The 2000th Stratus is in Production!

Bengt Grahn, Sunne, Sweden

This year we are crafting the 2000^th Stratus 72. Two thousand! One of these giant tents can host 72 people seated at tables. Connect all two thousand (yes, it is possible to connect them into infinity) and you could invite the entire populations of Andorra and Cayman Islands for an unforgettable evening under canvas. And there would still be plenty of space for catering, bands and dancefloors!

Where it all began...
I started crafting giant tipi shaped tents in 1989 when I formed the company in Moskosel, Swedish Lapland. But it was in 1993 that I created what would become the Stratus 72. I was contracted to create an area for Sami vendors at a local market. The Sámi are the aboriginal people of northern Scandinavia and the tents I created were inspired by their traditional structures, called ‘kåta’ or ‘lavvu’ – Nordic tipis, so my tents fit well into the scenery. I designed a Nordic tipi on which the sides could be lifted up to form a brim. I reckoned that would make the tent suitable as a stand for the Sami vendors.

By this time I had moved the production from a basement in the old school of Moskosel to a nearby barn/garage which I turned into a factory. I remember thinking that my business could get big, perhaps six, or even seven employees… In our minds we were only creating tents, but without realising it, we had created what would become the centrepiece of a worldwide industry.

Image: Alpine Nature Experience

A well-traveled tipi
Today the Stratus 72 can be found on all continents except Antarctica (who will be the first to get one there? The Stratus is great for events in the snow!) and is involved in some of the most spectacular events. It’s been on the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, the even colder WRC Rally Sweden. The Stratus 72 is now a regular attendee of the iconic Glastonbury Festival. It hosts a world-class food festival (Gourmet Escape) in Western Australia and Äventyrsservice even hosted the Eurovision Song Contest Swedish selections in their Stratus 72s!

Image: Glastonbury Festival

Image: Äventyrsservice

Image: Zest Group WA

We sell Stratus 72s to businesses in Argentina, Dubai, Japan, Australia, USA, all over Europe, Mauritius and many more countries around the world. In the UK, our most developed market, we estimate that more than 500 people are employed by independent businesses built around the Stratus 72.

Image: Under The Sky Event Rentals

Image: Les Tipis De Mare Longue

Image: Matakata Tipis and Events

Connecting Stratus 72s
Connecting two or more Stratus 72s, creating potentially infinite spaces, opened up the market for the Stratus 72. It was first done in 1993 by a long-standing customer, Roger Rimpi. He runs Samelandsresor, an event company and Tentipi rental based in Jokkmokk, the heart of the Swedish part of Sápmi (Sápmi is the area traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people, located in the northern part of Scandinavia and Russia).

Roger, being a young and hungry entrepreneur, owned only one Stratus, but figured he could take on bigger events if he had two put together. The first connection was done with plastic tarps, but the techniques have developed, become standardised (take a look at our First Firecracker blog for more information) and are used by Tentipi customers all over the world.

Image: Love Tipis

Image: Tentipi AB

Image: Tipis4Hire

Handcrafted in our own factories
Every Stratus is crafted by hand at our own production facilities. We still make them at the original factory in Moskosel, and some of our seamstresses here have been with us almost as long as me! Their hands have created space for thousands of great events, weddings, concerts…

Image: Tentipi AB

As we now are celebrating the birth of Stratus number 2000, which is forecast to be ready for shipping later this year, we want to take the opportunity to celebrate this by sharing with you stories of where some of all these tents have ended up, the amazing events they have facilitated, some of them have even changed people’s lives!

With best regards and looking forward to crafting another 2000 Stratus 72s!

Bengt Grahn
Founder & CEO of Tentipi