[header] How to make a teepee [title] Get some canvas. [step] Traditionally, teepees were made from tanned buffalo or deer hides, which were water resistant and pliable. Since buffalo skin is relatively difficult to acquire nowadays, most modern teepees are made using canvas. 
Smaller teepees are difficult to manage fires in, so if you're going to build one, you might as well build one of significant size. [substeps] For a comfortably-sized teepee, you'll want a piece of canvas roughly 15 x 30 feet.