What Is a Yurt? A Guide to Semi-Permanent Cabin Style Dwellings

You may not typically think about staying in a yurt when planning a camping trip, but we’re here to say, maybe you should. Somewhere between a tent and a prefab cabin, yurts are built using ancient techniques with modern materials to withstand extreme climates and offer dependable shelter in the great outdoors. Yurts are portable, and spacious, and may just be the unsung hero of outdoor accommodations. So, the question isn’t “Why stay in a yurt?” but, “Why not?”

Below, we dive further into the history of the yurt, how they're constructed, and which manufacturers make the best yurts for DIY builders—all to help you get started on your own yurt adventure. Dig in and enjoy.

What is a yurt?

A yurt is an ancient version of the modern tent. Historically, they were used by nomadic tribes and herders across Central Asia, designed to easily dismantle when a community needed to move from one place to another. Yurts are one of the oldest forms of shelter used by ancient civilizations that are still relevant today-with some deviations.

A traditional yurt is a circular structure that is assembled much like a glamping tent. They are sturdy shelters that work well in extreme weather conditions. These structures are usually constructed from all-natural material, and thus their construction has a small carbon footprint. The circular shape of a yurt also gives you the most internal space in relation to the number of building materials used to construct it. Like an A-frame house, yurts are extremely efficient by design.

Although they are traditionally shelters, people also creatively convert yurt into modern offices, restaurants, and glamping sites. Yurts are becoming increasingly popular as tiny homes for many who are drawn to yurt living. Some national parks or campsites offer yurt rentals for those who want to try out yurt camping. They bring inhabitants closer to the earth and are often used by retreat centers and as part of spiritual practices like sweat lodges.

What's the history of the yurt?

Originally, nomadic people used yurts throughout the dry, grassy plains of the Eurasian Steppe, which spans from Hungary to China. People have used them for as long as three thousand years. Different cultures have different names for the yurt structure. For example, in Russia, they are called ‘yurta,’ while this structure is known as a ‘ger’ in Mongolia.

Although different cultures call them different names, the meaning of the words mostly stays the same, translating to ‘home’, ‘homeland’, or ‘kinsman’ in English. These structures are so closely linked to the nomadic people who traditionally inhabited them that these homes even inspired the word ‘nomad’.’ The original word, ‘nomad’, stemmed from the word ‘felt’– the material used to cover the structure. Thus nomads, or yurt dwellers, were known as ‘felt people’.

The first written description of a yurt is credited to Greek Historian Herodotus, who noted the circular dwellings of the Scythian people, a horse-riding nomadic nation who roamed Central Asia from 900 BC to around 200 BC. Then, and now, yurts are used as dwellings throughout most Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, where even the national flag hosts a depiction of a yurt.

However, the circular tent is the most associated with the lifestyle of Central Asian nomads like Mongols. Genghis Khan, leader of the Mongol Empire, even ruled while living in a large yurt. Many Mongolian people still use yurts as their homes today. In fact, around 61% of inhabitants in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar live in gers, as do nearly 90% of the rural population.

In the 1960s, William Coperthwaite introduced yurts to the United States after reading an article about Mongolia in a 1962 edition of National Geographic. Thereafter they were periodically featured in such counter culture publications as The Whole Earth Catalog as a cost efficient DIY living alternative. The first modern yurt manufacturer in North America (Pacific Yurts) was founded in 1978 by Alan Bair.

How is a yurt constructed?

Originally, nomadic people used yurts throughout the dry, grassy plains of the Eurasian Steppe, which spans from Hungary to China. People have used them for as long as three thousand years. Different cultures have different names for the yurt structure. For example, in Russia, they are called ‘yurta,’ while this structure is known as a ‘ger’ in Mongolia.

Although different cultures call them different names, the meaning of the words mostly stays the same, translating to ‘home’, ‘homeland’, or ‘kinsman’ in English. These structures are so closely linked to the nomadic people who traditionally inhabited them that these homes even inspired the word ‘nomad’.’ The original word, ‘nomad’, stemmed from the word ‘felt’– the material used to cover the structure. Thus nomads, or yurt dwellers, were known as ‘felt people’.

