In November 2023, Jacob Nilzén and Matilda packed their lives into a Volkswagen Caddy, left Åre, and headed towards Europe. For the first time, they would try traveling with a roof tent. A journey that would offer memories for life but also challenges and lessons learned.

Jacob and Matilda Persson are avid outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy everything from climbing to skiing, hiking, and cycling. The goal of the European trip was to engage in all these interests in new places while discovering Europe.

In total, it was just over 60 nights in a roof tent (an Åreskutan three-person), combined with a winter season under roofs in Verbier.

Roof tent nights alternated with hotel nights

The first stage in the roof tent from Åre down to Verbier became an adventure in itself. "We passed through Copenhagen, Berlin, and Prague, then drove through the Dolomites in Italy, Garda and Lake Como, on to Aosta Valley before finally landing in Verbier," Jacob recounts.

He describes the time up in the mountains as wonderful, the days followed a similar schedule: a few hours of driving, hiking in epic mountain environments, eating, sleeping, repeat.

Living in a roof tent for the first time was initially tough, especially when the temperature dropped. "It was a constant battle against the cold and darkness. We used an app called Park4Night to find parking spots to sleep at."

Roof tent nights alternated with hotels or hostels when they were in cities. But finding those magical, nature-close spots they had envisioned before the trip turned out to be harder than they both thought, Jacob says. Instead, they mostly ended up at various types of parking lots.

Hard to wild camp

This is an important lesson Jacob and Matilda want to share with other roof tent travelers heading south in Europe. Finding magical wild camping spots like you can in Sweden and Norway is not easy; it is densely populated, camping bans often apply, and in many countries you are completely dependent on campsites.

A particularly memorable evening was in the Dolomites. "We drove around looking for a perfect parking spot because the landscape was absolutely magical," Jacob recalls. "But the height of the parking barriers was a problem – our car with the roof tent was too tall. Eventually, we found a beautiful spot at a ski resort. We had gone from 20 degrees during the day to minus eight in the evening. Shivering, we boiled rice and beans and after a warm meal it was a nice feeling to crawl into the winter sleeping bag with the dramatic mountains as a backdrop.

Invest in a good winter sleeping bag

Jacob advises that a good winter sleeping bag is a must. "The roof tent handled all kinds of temperatures and as long as you leave the windows slightly open you avoid condensation. But having a proper winter sleeping bag is crucial. We used our -15°C sleeping bags throughout the trip, even in summer in southern Europe."

Spring and new mountain ranges in sight

After winter in Verbier (not in a roof tent), at the end of April, the plan was to drive all the way to Portugal.

On the way, they took detours through Aosta and on to Alba in Italy, the areas where their favorite wines come from to treat themselves to a few days of good wine and fantastic food.

"We completely fell in love with the old town of Aosta and found a campsite with a view over the valley up by the ski lifts in Pila that was the most magical we had on the whole trip.

Car breakdown led to an abrupt end to roof tenting

Matilda and Jacob's roof tent trip unfortunately came to an abrupt end in San Sebastian, Spain, where the car broke down. "We rented a car and drove around Portugal for two weeks, then both time and money ran out."

Despite many things not going as planned, they are both very satisfied with the trip. "Roof tents have really given us freedom. They are easy to set up and durable – a perfect companion for road trips," Jacob concludes.