Sweden 2025

The initial plan was for my father to drive our black Defender “Dark Zebra” from Switzerland to Bodø, Norway, passing Sweden, while Rose and I would fly to Norway to save time. Travel preparations began in March, including the installation of new brake discs and the completion of CNC-machined kitchen furniture that had been in progress for nearly two years. The vehicle was last taken to Norway in 2022, equipped with a rooftop tent. Since then, modifications were made, such as adding a pop-up roof, an upgraded shower tent providing warm water from the engine at the press of a button, a Starlink antenna on the Rolling Space rooftop carrier, and a 250W solar panel, to name a few.

My father began his journey in mid-June after some test camping with us, and found that he appreciated driving a Defender and using its features. He traveled through Bregenz, Nüremberg, and Leipzig to reach Rostock. Upon arriving at the camp in Rostocker Heide, he observed that retired campers mostly occupied it and that there were no open coffee shops or signs of activity. He then moved to the port of Rostock, where he spent a night on the pier, experiencing windy weather and heavy rain showers. He liked the experience of staying in an industrial area with changing weather conditions and other travellers. The following morning, he took a ferry with the Dark Zebra to Trelleborg. His route led him to Rybäck, where he stayed one night at a beach campsite characterized by windy conditions. He shared numerous photos during this period, indicating an interest in the lifestyle. As of this writing, he's an energetic 78-year-old! The next day, he continued traveling through Sweden, mainly on overland routes, heading north.

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the weather conditions were extremely hot, and there was an issue with our other Defender, “Dirty Panda”: After almost 400,000 km, the ignition key switch was worn out and unable to start the vehicle. Replacing the switch required removing the cockpit or, in some cases, the entire dashboard. A replacement ignition lock was ordered from Paddockspares, but delivery was delayed until Monday rather than the originally promised Friday. As a result, attendance at a planned Land Rover event was not possible. Instead, the time was used to disassemble the dashboard with limited tools available, since the vehicle was immobilized in front of the house rather than at the workshop, where specialized equipment is stored. The existing key lock did not need to be cut, and only the electric part of the switch was replaced using a component from the Defender 90, which involved dismounting another dashboard. The Dirty Panda became operational again by 22:00, so Saturday was allocated to further vehicle repairs. Additional issues included malfunctioning window wipers, loss of power to the external pump for collecting water, and problems with the solar charger. The lithium battery was only charged up to 83.7%, resulting in reduced capacity.

On Sunday, we received unfortunate news: our vehicle, Dark Zebra, developed an unusual noise and ceased functioning near Östersund, Sweden. In response, we coordinated with multiple repair shops and arranged for a tow truck; however, none of the contacted repair facilities were able to assist until Monday next week. The mechanic located adjacent to the towing company inspected the engine and diagnosed a probable internal gasket failure, advising against on-site repairs and instead recommending transporting the car home or considering an engine replacement. As a contingency, we activated our alternative plan. Our flights to Bodø were cancelled, and we prepared the Dirty Panda for travel, departing late Thursday morning towards the north. Progress along the highway was steady until we encountered another issue: during uphill driving with the air conditioning engaged, the vehicle experienced power loss and overheating. By disabling the air conditioning and utilizing maximum heating, we mitigated further complications and continued our journey.

We stopped near Würzburg for coffee with our Bialetti machine, enjoying a quiet forest spot we noted for future camping. Due to issues with over-shared locations in certain apps becoming inaccessible or dirty, we now share these sites privately. Following 'leave no trace' principles, we always pick up three pieces of litter per site to support campsite sustainability. The heat forced us to use AC until our engine overheated near Kassel, where we paused for dinner with a scenic view before a storm prompted us back on the road toward Hamburg. We camped in a rest area near Hannover—practical but unremarkable—showered using our engine system, and slept briefly with a refreshing breeze.

