The adventurer and outdoor profile Linda Åkerberg has camped her way through all of Sweden and the wilderness of the USA. Last summer, she went on a family vacation in a rooftop tent and discovered that even regular campsites can have their charm.
Linda Åkerberg is a genuine camping and tent expert. After having a small one-person tent as home along the 428-mile long Pacific Crest Trail through the USA, the lightweight mindset is ingrained. And last summer she traveled from Smygehuk to Treriksröset on foot and by bike with a hammock as her main sleeping place.
Before the 2020 vacation, she was eager to try a completely different type of camping – rooftop tents.
– I thought it seemed like such a convenient way to vacation, where you don't have to plan much. Besides, it felt like a good way to get the kids to look forward to the road trip, says Linda Åkerberg.
>>>>>> Are you eager to try taking the tent on the car roof too? Here you can buy and rent rooftop tents from Taktältarna! <<<<<<
The whole family fit up in the rooftop tent
The children are bonus daughters Klara and Elvira 4 years old and Kajsa who is 8. Together with their father Tony, they packed into their Volvo and last summer set out on a rooftop tent trip through several of Sweden's provinces. The first stop was Linda's mother's house outside Karlstad and in her garden they also slept the first night in their new rooftop tent from Taktältarna.
– The kids thought it was super fun. I remember when we first told them we were going to sleep on the car roof, they thought it sounded so crazy and fun. The rooftop tent became like a fort for the kids where they had a great time, Linda says.
Slept both outdoors in nature and at campsites
The family did not have a directly planned route when they then headed south from Karlstad with the tent on the car roof. Where they would stop for the night was decided as they went along. Among other places, they slept one night at Kinnekulle, one night near a waterfall at Fjärås Bräcka, and one night at a campsite on the west coast.
– I have been quite skeptical about sleeping at campsites before. But when you are out with the kids, it is pure heaven! There are fun things for them to do and new playmates to get to know, says Linda Åkerberg.
Other nights they camped and stayed alone in nature with the rooftop tent. Linda thought that combination was very good.– On the one hand, we had cozy moments when we were just the family, like when we went to see the waterfall and grilled by the rooftop tent afterwards. On the other hand, the kids could play with others and have fun at the campsites.
Now that you have tried it, what do you think is the best thing about rooftop tents?
– It is precisely the possibility to be spontaneous about where to go and not have to think about booking hotels. You can sleep wherever you want and at the same time get a beautiful nature experience. Then I like that you can reach more places than you do with, for example, a motorhome.
Will there be more rooftop tent vacations in the future?
– Absolutely! Road trips with rooftop tents really feel like the best option for family vacations. Then I would also like to go away just with Tony sometime. Preferably to the Wilderness Road. I traveled half of it a while ago and it was incredibly beautiful and there were many nice spots where you could park with a rooftop tent, says Linda.
This is Linda Åkerberg:
Age: 34.
Lives: Stockholm.
Does: Full-time adventurer. Runs Wilderness Stories, a page (and Instagram account) for everyone curious and interested in nature and adventure. Has among other things climbed Kilimanjaro, hiked through the entire USA, traveled with sled dogs over the arctic tundra, and reached Mount Everest's base camp alone.
Best rooftop tent spot: At Kinnekulle we found a super nice spot where we, unlike all the motorhomes there, could drive up so that we got a fantastic view over a limestone quarry. Kinnekulle is part of the Platåberget geopark where there are many excursion destinations. We started with a visit to the Väner Museum in Lidköping before we went there to learn more about the nature and the area.
>>>>>> Are you eager to try taking the tent on the car roof too? Here you can buy and rent rooftop tents from Taktältarna! <<<<<<