The first written description of a yurt is credited to Greek Historian Herodotus, who noted the circular dwellings of the Scythian people, a horse-riding nomadic nation who roamed Central Asia from 900 BC to around 200 BC. Then, and now, yurts are used as dwellings throughout most Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, where even the national flag hosts a depiction of a yurt.

However, the circular tent is the most associated with the lifestyle of Central Asian nomads like Mongols. Genghis Khan, leader of the Mongol Empire, even ruled while living in a large yurt. Many Mongolian people still use yurts as their homes today. In fact, around 61% of inhabitants in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar live in gers, as do nearly 90% of the rural population.

In the 1960s, William Coperthwaite introduced yurts to the United States after reading an article about Mongolia in a 1962 edition of National Geographic. Thereafter they were periodically featured in such counter culture publications as The Whole Earth Catalog as a cost efficient DIY living alternative. The first modern yurt manufacturer in North America ( Pacific Yurts ) was founded in 1978 by Alan Bair.

Traditional yurts have a collapsible wooden frame covered with wool felt and a door frame from which you can hang a wooden door. Many flexible wooden poles made from birch, willow, poplar, or bamboo are woven and bound together to form lattice walls. Nomads customarily used leather or animal hair to bind the poles together. The lattice often consists of sections made up of a series of collapsible, interwoven wooden poles. Each section is known as a khana.

Once the frame is built, the fabric is draped over the structure. Although traditional yurts used natural materials like wool felt or animal hides topped by a waterproof material, more modern materials like tarps and canvas are also popular. Felt is wool that has been pressed together instead of woven, making the material a better insulator. You could add multiple layers of felt to increase the insulation to protect from outside temperatures.

You can get yurts in different sizes, but usually, the walls are about six feet high, and the domed roof adds approximately another three feet to the total height of the structure. The size of a wooden yurt makes it easy to fit in normal-sized beds, although bunk-beds are common to see in camping-yurts.

Traditional yurts have a wood-burning stove with a chimney in the center of the living space, with the chimney extending through a hole in the roof. The central piece of the roof is called the crown, which is traditionally handed down from father to son. The more smoke stains the crown of a traditional Mongolian yurt has, the longer the family’s heritage. In modern Western yurts, this opening is often replaced with a protective, domed acrylic skylight to let in natural light.

The crown is partially open, allowing for air circulation. The other roof poles are radial rafters connected to this circular structure when the yurt tent is being assembled. Poles called bagana can be used to support the crown, especially in larger yurts.

Yurts that do not have bagana are self-supporting and held together by the ropes used to tie the poles and compression caused by the weight of the felt cover. A weight hung from the center of the roof could assist the compression of the cover.

Yurts usually come in two different styles: bentwood yurts and Mongolian gers. Mongolian gers’ roofs are constructed with straight poles that are attached to the crown. The roof of these kinds of yurts has a gentle slope.

Bentwood yurt roofs are made from, well, bent wood. The wooden poles of the roof are steamed and bent before they are attached to the crown. They also extend down to form part of the walls. This gives bentwood yurts a taller and steeper, almost conical roof. These types of yurts are also sometimes referred to as Turkic yurts.

Modern North America yurts generally come in three types: the traditional fabric yurt, the tapered wall yurt that William (Bill) Coperthwaite introduced, and a frame panel yurt designed by David Raitt. The fabric yurt is portable and can sometimes be purchased in the form of a yurt kit.

The yurts created by yurt builders like Coperthwaite and Raitt are intended to be permanent structures built on foundations. Sometimes these permanent structures are referred to as yurt derivations because they stray from the original purpose of a yurt – to be collapsible and transportable while maintaining the traditional look and style of Mongolian yurts.

Why are yurts popular for camping?

A yurt is an excellent alternative to a tent when you go camping (yurt camping is often called glamping). Though used for eons by nomadic peoples, don’t expect a yurt to be as compact or portable as a conventional tent. Unlike camping tents, a yurt offers more space and more options for temporary or semi-permanent sustainable living.

You will probably not lug around everything, including your kitchen sink, if you plan on setting up your own yurt. But it is nice to know that you can if you wanted to. More permanent camping yurts can offer a luxury camping experience while still keeping you closer to nature than a cabin or hotel would.

Depending on the square foot size, yurt cabins and yurt houses can accommodate separate rooms, comfortable beds, bathrooms, kitchens, and even have electricity. Some yurts can comfortably lodge between five and fifteen people, making them ideal if you want to camp with a large group of people.

