When you're going out looking for great campsites with your roof top tent, motorhome or van, there are a few things you need to take into account. Here you can find out what applies.
As both the roof tent, vanlife and mobile home trends grow stronger, more and more questions arise about where it is okay to (free) camp and what not. And there are several rules and regulations you need to comply with when you set out on the Swedish roads.
I hope you won't be too discouraged by reading about the restrictions and rules below. Sure, it can feel sad sometimes, but then remember that if many people break the rules, the risk of more bans only increases! If we all help each other to follow the rules and ALWAYS pick up after ourselves, hopefully in the future it will also be okay to find beautiful campsites along our Swedish roads!
And finding magical (free) camping spots to stand on is usually not that difficult. Here I list five tips on how you can do it .
Summary - this is what you should consider when camping with roof top tents, motorhomes and vans
Here is what I am writing about in this post. Click on the links to go directly to the section dealing with the topic.
- Follow the off-road driving laws - stay on the road or right next to it.
- Find out if there are local restrictions where you are.
- Leave the place you are camping in the same condition it was when you arrived, or even better - in better condition by also picking up previous visitors' trash.
- Respect prohibition signs and barriers on private roads.
- Rest areas along the roads are okay to stay for a day.
Rooftop tents (and other camping in motorized vehicles) are not covered by the public right
Thanks to the allemansrätten, everyone can move freely in Swedish nature. Allemansrätten gives you, for example, the right to pitch a tent in nature in most places. However, roof tents are not covered by the public right, which I was confirmed by the Environmental Protection Agency in spring 2021. This is what the official at the Environmental Protection Agency wrote to me in an email:
"A distinction is usually made whether the overnight stay takes place in or on some form of vehicle (passenger cars, mobile homes, tow truck with an attached caravan, etc.), or if the overnight stay takes place on a completely public law basis, i.e. by leaving your vehicle and spending the night in a tent, in a hammock or right up and down on the ground under the open sky, etc. This is because motorized vehicles tend to cause more damage in nature".
The Off-Road Driving Act – this is what it says
The Off-Road Driving Act means that all off-road driving of motor vehicles is prohibited. So, for example, you may not drive onto a forest path or onto a beach. The Off-Road Driving Act exists because motorized vehicles in nature lead to damage to both land and plants and they can also disturb animal life. Practically all natural land is terrain in the sense of the law. In addition to "forest and land", beaches, meadows, park land and lawns are also counted as terrain.
If you are going to park, it is okay to do so next to the road as long as you do not damage the land, disturb the landowner or get in the way.
Electric cars and electric mopeds then?
The off-road driving law applies regardless of how the engine is driven, so if you have an electric car, the same rules apply.
The public right – do not disturb, do not destroy
Even if your roof tenting or freecamping in a mobile home or van is not covered by the public right, you still need to keep it and its slogan Do not disturb - do not destroy in the back of your mind.
This means, for example, that you must always leave the place you have been in in the same condition as it was when you arrived. Pack a bag for rubbish and food scraps so that nothing is left in nature, but brought back home. This also applies to toilet paper. Do you have to poop and don't have a toilet nearby? Bring a shovel, dig a hole, do your thing, then fill it up again.
Also find out if it is okay to burn where you are, there are often local fire bans in place in the summer. Also remember never to fire directly on a rock or stones as they risk cracking.
Here is a film from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency explaining the right of access:
Overnight accommodation along public roads and in car parks
The rules for where you can spend the night if you have a roof top tent, mobile home and van differ from municipality to municipality. Some do not even have any rules, others prohibit camping along public roads and public places. To find out what applies to the place you are or are going to visit - go in and search for information on the relevant municipality's website or ask at the local tourist office.
Single road - respect barriers and signs
As a roof tenter and free camper, it is not uncommon to be met by a road barrier or private road sign when you are out looking for places to stand. It is of course sad, but just to be accepted. Along private roads, it is up to the landowner to decide whether motor traffic is to be permitted.
If nothing else is specified, it is otherwise just like along public roads okay to park your car next to the road, as long as the ground is not damaged, the parking is a traffic hazard or hinders the landowner in his business. If it is near the landowner's house, you need to ask the landowner's permission.
(Mostly) ok to stay at rest areas for 24 hours
Rest areas are mainly intended for temporary rest and not for camping. The basic rule is that on weekdays you may stay for a maximum of 24 hours at rest areas and signposted parking spaces along public roads. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays it is ok to stay until the next weekday.
There may be exceptions and if so you will find them on an additional board under the P sign at the rest area.
Parking lots at nature reserves and national parks
Car parks for nature reserves and national parks can often be nicely located and be tempting to stay overnight at. But whether it's okay or not varies. Spending the night in a roof top tent or mobile home is therefore perfectly fine in some cases, while it is not allowed at all in others. It all depends on how the regulations and parking regulations for an individual protected area are designed.
Information about the nature reserve can be found on the county boards' websites under the destination tab. For national parks, information is available at sverigesnationalparker.se under the safety and rules tab
