One of the advantages often highlighted with roof tents is the freedom and flexibility – that you don't have to plan the route so carefully. Tina Persson and her daughter Emmy took this to the extreme when they set out on a week-long roof tent adventure in Summer Sweden – letting the dice decide where they would go.
This trip was made during the summer of 2022.
Emmy, 9 years old, rolls a die. The number shown becomes the page in the map book where their next destination is found. Tina opens the spread and spins the map book around and around. Emmy closes her eyes and puts down her finger. Right on…Gryts Archipelago, just south of Valdemarsvik. Chance is what decides where Tina and Emmy will set up the roof tent for the night during their Close-eyes-point-go adventure.
A couple of days earlier, the two roof tent novices had left the row house in Karlstad. A stop for swimming at the limestone quarry and a midsummer celebration with friends in Kungsör served as a warm-up.
Tina describes herself as a "not very handy" mom and Emmy as a patient daughter who is quite used to various mishaps.
– Our previous camping experience has been motorhome, with varying success, and tents on the ground that have been cold, bare, too warm... we are more hotel-inclined, so to speak, says Tina.
So now they are facing a week in a roof tent and know no more about the upcoming trip than that they want to work their way down towards Malmö and back, because Emmy really wants to check out the recording of the TV show Sommarlov. Brave!
After a week on the road, we call Tina to hear how it went.
• Tell us about your trip! What did you do besides driving and roof tenting?
We swam! Uskavi Limestone Quarry, the Baltic Sea, Lake Mälaren, Ullvettern… and we also took the opportunity to visit friends' wonderful midsummer celebration outside Kungsör. The mentioned Sommarlov recording and city strolling in Malmö... And we ended up in Båstad after a small air pressure incident – and that was lucky, because we found super tasty churros there.
• Your trip really took you to completely unexpected places, which is your favorite spot?
– But Skåne is fantastic! It feels so exotic with the white beaches and the mild sea. And the parking in Åsa or if it was Bua on the west coast. Sunset and we could sit in the roof tent and enjoy the golden hour. It looked and felt like we were parked on the beach, even though we were next to other campers.
• It was the first time in a roof tent for both of you. What did 9-year-old Emmy think of the experience?
– She thought it was fun, but that it was a bit too long we were away. It’s tough not having facilities like a toilet and shower after more than three or four days. After five days in the roof tent, there was therefore a night at a hotel in Malmö, and that was nice.
• Since you weren’t very planned, I guess some unexpected things happened during the trip?
– Yes, you can say that! The free-roaming pony when we parked at a local heritage farm in Valdemarsvik (check out Tina’s insta stories!). Suddenly it was outside the paddock below our roof tent. It was very funny when I tried to move it, it refused to move, stood calmly and ate grass. Then his horse friends came to the paddock, and suddenly the horse crawled between the fences and back to the friends. The next morning it was below the roof tent again!
• How was it to find places to park?
– It took some time. Since I, for obvious reasons, had to drive all the time, I couldn’t keep track of the map. So we searched quite a bit. Many places in southern Sweden are stingy with places to park. There are many bans on motorhomes unfortunately and parking at campgrounds takes away the feeling, I think.
• What was the best thing about your roof tent trip?
– The freedom! And the possibility to easily drive into a city and do something, then find a beautiful spot, cook, swim... and sleep comfortably in the roof tent.
• What was the worst?
– Looking for shower facilities.
• Anything you missed bringing in the packing?
– Emmy is incredibly organized and had arranged all the packing. We had a system with bags and pouches in categories in the car. That helped a lot. But our charger was a bit bad so we needed a power bank. Then it’s always nice to have camping chairs and tables and such... but that’s more luxury than a must.
• Best thing to bring in the packing?
– Snacks, a really good playlist and a flashlight.
Do you have any tips for others considering doing the same trip?
– Just do it! It’s wonderful.
– We fell in love with roof tenting to the extent that we now have our own. This summer we have been out almost twenty nights in total. Emmy thinks it’s cozy to have it like a fort on the roof and even wants to use the tent as an extra room at home!
