Handcrafted in Zwaag, Noord-Holland: the Dutch family brand that invented the inflatable camping tent

“A Karsten tent has to last for years. That’s why we keep everything under one roof — design, production, and quality control.” — Marie José Karsten, co-owner

100% made in the Netherlands • Handcrafted in Zwaag, Noord-Holland • VISIT BRAND →

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Setting up a tent used to mean frustration with poles, instructions, and wet fingers. Karsten Tenten changed that when a Dutch sailmaker looked at an English work tent, saw air-filled tubes, and asked: what if the whole tent worked that way? The result — invented in Zwaag, Noord-Holland — is a tent you inflate in minutes, that stands firm in a Dutch storm, and lasts decades.

Brand Intro

Karsten Tenten was founded in 1974 by Gerard Karsten as a family dumpstore in Zwaag, Noord-Holland. Maarten — who started as a 15-year-old repairing holiday tents — invented the inflatable tent concept after repairing a British work tent with air tubes. Together with Marie José (daughter of the founder), he took over the company in 2001. Today, every tent is designed and handcrafted in their own atelier in Zwaag, using 100% TenCate cotton canvas. The brand also produces professional tents for fire services, the military, and the construction industry under the name Tentworld Unlimited.

Inspiring Story

On the evening of 8 March 2018, fire tore through the entire Karsten Tenten building on the Factorij in Zwaag — the atelier, the showroom, the workshop, decades of history. Nothing was left. “I see the ups and downs. My wife and my children grew up here. I see all of that in the rubble,” said Jan Willem Algra, the company’s director, the morning after.

The day before the fire, I (Jakob De Proft, the author of this blog) visited Karsten Tenten personally for a special project — not knowing it would be the last day the building stood.

What followed was remarkable. Within two months, Karsten reopened in a temporary location. Dozens of loyal customers lent their own Karsten tents to the brand — so the new showroom had something to show. A community that had camped under Karsten canvas for years literally handed it back, so the family could rebuild. Within a year, construction had begun on a brand-new premises on the exact same spot. Two years after the fire, the new building was complete.

Who is this for?

You camp as a family and you’ve lost patience with tent poles, confusing instructions, and cold, damp mornings. You want to arrive at the campsite and be relaxing with a coffee within 15 minutes. You invest in gear that lasts — not something you replace every three years. You camp in changing European weather and need a tent that doesn’t flinch in wind or rain. And you like knowing exactly where and how your equipment was made.

DISCLAIMER Sustainability score is subjective. InEurope.eu finds this crucial, but conducts no audits. Assessment based on publicly available information and brand feedback