The next morning, we had a quick chocolate milk and tea with cereals and broke camp before dawn to hopefully make it to the ferry in Travemünde. We were too late for reservations and later got stuck in traffic near Hamburg. We couldn’t reach the ferry in time. We decided on the ferry between Puttgarden and Kornsjø, a classic connection which was booming when the bridge over the Skagerrak wasn’t built yet. Unfortunately, we failed to book the bridge when buying our ferry ticket and learned a lesson later by being charged an additional 72 EUR for the bridge. Traveling without a plan offers freedom to stop anywhere, to camp and rest where we like it and to drive as long as we can and feel good about it. It can also lead to “missing” a potential ferry or paying more for a crossing. We are willing to pay the price and keep our freedom to decide last minute. No watch needed, no target to chase. Just the road, us, a good feeling, and stopping and resting where we like.

A little tired, we reached Sweden and decided to camp in Rybäck as well, as the campsite was tested by my father a few days ago, and the views were great. The sanitation facilities were like everywhere in Sweden, “unisex” or in other words, really dirty. The concept of having shared gender toilets simply doesn’t work in Sweden. After a warm shower in heavy wind, we cooked hand-made mashed potatoes from fresh potatoes and Filet Mignon from the grill and ate in a shelter from the wind behind our car to the lovely sunset in orange and golden colours, until the blue hour took over. The pier seemed to be famous for sports, as several athletes were exercising there, and later, swimmers walked the pier to swim with or without clothes in the cold seawater. We watched our favourite series in the car and soon went to bed. The next morning, the wind built up fast again. We enjoyed our breakfast in the sunshine and packed up the gear to hit the highway north west. The day target was Stockholm to meet my father. The Swedish highways can get rather boring over time, and we stopped for a break after lunch to take a power nap and later a short walk around a lovely lake, just hidden behind trees.

Without further delay, we arrived at the Rygerfjord boat hotel. Several ships are converted into hotels. My father treated us to the captain's suite with a stunning view of all of Stockholm. We were speechless and enjoyed the view, the weather, and the bustling atmosphere of the nearby city centre. After drinks and Apéro food, we walked along the pier to the main square and visited an Italian restaurant with great Pizza, Pasta, and drinks. Despite the late hour, the sun was still up. We trolled around the square, admired the scenery, and took the way back via the top of the train station. The sun was slowly setting, and the blue light appeared in the sky. We enjoyed the view from our captain's suite and soon fell asleep, dead tired.

The weather the next morning was grey, wet, and rainy. After breakfast on the main ship, with the interesting behaviour of other guests, we said our goodbyes. My father would take the train back to Göteborg, Malmö, Kopenhagen, and later via other trains to Hamburg and home via Munich, as tickets not crossing Basel from Hamburg are cheaper. After filling up with Diesel in Stockholm, we followed the road direction Sundsvall and soon turned left into the forests of Sweden without hitting Sundsvall. It was Saturday, and we could not get the keys to the Dark Zebra until Monday.

The rain was hard, and the weather was cold and frosty. After several hours, we decided to stop 2 hours south of Östersund at a lovely lake. We spent the time taking a hot shower, playing games, and making a fire to scare the mosquitoes off. We grilled a delicious piece of beef on the fire and had White wine Risotto paired with an exquisite bottle of French wine. Before going to sleep, we take a short walk to the official campsite on the lake shores, get wet shoes, and soon return in deep fog and rainy weather to the car. Good thing, we have a proper heating system keeping us warm and a spare set of shoes with us.

The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we drove to where the Dark Zebra was parked. Since we couldn't get the keys until Monday, we spent the rainy, cold day shopping and found a beautiful lakeside campsite near the Frösö airstrip. Despite rough weather, we enjoyed Swiss Fondue in the car and watched a movie. The following morning was still grey but dry; at 8:00 a.m., we met our mechanic, Ocean, and arranged to ship the Dark Zebra to Switzerland. We moved our essentials to the DirtyPanda, swapped some parts, and replaced the spare wheel with one from the DarkZebra, to have all 5 wheels in 285 size. We decided to leave the winch recovery gear back, but transfer the Packrafts, Starlink, most of the food, and the clothes. After 4 hours of packing, we were convinced we had everything. During our journey, we encountered several logistical challenges. Notably, we forgot both the fin for the Packraft and the USB-C plug for the Starlink, resulting in the need to rely on the energy-intensive 220V socket with the Ecoflow. This limitation reduced our available Starlink usage time to six hours per charge, and recharging the Ecoflow quickly depleted the auxiliary battery, despite favourable sunlight conditions while driving.

