Welcome to TANWA 探屲 — an outdoor brand born from real adventures!
Tanwa Outdoor is a UK-based team of hikers, campers, and scramblers who’ve spent years exploring wild places across Britain and beyond. Our story began in 2023 from a simple message: “Anyone up for Snowdonia?” That one trip brought together our three co-founders — Morton, Fei, and Irene — and we’ve been chasing mountains, ridgelines, and campfires together ever since.
Along the way, we realised something powerful: outdoor adventure changes people. The stress fades with every step uphill, and under a sky full of stars, you feel lighter — in body and mind. That’s why Tanwa is more than a store. We organise outdoor events and test trips to bring like-minded explorers together, share skills, and experience nature as a community.
We also curate and sell high-quality, ultralight outdoor gear from top-tier Chinese brands — selected for durability, performance, and reliability in UK conditions. Our name, 探屲 (Tanwa), means to explore the space among mountains — a reminder that the best journeys aren’t just about the summit, but everything you discover along the way.
Who are we？
Here are the co-founders of Tanwa Outdoor — adventurers, testers, and the team behind every journey.
Guanpeng Lyu (Morton) - Director of Operations
Morton moved to the UK in 2011 from Qingdao, a coastal city in China. He studied at the University of Cambridge and later began his career in London as a project analyst. In 2023, he started getting seriously involved in outdoor adventures and has since completed a wide range of hiking and trekking routes in the UK and abroad, including the West Highland Way, Tour du Mont Blanc, and Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail.
Today, Morton leads Tanwa Outdoor’s product strategy and outdoor operations. He oversees product selection, field testing, and performance evaluation, while managing the full e-commerce journey — from product listings and merchandising to customer experience. He also plans and runs Tanwa’s outdoor events, focusing on route design, safety preparation, and building partnerships within the UK outdoor community.
Fei Jin (Fei) - Buyer & Director of Supply Chain
Fei has lived abroad for over a decade, including seven years in the United States and four years in the United Kingdom. A passionate outdoor enthusiast, she spends her time exploring the world through activities such as campervan travel, sailing, and long-distance backpacking. She has already completed roughly half of the world’s ten most iconic long-distance trekking routes, along with many other classic trails across different continents. As one of the co-founders of Tanwa Outdoor in London, Fei brings both global perspective and deep outdoor experience to the company.
At Tanwa Outdoor, Fei leads supply chain management and manufacturer partnerships. She works closely with leading outdoor gear producers in China, overseeing product development coordination, quality control, and production timelines. Her role includes sourcing advanced materials such as Dyneema® Composite Fabric (DCF), IXPP, and other high-performance technical fabrics, negotiating manufacturing partnerships, and managing logistics from factory to warehouse. Through her work, Fei ensures that Tanwa delivers reliable, innovative, and lightweight outdoor gear that meets the demands of real adventures.
Shu Tu (Irene) - Director of Brand & Media Communications
Irene moved from Guangzhou, China to Edinburgh to pursue her studies, and later relocated to London in 2022. While living in Edinburgh, she spent her time day hiking, developing a deep connection with the outdoors. In 2023, she began her first trekking journey and has continued exploring ever since. She holds a strong respect for nature and feels deeply connected to it - loving it not only as a place to explore, but as something to protect and cherish.
Irene leads Tanwa Outdoor’s branding, digital presence, and community engagement. She manages social media strategy across RedNote (小红书), Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms, shaping Tanwa’s visual identity and storytelling. Irene produces photo/video content, coordinates influencer partnerships, and ensures consistent brand messaging across campaigns. She also oversees community building, customer communication, and event marketing, helping Tanwa grow an authentic and engaged outdoor audience.