


But, are Yurts actually portable? I thought they were like a tipi made of felt, but it seems that they have wood frames etc. that seem impossible to collapse and put on back of a donkey or something. If they are, that would be awesome and maybe allow us to skip on the home building (or maybe only build a small winter shelter for the coldest nights) and live a more transhumant lifestyle.

Also, any legal things we should know in ID, WY, AZ and/or NV? I was under the impression that because yurts are temporary structures we won't have any zoning issues since it's essentially just camping.

[Marshall Eppley]

Yurts can be very portable or permanent depending on how much other things you add. Electric water sewer exc. Depending on the size of your yurt you can move one in a manor of hours or a day or two for a larger yurt. I have built 3 16 foot yurts from scratch and can set up in about an hour and take it down in half that with two people. The walls fold flat and I just roll it up like a burrito bundle the trusses and fold the tarps. Will fit the back of a pick up or can be packed by animals.

[Jafo]

Traditional yurts such as those made by

Groovy Yurts

and

Suntime yurts

are most definitely portable. We set up a yurt during a demonstration at Paul Smith's college one day with the help of Yves at

Groovy Yurts

. It went pretty quick. Would you want to do it EVERY day? Probably not, but once a week or once a month? No problem.

[Bob Rowlands]

Yurt is easier to transport than an 18' tipi because you don't have 17 poles 25' long. It is impossible to completely seal off a tipi because the poles project above the cover. A yurt is sealed at the

dome

. Or, the wood stove pipe can be inserted through a metal 'china cap', like on my yurt. Alternately stove pipe through the plex

dome

in the case of a pro made cap. Yurts have felt covers and that is good

insulation

in dry climate.

If you check youtube there are a number of videos that demonstrate the ease of erecting/dismantling a nomadic yurt to the 6 meter size. imo a 6 meter/20' dia. yurt is the premier size for a young nomadic couple. Without any doubt whatsoever a yurt is as good as nomadic tents get. WAY better than any tipi, or lavvu, or wall tent. Yurt is absolute pinnacle in tent design. Good luck on your decision.

Small yurts in the 12 to 16 foot range are very portable and easy to set up and tear down, much easier than an 18' tipi.

[Bob Rowlands]

Should have mentioned my advice is to try living in a 12 to 16 foot yurt to get an idea of what tent life is like, before investing in a 20' yurt. If it really isn't for you, you can easily use that size for camping.

Going from a small one bedroom apartment at say 600 sq.ft., with full amenities we expect here in the U.S., to a small 300 sq.ft. yurt half that size with no amenities at all-it's just a tent- will be a MASSIVE adjustment many young women will have absolutely *zero* interest in. Just saying.

[Yurtman]

You need one of my yurts. They are designed to be lightweight and portable. You would need a donkey, horse or vehicle to transport it as it is not a "back packing" yurt. The total weight of my 12ft yurt is about 150lbs, that includes the lattice, poles and canvas etc. It will easily pack on the roof rack of any car. I even put a 20ft yurt on top of a Durrango SUV.
The longest piece is the roof pole which is half the diameter of the yurt.

Have a look at my website for mire info. I don't think anyone else out there makes a yurt as light as mine. My ring is 3ft dia, is laminated and only weighs 7lbs.