Origami structures have been widely used in various engineering fields due to their desirable properties such as geometric transformability and high specific energy absorption. Based on the Kresling origami pattern, this study proposes a type of thin-walled origami tube the structural configuration of which is found by a mixed-integer linear programming model. Using finite element analysis, a reasonable configuration of a thin-walled tube with the Kresling pattern is firstly analyzed. Then, the influences of different material properties, the rotation angle of the upper and lower sections of the tube unit, and cross-sectional shapes on the energy absorption behavior of the thin-walled tubes under axial compression are evaluated. The results show that the symmetric thin-walled tube with the Kresling pattern is a reasonable choice for energy absorption purposes. Compared with thin-walled prismatic tubes, the thin-walled tube with the Kresling pattern substantially reduces the initial peak force and the average crushing force, without significantly reducing its energy absorption capacity; moreover, it enters the plastic energy dissipation stage ahead of time, giving it a superior energy absorption performance. Besides, the material properties, rotation angle, and cross-sectional shape have considerable influences on its energy absorption performance. The results provide a basis for the application of the Kresling origami pattern in the design of thin-walled energy-absorbingstructures.