Roof tents before they were cool: Harry’s TentBox GO story

One night in summer 2026, Harry was cycling through Norway in relentless weather that was doing its best to spoil an incredible landscape. The car parks and viewpoints he rode past were dotted with campervans, tents and roof tents. All he could think was, “I’d love to have a cosy tent to sleep in tonight…”

It was the push he needed. By the end of the summer, Harry had picked up a TentBox GO, the smallest and lightest roof tent in our range.

“They’re far lighter than they look!”

Ask Harry who he TentBoxes with and the answer is simple. “My bike!” With the GO on the roof, his bike travels inside the car, so a single drive gets him, his bike and his bed to wherever he wants to ride.

His one hesitation was whether a roof tent would suit his Peugeot 206. “I was worried slightly about the fitting and compatibility with my small and old car, but after chatting to a few lovely TentBox people, it really shouldn’t have been a concern at all,” he says. “They’re far lighter than they look!” If you’re wondering the same about your own car, our Vehicle Checker shows which TentBox models suit it, and our 3-step install guide walks you through getting set up.

“I really feel like I’m in a place”

Sleeping in a roof tent isn’t new to Harry. He spent pretty much every summer weekend growing up on the road with his family, touring the UK and occasionally crossing into Europe in their very old 1959 VW campervan, “with a rooftent (before they were cool!)”.

One trip stands out above the rest. “The strongest memory has to be our big trip to Scotland when I was 12,” he says. “We had grand plans to tour around a few different islands but ended up staying on an idyllic beach on the Isle of Mull for days.”

Some of those mornings still come back to him. “Might be a bit odd, but the sound of pulling the tent zip open first thing in the morning takes me back instantly. That first morning light and fresh air is one of the best bits about camping. I really feel like I’m in a place.”

As he got older, the family weekends away camping came to an end. “I stopped for a good few years as I got older. I spent most of that time wanting to get back into camping in a way that was easy, convenient and worked with my cycling…” The GO turned out to be exactly that.

“I can travel anywhere I want, whenever I want”

Harry is only a few weeks into owning his GO, and the calendar is already filling up. “It will open up the sort of trips I can go on now massively,” he says. “The short weekend adventures that weren’t really convenient or affordable before are now being booked in as much as possible!”

For Harry, the piece of kit he’d never leave behind is his TentBox Camping Chair. “A good camping chair is hard to beat!” he says.
It weighs just 1.1kg and packs down small enough to fit in a bike bag or the last gap in the car, which matters when his bike is taking up the back seats. 

So what would the 12-year-old on that beach on Mull make of it all? “I think 12-year-old Harry would be impressed that I have my own car and driving licence mostly, and that I can travel anywhere I want, whenever I want.”

Next stop: Slovenia

Top of Harry’s bucket list is a country he has only seen at speed. “I fell in love with the country when racing through it a few years ago and ever since then I’ve been dying to go back to explore it properly,” he says. He’s planning to head back in 2027, this time with the GO on the roof.

“Just do it”

For Harry, the best part of owning a TentBox comes down to one thing. “The freedom. Knowing that I can just chuck a bag in the car and drive somewhere beautiful at the drop of a hat.”

And his advice for anyone still on the fence? “Just do it. YOLO.”

Build a setup like Harry’s

Want to build a setup like Harry’s and get away at the drop of a hat? Start with the TentBox GO, then add a few extras for cosy nights and comfortable evenings at camp.

• TentBox GO – our smallest and lightest roof tent, and the one Harry chose for his small, older car.

• TentBox Go Mattress

• Camping Chair – Harry’s camp essential, light and compact enough to squeeze in alongside his bike.

• Camping Table – sized for two and set at the right height to pair with the Camping Chair, it folds down to 1.35kg so it can squeeze into the car alongside Harry’s bike. 

• Mini Tripod Light – Harry’s go-to for light around camp. Each one stands on the table or clips onto the tent or car, and packs small enough to live in the glovebox.