Copyright © 2011 Mongolian Yurts Direct
Yurts Direct
Who are Yurts Direct?
My name is Tim Scarlett. My wife is Mongolian. I’m the only non-Mongolian making yurts in
Mongolia For 6+ years now. I am personally involved with buying everything that goes into our
yurts. Be it wood, canvas, wool, nails or glue. My passion is yurts.
Where are your yurts made?
Yurts are made in our own workshop in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. They are sold in the UK through
our UK company Yurts Direct. You are buying direct from the manufacturer
How solid is the construction & painting of the wooden components of your yurts?
All of the wood we used is kiln dried and sourced from government approved suppliers. Yurts are
made using polyurethane waterproof glue. Prior to painting, knots are treated with knotting
solution. Then everything is painted with a high quality primer sealer followed by two coats of
exterior grade gloss paint. Everything is then finished off with a coat of tough polyurethane.
Windows in the doors are made from 2mm thick, virtually unbreakable polycarbonate that is UV
protected on both sides. Stainless steel and solid brass fitting where appropriate.
What materials do you use to cover your yurts?
Four material layers cover our yurts as standard.
1. Inner liner: brightens interior & acts as a "bedsheet" for your yurt. Can be washed or changed
2. Felt: We use a processed felt with a man made fiber content. Warm, safe & reliable.
3. Roof cover: Seam welded 560gsm PVC. 100% waterproof. Ultra-reliable long term
3. Wall Cover: 24oz heavy duty wall canvas allows yurt to "breath"
4. Outer cover: 12oz untreated white canvas is hardwearing & looks natural.
You'll also receive: Double skin crown cover with clear PVC windows sewn into it. Silicon flue collar
and backing plate so you can fit a stove into your yurt. 56 page instruction & care guide and 23
page guide to making a wooden base for one of our yurts.
Why do you have two crown supports in the centre of the yurt?
All yurts should have crown supports. Crown supports enable a yurt to stand firm in strong winds
and heavy rain & snow. Buy a yurt without crown supports and your yurt will move heavily in high
winds and could become unstable. Only Authentic Mongolian yurts come with crown supports.
Do you sell carved yurts?
Yes – Carved yurts are indicative of a company that produces high quality items and not simply
churns out a high volume of low quality yurts. A carved yurt is where designs are carved directly
into the wooden components of the yurt and not just where fancy machine milled shapes are stuck
onto the wood as found in Chinese copies.
Do you provide windows in your yurts
No. Windows work well in houses but not yurts. You loose a lot of heat through windows and they
are an inherent weak spot in the yurt in terms of waterproofness. They also create a lot of
condensation. You will also be surprised how many campsites complain of customers who have
gone out for the day and left the windows in their yurt open only to return and find the yurt sodden.
In the yurt world less is more.
Are you exploiting workers from a third world country in making your yurts?
No - All our Mongolian employees, and there are over 15 of them, are treated fairly & honestly.
Receiving well above the average salary as well as full health, social insurance and free meals. We
also employ mentally and physically handicapped people. This is a far cry from the horror stories
we hear from other yurt companies in Mongolia, and the exploitative companies in China.
Are all imported yurts from Asia the same?
No – here’s a few reasons why
Imported Mongolian yurts – unsuitable joinery, non-waterproof glue, low quality lead paint, no
primer sealer used, disease spreading felt, common wall plaster used in place of wood filler, wall
sections made from flimsy wood, wood comes from illegal logging, flimsy cotton cover for exterior of
yurt, poor quality finish due to being made for mass Mongolian market and not a European market.
These yurts will not last. Use them commercially and you will be replacing them quickly.
Imported Chinese yurts – For sales purposes often passed of as an Authentic Mongolian yurt,
but these yurts are Chinese through and through. From the door design to the decoration and
artwork used on the yurts, everything is Chinese. Very different from a Mongolian yurt. Do not
come with crown supports (or what they refer to as Dragon posts, an animal not present in
Mongolian mythology, only Chinese) making them not very stable. Mongolians in Inner Mongolia,
like Tibetans in Tibet, have been repressed for decades, now their cultural history is appropriated
for commercial reasons.
Like most things from China, a cheap copy that offers on the surface lots of features.
Imported yurts from Kazakhstan – Beautiful with simple painted woodwork and ornately
embroidered covers. However as with the Mongolian yurts there is very little in the way of
waterproofing other than the natural lanolin contained in the sheep’s felt and hence unsuitable for
extended wet periods. Great if you have a museum to put it in.
