One of the things on my bucket list last year was to sleep in a yurt. I didn’t really have a good reason other than I thought they looked cool and I was curious about them. I’d heard that they were portable, eco-friendly and sometimes even more cost effective than a house. (We never really considered building a yurt when we were in the beginning stages of creating a tiny house because of rules and restrictions within Asheville, North Carolina.) But in all honesty, up until a year ago I didn’t even know what a yurt was, let alone slept inside one. Because of my own curiosity I thought other people might want to get a peek inside a yurt.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
According to Pacific Yurts, Inc. one of the “Key factors in defining a yurt are that it is portable, circular, has an accordion lattice wall, a tension band, radial rafters leading up to a central compression ring and is covered in felt or fabric.” That was true of all of the yurts we’ve seen so far. We’ve even seen photographs of a yurt covered in furs.
One other thing for all you introverts out there: yurts are circular so if you’re looking for a corner to sit in and regroup, you will have to go elsewhere! But a lack of edges means that things are open. It’s felt really good to me to be inside of a yurt each time I’ve been in one.
Inside a yurt
The inside of a yurt, or at least all of the ones we have been in, are really cozy. My first experience inside a yurt was one in western North Carolina! Our friends Hallee and Ryan had us over for dinner in theirs and unlike most of the ones we’ve been in, theirs had a kitchen in it. The yurt pictured above is located at the Paca Pride Guest Ranch in Granite Falls, Washington. There is no kitchen in this one but there is a small heater in it. Even though we visited in the winter, we were toasty all through the night.
Most people who have a yurt got theirs from a kit, unless they are super handy and they could build it from scratch. All of the ones we’ve been inside were from a kit. And even more impressive, their owners put them together! Most people we’ve talked to say that once the platform is built, the yurt can be finished in a weekend!
My favorite part of a yurt is the clear window at the top because it lets in all of the outdoor light. Yurt experts call this the dome skylight. When you sleep in a yurt you will wake up naturally with the rest of the world. We recommend switching your alarm off and letting the yurt say good morning.
Is a yurt right for you?
If you want to experience a yurt but you’re not quite ready to get rid of your house, consider renting one! You can find several of yurts on Hipcamp and a quick Google Search for yurt rentals will bring up a ton of places to choose from. One of our favorite yurts that you can book is located on San Juan Island. It’s located on an organic farm on one of the coolest island we’ve ever been to. If you ever get the chance to visit Washington, put it on your list! Another awesome yurt that you can rent is located at the Shanti Community in Madrid, New Mexico! The view from this yurt is nothing short of amazing. It’s easily one of the most unique places we’ve ever visited. We keep meaning to check out Asheville Glamping because we heard they have a sweet yurt but we haven’t made it out there yet!
Yurt life recap!
Have you ever spent any time in a yurt? If so, what did you think? If you are currently living in a yurt we would love to hear your thoughts about it! And if you’re like us and yurts are still fairly new to you, we’d love to hear what you think! Please leave your comments below!
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