How does it work to roof tent with a dog? One who knows is Eva Gefvert who uses her roof tent as a base when she travels around the country for courses and hunting tests with her two four-legged friends. Here she shares her best tips for those who want to roof tent with a dog.
When Eva Gefvert opens the door to her and her husband Per's home in Helgesjövallen, out in the countryside east of Åre, the first thing I see are two black dogs curiously peering through the gate that separates the hallway from the living room. One is Yirga, a four-year-old curly coated retriever and the other is the one-year-old hunting labrador Guji.
Roof tents excellent for overnight stays during courses and hunting tests
Training them to be good retrievers is Eva's greatest interest and every year there are many miles by car to participate in training, courses and tests around the country. Often it is in small towns where accommodation options are few, and usually at least one overnight stay is required. The Åreskutan roof tent has become their obvious home during these trips.
– It is great fun and super easy to bring the dog in the roof tent, as long as you have prepared, says Eva Gefvert.
She shows into the living room where, after greeting the happy dogs, we sit down in front of the stove, each with a cup of exquisitely freshly brewed coffee from Eva and Per's award-winning Åre Coffee Roastery.
The size of the roof tent is important
Eva explains that before buying the roof tent, the most important question was how big they needed it to be to fit all four of them up in the roof tent. Having the dogs in a vestibule or inside the car was never an option.
– We are a pack and we sleep together! She says laughing while pointing to the rug under the dining furniture in the adjoining room.
– To be sure we chose the right size, we measured the area of the roof tent on that rug and lay down together with the dogs.
The choice fell on an Åreskutan three-person tent which has a 165 centimeter wide mattress.
The dogs go up into the roof tent via a ramp
Both dogs are large and Eva neither wants nor has the strength to lift them up and down from the roof tent.
Instead, Eva and Per tested the first night in the roof tent (which was spent at home on the farm) by getting the dogs up by laying out a mat on the hood and windshield, which they could then walk up and jump into the roof tent through the window.
It went well, but when the dogs were later alone out on the farm, Yirga jumped up on the hood.
– Then we realized we had to find another way and started looking for a ramp.
For it to work, a long ramp was needed, the choice fell on this one – PetSafe Extra Long – which can be up to 220 centimeters long. It is leaned against the roof of the car on the opposite side of the ladder, with a towel or something else soft as protection between the roof and the ramp.
Getting the dogs up via the ramp also turned out to be no problem. Yirga, who is the oldest and never backs down from anything, ran up immediately and little Guji, who is a bit more cautious, dared to follow. As a safety measure, Eva always stands by the ramp to be ready if something should happen.
See a video from the first time Eva and the dogs tested using the ramp:
Both two-legged and four-legged enjoy being up in the roof tent
Since the first night at the farm, there have been many more. The dogs love the roof tent and so do their owners.
The second night in the roof tent was at a dog course down in Hälsingland. This time Eva was alone, which was a bit nerve-wracking.
– It’s a bit tricky when you are small and short like me, but after doing it a few times you figure out the easiest way. The first time I brought a small stool to reach, but now I stand on the thresholds into the car and am thinking about buying a footstep that can hook into the car door latch instead. One thing I learned is to make sure to have well-trimmed nails, I probably broke three that time, she remembers and laughs.
Roof tenting with a dog – here are Eva's best tips
- Make sure the dogs don’t get cold, bring a blanket and towel.
- Consider how you will get the dogs up into the roof tent and what you need for that.
- Have a packing list you check off before trips, so you don’t forget to bring anything.
- Take a walk around the place where you set up camp, unfortunately people throw all sorts of things that you don’t want the dog to bring into the tent. If you have a carrying dog (retriever) like us, this becomes extra important.
- If you have a dog that tends to bark easily, it can be good to train it at home first to get it used to sounds outside the roof tent. Maybe you need to keep the windows open so they can see outside.
- Bring a harness and long leash and something to tie the dogs to, it’s not certain you can let them loose where you camp.
- Bring something the dog can lie on even outside the roof tent so they have a safe and secure place where you stand.
- Lights to be able to turn on in the tent are good so you can easily see when you take care of the dogs. Now that it gets dark, remember reflectors for both you and the dog and a headlamp for you and an LED collar for the dog.
