You may be asking yourself what exactly a yurt is, but don't worry, you are not alone.

Two years ago, I spent a couple of months working at a summer camp. As I arrived at the beginning of the summer, the camp director informed us of where I would be living for the following two months. After hearing this, I gave the camp director a puzzled look and said "I'll be living in a what?" As it turns out, I was to be living in a yurt for the entirety of the summer. Up until that point, I was one of the approximately 96% of Canadians who have never heard of Yurts. After a little bit of enquiry, the camp director had explained to me the ins and outs of yurt life as well as their very interesting origins.

The Yurt is a type of dwelling that dates back to the time of Genghis Khan in the 13th century. Yurts have been used by generations of nomadic horse herders in Mongolia as portable homes that can be set up anywhere. At the most basic level, one might say a yurt is a glorified tent-but a yurt is really more than a tent. The Mongols live in them year round and tend to prefer them to other forms of housing. The design has been developed for generations to suit the needs of its inhabitants. It can be warm in arctic cold, yet cool in summer.

The original designs of these structures involved five basic elements: lattice walls, roof beams, a roof ring, a door, and a felt or hide covering. When put together, you get a simple round wooden latticework frame with a combination of felt and sheep skin covering the outside depending on the season. The roof was built of wooden beams connected to a ring in the center. In bad weather, yurt inhabitants would drape felt or hide over the roof beams to keep the elements out. Where the ends of the lattice walls met, a modern-style wooden door formed the entranceway. These structures provided the Mongolian herders with all of the comforts of home wherever they decided to settle; they provided their inhabitants with homes that were not only comfortable and convenient, but ones that were extremely climate-worthy.

Today's Yurts stick to the basic concepts of the Mongolian design, but make a few modern additions. Most Yurts are bought in pre-made kits that can be assembled in less than an afternoon. The kits contain all the basics; the round lattice wall, a lockable door and doorframe built into that wall, the wooden roof beams, the roof ring, and a canvas covering for the wall and roof. Modern additions include a dome skylight that can be opened from inside the yurt, Velcro or zippered windows in the canvas, and even electricity!

In the last several years, these modern Yurts have been popping up all over North America. The most famous ones can be found in Oregon's state parks. In 1994, park officials wanted to make their campgrounds more appealing to campers year-round. After seeing a yurt at a state fair, it was decided to build two of them, charge a small nightly rental fee, and see what happened. The response to these all-season getaways was unbelievable-within a year, the two Yurts had doubled to four, then there were 16 at eight different campgrounds, and are over 170 at parks across the state.

Outside of Oregon's state part system, many owners of recreational property are jumping on the yurt bandwagon and erecting them on their own land. People are choosing Yurts as a great alternative to tents, Yurts provide more permanent and spacious accommodations while maintaining the closeness to the outdoors that campers love. The advantages of Yurts over cabins are also just as appealing. Yurts take the spacious, secure, and comfortable feel of cabins and package that up with a much lower price tag and portability. Modern Yurts can be set up or taken down in an afternoon and will fit in the bed of a pickup truck for easy transportation.

For owner's of recreational property looking for a quick and easy way to generate some revenue yearround, erecting a couple of Yurts may be the perfect solution. Following the lead of the Oregon state parks, all that is needed for furnishings in these Yurts is a bunk bed, a futon, a coffee table, and a small heater. This creates instant accommodations for up to five people that can be rented for a nominal fee. There are also many people that turn to Yurts for more permanent accommodations; there are several stories of people that have lived comfortably in Yurts all over North America for a long as five years.

After living in a Yurt for two months, I can truly say that they do provide a very comfortable, convenient, and perhaps luxurious alternative to tents. Yurts really do go anywhere since they can easily be customized for any conditions. From the beach, to ski slopes, to the forest, one can live very comfortably and economically in a Yurt.

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