Don't just take our word for it
For an independent assessment of how our yurts match up to cheap imports, please click the
following link and review by Simply Yurts, the premier yurt event and hire company in the UK.
www.simplyyurts.co.uk/cheap yurts from Wales
My name is Tim Scarlett. My wife is Mongolian. I’m the only non-Mongolian making yurts in
Mongolia For 6+ years now. I am personally involved with buying everything that goes into our
yurts. Be it wood, canvas, wool, nails or glue. My passion is yurts.
Where are your yurts made?
Yurts are made in our own workshop in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. They are sold in the UK through
our UK company Yurts Direct. You are buying direct from the manufacturer
How solid is the construction & painting of the wooden components of your yurts?
All of the wood we used is kiln dried and sourced from government approved suppliers. Yurts are
made using polyurethane waterproof glue. Prior to painting, knots are treated with knotting
solution. Then everything is painted with a high quality primer sealer followed by two coats of
exterior grade gloss paint. Everything is then finished off with a coat of tough polyurethane.
Windows in the doors are made from 2mm thick, virtually unbreakable polycarbonate that is UV
protected on both sides. Stainless steel and solid brass fitting where appropriate.
What materials do you use to cover your yurts?
Four material layers cover our yurts as standard.
1. Inner liner: brightens interior & acts as a "bedsheet" for your yurt. Can be washed or changed
2. Felt: We use a processed felt with a man made fiber content. Warm, safe & reliable.
3. Roof cover: Seam welded 560gsm PVC. 100% waterproof. Ultra-reliable long term
3. Wall Cover: 24oz heavy duty wall canvas allows yurt to "breath"
4. Outer cover: 12oz untreated white canvas is hardwearing & looks natural.
You'll also receive: Double skin crown cover with clear PVC windows sewn into it. Silicon flue collar
and backing plate so you can fit a stove into your yurt. 56 page instruction & care guide and 23
page guide to making a wooden base for one of our yurts.
Why do you have two crown supports in the centre of the yurt?
All yurts should have crown supports. Crown supports enable a yurt to stand firm in strong winds
and heavy rain & snow. Buy a yurt without crown supports and your yurt will move heavily in high
winds and could become unstable. Only Authentic Mongolian yurts come with crown supports.
Do you sell carved yurts?
Yes – Carved yurts are indicative of a company that produces high quality items and not simply
churns out a high volume of low quality yurts. A carved yurt is where designs are carved directly
into the wooden components of the yurt and not just where fancy machine milled shapes are stuck
onto the wood as found in Chinese copies.
Do you provide windows in your yurts
No. Windows work well in houses but not yurts. You loose a lot of heat through windows and they
are an inherent weak spot in the yurt in terms of waterproofness. They also create a lot of
condensation. You will also be surprised how many campsites complain of customers who have
gone out for the day and left the windows in their yurt open only to return and find the yurt sodden.
In the yurt world less is more.
Are you exploiting workers from a third world country in making your yurts?
No - All our Mongolian employees, and there are over 15 of them, are treated fairly & honestly.
Receiving well above the average salary as well as full health, social insurance and free meals. We
also employ mentally and physically handicapped people. This is a far cry from the horror stories
we hear from other yurt companies in Mongolia, and the exploitative companies in China.
Are all imported yurts from Asia the same?
No – here’s a few reasons why
Imported Mongolian yurts – unsuitable joinery, non-waterproof glue, low quality lead paint, no
primer sealer used, disease spreading felt, common wall plaster used in place of wood filler, wall
sections made from flimsy wood, wood comes from illegal logging, flimsy cotton cover for exterior of
yurt, poor quality finish due to being made for mass Mongolian market and not a European market.
These yurts will not last. Use them commercially and you will be replacing them quickly.
Imported Chinese yurts – For sales purposes often passed of as an Authentic Mongolian yurt,
but these yurts are Chinese through and through. From the door design to the decoration and
artwork used on the yurts, everything is Chinese. Very different from a Mongolian yurt. Do not
come with crown supports (or what they refer to as Dragon posts, an animal not present in
Mongolian mythology, only Chinese) making them not very stable. Mongolians in Inner Mongolia,
like Tibetans in Tibet, have been repressed for decades, now their cultural history is appropriated
for commercial reasons.
Like most things from China, a cheap copy that offers on the surface lots of features.
Imported yurts from Kazakhstan – Beautiful with simple painted woodwork and ornately
embroidered covers. However as with the Mongolian yurts there is very little in the way of
waterproofing other than the natural lanolin contained in the sheep’s felt and hence unsuitable for
extended wet periods. Great if you have a museum to put it in.
Don't just take our word for it
For an independent assessment of how our yurts match up to cheap imports, please click the
following link and review by Simply Yurts, the premier yurt event and hire company in the UK.
www.simplyyurts.co.uk/cheap yurts from Wales
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