With Tromsø as our ultimate destination, we began driving north at our own pace, enjoying the flexibility of traveling without a strict itinerary or fixed deadlines. Not having driven for many hours, we felt tired and decided to take it slowly from now on. The camp spot we intended to stay at was blocked by a wooden truck. We diverted to another dirt track and found, behind bushes, a stunning camp spot directly on the lake, which meant tons of mosquitoes, but offered a great view and was definitely a 4x4-only camp spot, as I would not have parked there if we hadn't had a winch on the car. After settling down and building our camp, I unpacked my drone for a first shot. Soon after take-off, the drone said “landing”. Despite my best attempts to keep the little electric bird up, it wanted to land and splashed right in front of my eyes into the water. My jump into the lake didn’t help – the drone drowned, and the ECU board was damaged. We learned not to bother about loss, breakdowns, or mishaps, and luckily, Rose had her own drone with her as well.

We healed our loss with a beer and an Apéro and had a lovely dinner with a very smoky fire from our wire four stand pit. The mosquitoes kept hunting us, and we kept using all available chemical and physical defence, before going to sleep with an awesome sunset followed by an immediate sunrise on the bright orange and red sky. We were not far from the Arctic Circle anymore.

We did not want to have breakfast in mosquito town and therefore drove out of the bushes to our original camp spot, which had been blocked the night before. I had my telephone conferences at the lakeshore, whilst Rose prepared breakfast. It was a joy sitting at the lake, whilst the weather in Switzerland was grey, cold, and steamy. After 12.00, we had our camp packed and steamed north along lovely bridges, following the “Inlandsbahnen” train track.

We stopped in Avaviken right at the shores of Lake Storavan in a stunning camp spot. We took the time to play with the gimbal and record videos, smoking a pipe, cooking mashed potatoes, and salmon from the grill. I tried many attempts to connect the Starlink via USB-C, but all efforts failed. As there were no neighbours, we could shower without a shower tent right next to the car and enjoy a marvellous evening. We were in pure joy and found our inner peace at this lovely spot. We were free!

The next morning, we packed up camp and prepared to leave the area. We continued driving along the road toward Jokkmokk and then up to Gällivare, where traffic increased. We attempted to visit the mines of Gällivare, but direct access by car was restricted. Instead, we found a parking area near the perimeter fence and used a drone to observe the size of the mining operations. Although somewhat fatigued, we decided to continue: while earlier most traffic consisted of tourists, at this point the route was primarily used by commercial vehicles transporting goods.

When we finally reached Kiruna, we headed to a gasoline station, filling up the Diesel tank and getting water. In the local shop, we bought a salmon, enough beef, and ingredients for pizza. We even bought a bag of wood to make a proper fire, and drove on into the wilderness direction Abisko. The region started to be more touristic, and finding a camp spot for wild camping was nearly impossible. Abisko seems to be the paradise for backpackers and white vampires. We ended after several attempts up right next to the train tracks of the Erzbahnen leading from Kiruna to Narvik, transporting the iron ore to the freight ships. The spot was heavily infested by mosquitoes, and we had to fight our ground with all the methods available to us. The best defense proved to be a smoking fire and not the repellent they sold us back in town. The midnight sun was up and we were surrounded by white peaks and stunning views over the Torneträsk (the lake) and the wild nature. After taking a hot shower and cooking dinner, we didn’t sit long outside. It started to be chilly, and we were dead tired from another long day of driving. We agreed to go more slowly onwards and fall asleep fast and deep, until the Iron Ore Train rushed by and later the night train from Narvik to Stockholm. It's not the best but not the worst night.

Get ready for our next exciting destination: Norway! But first, dive into our full adventure in Sweden by clicking the video below!