Tent Brand of the Year

You might not expect a company that has existed for under 15 years to be voted the nation’s favourite tent brand.  

But despite being a relative newcomer, Olpro has built up a strong and loyal customer base. So, when we asked our readers and online followers to vote for their favourite tent brand, it should have come as no surprise that the Warwickshire-based company came out ahead of more established names.

What makes it all the more impressive is that Olpro has chosen to go down a different route to most companies – for many years the brand’s tents and camping equipment were only available from its website rather than traditional retailers and it developed a strong online community through social media. 

Olpro was established by husband and wife, Daniel and Lisa Walton, in 2011. Their aim was ambitious – to revolutionise the outdoor gear market, combining quality and sustainability.

Managing Director, Daniel, had lots of experience of the outdoor industry – for 12 years he was a director at four different outdoor brands – but perhaps even more importantly he loved the great outdoors and spent many hours climbing and enjoying the countryside.

So, he knew what made a good product, and put that knowledge into practice when he set up the brand. He was fed up with “mundane, outdated” camping equipment that “drained the joy” from trips and wanted to create a range of vibrant designs – with a focus on innovative products at reasonable prices.

According to the company website, Olpro has a simple mission: to make gear that's both functional and eye-catching. In the early days its product range focused mostly on family camping but these days it has expanded to cover pretty much every type of camping, from solo mountain adventures to campervans and caravans. 

Current best-sellers include the tents and gear created in collaboration with adventurer Ed Stafford, the Deluxe Camp Kitchen unit, the Cocoon Breeze campervan awning and a waterproof caravan cover. 

Sustainability remains an important part of the Olpro story and in 2023 it became a certified B Corporation, which requires a business to meet a range of stringent environmental targets.

Olpro also has a pre-loved section on its website and has developed a new tent fabric called OLTech RePro, a 98% recycled polyester material made up of old plastic bottles to reduce waste.

The company has also teamed up with Sheffield-based ReTribe, to reuse any canvas bound for landfill. Tent canvas that can’t be used in the production process is donated and given fresh life by being reworked into new products, such as tote bags, bottle carriers and lunch bags.