Roof tents have no upper age limit. Tomas and Monica Lindhé are proof of that. Monica said no to motorhomes, and also to caravans. But when Tomas suggested a roof tent, she said yes. Two seasons later, the couple has slept on the car roof in the Dolomites, in 15-meter-per-second winds on Gotland, and at a roof tent gathering in Åre. "We have the freedom to go wherever we want, whenever we want," says Tomas.

Setting up their roof tent, a Svartberget Small, takes only a few minutes. Tomas unfolds it, Monica hands over window poles, sleeping bags, and brings out camping furniture. Then the pump comes out.

– The mattress in the tent is good. But we are old, so we need something more underneath, says Tomas, laughing.

The extra air mattress was the first thing they bought after their first night. That night they spent at home in the garden, as a test night.

– You have to get used to all the outdoor sounds. The birds, the wind, and the creaking trees, says Monica.

Roof tent instead of motorhome

Tomas has for several years tried to persuade Monica about a motorhome or caravan, without success. Last spring he suggested a roof tent instead.
– We discussed it before we bought it. A motorhome or caravan is a big investment. A roof tent is not nearly as big. And you don’t have to use it every night, you can indulge in hotels in between as well, says Monica.

Tomas also counts in hotel nights.
– A hotel costs 1,000 to 1,500 kronor per night. The tent wasn’t that expensive to buy. And now we have it.

Safer up on the roof

Tomas has never been particularly fond of camping on the ground, he says. For Monica, the advantage of a roof tent is more about safety.
– It feels much safer when you are up a bit, she says.

They also don’t think height is a problem with age. On the contrary.
– I find it harder to crawl into a tent on the ground than to climb up, says Monica.

Who said camping can’t be comfortable?

After buying the roof tent, they have supplemented with several other items that add a touch of luxury to camping life, like comfortable chairs and a good table.

In the car, there is a cooler box powered by three batteries. They last 36 hours, meaning two nights out without problems. And they have a Primus stove with two burners.

– We also plan for fine dining if we want. On Gotland, we bought Gotland meat and cooked it on the gas stove in the evening. So we have a good life, not just camping, says Tomas.

Fifteen meters per second on Gotland

In August and September, they were on Gotland. Three of the nights, the wind blew 12–15 meters per second.
– It’s okay when you’re lying in the tent. And it’s very quiet inside, so you don’t hear much of the wind, says Tomas.

Monica says it was during those nights they learned to trust the tent.
– We now know it’s safe, that it won’t blow away. With a regular tent, you can almost blow away in that wind.

Their best morning so far was also on Gotland.

– It had rained all day, but in the afternoon it stopped and the sun came out. We found a nice spot in the middle of nowhere on the east coast. In the evening, there was a full moon. The next morning we woke up to the bleating of sheep outside the roof tent. I felt warm in my heart that morning. Then we had breakfast at sunrise. It was a perfect morning, says Monica.

"I thought we would be the oldest"

Their first real free camping was the Roof Tenters’ meeting in Kall, Åre this summer. Monica was more hesitant than Tomas.

– I thought we would be the oldest and that everyone else would be around 30. But when we got there, we met several couples our age. That really surprised me.

The weather wasn’t the easiest: rain, wind, and cold.

– It was good for us to know that you can live in the tent even when it rains and blows, she says.

Halfway to Åre

As retirees, they can travel when the weather is nice.

– We don’t work anymore. So we can look at the weather and say: okay, now we’re going out for a night or two, says Monica.

They also see that the roof tent can change how they travel to their son in Åre, just over 700 kilometers from home.

– I don’t want to sit in the car for ten, eleven hours just to drive. Now we can stop halfway and see new places. Evening, night, and morning, and then on to Åre, says Tomas.

What do their friends think about their new lifestyle, I ask curiously.

– They say we’re crazy, says Monica

– But that’s true, we are crazy. I’ve been crazy my whole life, says Tomas.

"This is life too"

For Tomas, the tent means more than comfortable travel. He has had some tough years, and due to balance problems, he can no longer go downhill skiing in Åre, which has been a great sorrow.

During the meeting in Kall, he sat by the tent and looked towards Åreskutan and experienced the mountain from a new perspective.

– It was nice for me to sit there with the roof tent, look at Åreskutan and think: this is life too. I have gotten a new life with this, says Tomas.

He plans to continue roof tenting as long as his body allows.

– As long as I can climb up the ladder, I will use it. It’s freedom.

Text published: 2026-10-23