A yurt can take anywhere between half an hour to three hours to set up. This depends on the size of the yurt and the number of people helping. Most modern portable yurts can be erected or broken down in around an hour. While this does seem significantly longer than a traditional camping tent, it is worth the added space and comfort, especially if your camping trip is longer than a couple of days.

North American Yurts are designed with the environment and year-round elements in mind. They can keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The round shape of the living space means less surface area is exposed to the outside temperatures. It also provides less wind resistance as the wind moves around the curved edges of the yurt instead of catching on straight sides. Yurts are robust and can endure strong winds, snow, and even earthquakes.

Yurt camping gives you the experience of spending time in a Mongolian ger without traveling to Mongolia. It is a fun alternative to tent camping and can add a bit of glam to your trip, especially when you stay in a luxury yurt. Yurts have plenty of space inside and provide ample protection from harsh weather. While they are portable, they are still not as compact as a more modern tent. They would make an excellent home base for longer camping trips but may not work as well if you plan on doing a lot of hiking while carrying your shelter with you.

Several yurt companies produce these shelters for the North American market, both for yurt camping excursions and permanent installations with on-grid and off-grid set-ups. Below are five manufacturers across the states for your browsing pleasure, as well as seven yurts for rent for your very own glamping excursion.

8 Trusted Yurt Manufacturers in North America:

Pacific Yurts, Oregon

The granddaddy of American yurt manufacturers, Pacific Yurts was founded in 1978 by Alan Bair. After more than 40 years in the biz, they remain a leader and mainstay in the industry, promising excellent customer service, reliability, and environmentally-conscious techniques and initiatives.

Rainier Yurts, Washington State

Founded in 1896 during the Alaskan Gold Rush and later based out of Seattle, the long time manufacturer of canvas glamping tents and yurts makes a wide range of shelters with prices ranging from $10,000 up to $27,000.

Smiling Woods Homes, Washington State

Ranging from $27,027 to $55,900, these wooden houses may not technically be yurts but they’re certainly beautiful. Although more expensive than your typical yurt, their all-wooden walls allows for more windows and customizations, making this a good choice for a permanent yurt-dwelling.

Living Intent, California

Launched in Maine, this young company eventually moved to the Sierra Foothills of Northern California with a passion for sustainable lifestyles. Their 16’ and 20’ base models start at $7,000 and $8,000 respectively. Not bad for a brand new home!

Colorado Yurt Company, Colorado

Making yurts, tipis, and glamping tents, Colorado Yurt Company aka Secret Creek has been producing high quality shelters since 1976. Visit their 30,000-square-foot headquarters in Montrose, Colorado to check out their interactive display village of all the structures they design and build.

Blue Ridge Yurt, Virginia

A woman-owned and operated company in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, Blue Ridge Yurt is the only yurt manufacturer to offer 10’ walls-tall friends, take note.

Shelter Designs Yurts, Montana

Shelter places an emphasis on building climate resistant yurts, as their Montana home proved a good testing ground for extreme conditions. Models range from 12’ to “the epic” 40’.

Freedom Yurt Cabin, Nebraska

Designed for living off-the-grid with a less conventional design, these 12-to-18-wall cabin-yurts are more weather resistant and more sturdy than traditional round yurts. Freedom's USA-made yurt kits can reach upwards of $50,000 as a result.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the disadvantages of a yurt?

While charming, yurts have several disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage being a lack of insulation, which can lead to discomfort in cold and hot climates. Yurts also offer less security against harsh weather or wildlife compared to conventional timber homes. Due to their one-room shape, space is also limited, which can be challenging for families, making privacy minimal. Additionally, local building codes and zoning regulations may limit where you can legally place a yurt, adding another layer of complexity to being a yurt owner.

Do yurts have bathrooms?

Yurts are typically off-grid and do not usually include bathrooms, but you can add one with plumbing—as can a kitchen. Many owners build separate bathroom structures like outhouses, or use portable options.

What is the average lifespan of a yurt?

The average lifespan of a yurt is 10 to 20 years, depending on the quality of materials and maintenance. High-quality yurts with proper care can last even longer, while cheaper models may need replacement sooner. Regular upkeep, like maintaining the cover, extends their durability.