Leather tents & Tent walls
From www.leather-dictionary.com - The Leather Dictionary
Many cultures took advantage of the strong insulating effect of leather for the production of tent walls. Due to the air in the leather fibre structure, the insulation effect of leather is three times better than oak wood. The tent walls were smoked through the fireplaces in the tent, which has a preservative effect on the tent wall skins and these were probably the first steps towards tanning into leather.
Model of an Indian tent made of leather, seen in the DLM - German Leather Museum in Offenbach.
Additional information