What’s the difference???? A lot.
I often get asked what is the difference between your Mongolian yurts and the ones for much less money on Ebay, other import companies or marketplace sites? To the inexperienced they don’t appear to be much different, they generally have great motifs fancy outer covers and the same natural aesthetic. To be honest, 10 years ago these were the same yurts we were bringing in, under cutting the established market. But! We live in our yurts and have done so for years in many different seasons and in different climates so our product has evolved out of practicality and experience. Here is a list of potential and likely differences between a SunTime Yurts and one bought elsewhere.
100% Wool Felt that is machine made. We want a solid consistent product that delivers all the benefits (lanolin, fire resistance, sustainability) of natural wool. Many of these other yurts are synthetics or blends.
Heavy Decorative cover. In one year or two years the cover in the yurt pictured above will be destroyed by UV and mildew. They are made of a very thin muslin cotton type material, thinner then a bed sheet. We use a heavy duty woven canvas material that will last years. It also has attachment points and a large overlap so no water penetration. The yurt above has very weak tie points and usually doesn’t overlap in the back or if it does blows open in a slight wind.
Crown cover and glass inserts. All our yurts come with glass inserts in the crown that can be removed that keep dust out in the summer and provide another thermal break for insulation in the winter. We also have a US made translucent vinyl cover so that you get light into the yurt on the rainiest of days that you can install your stove pipe through.
We removed the heavy green canvas and have replaced it with Tyvek housewrap on the walls and vaproshield on the roof. The green canvas used traditionally will eventually (1-3 years) start leaking depending on your climate and rainfall. It is also a good home for mildew and mold if not routinely prevented. Almost impossible to prevent on the north side or dark side of the yurt and under the encircling ropes. We do still offer the green canvas as weight and insulation but it should be installed under the housewrap.
Double Door. All our traditional yurts come with a double door unless bay windows are ordered. The double door allows you to leave the door open during the day getting light inside and a view. When you leave or at night, you can shut the solid wood door for security.
Crown Eave. Our rafters fit into the crown underneath an eave. This allows material to be tucked under the eave helping to keep things tight for insulation and water drainage.
No lead paint. We use very high quality paint to ensure it lasts longer and is lead free.
Customer Service. We have the experience living, setting up and are constantly looking to improve the product. We plan to continue our business and for as long as we do our customers will have access to replacement parts if your yurt is to ever need anything we will ship it over in our container and to you.
DIY, we are do it yourselfers and problem solvers. Thats how we and our Mongolian teammates have gotten the product to where its is now. We have a range of information to share with you to enhance your yurt life ranging from platform design, woodstoves, to even how to cook clean and thrive in yurt life.
