After taking delivery of their Redline Trekker in May last year, the Butler family have taken every available opportunity to use their campervan. Sometimes using this along with their caravan, sometimes using this on its own. However, it wasn’t until March this year that they had the opportunity to put it to the ultimate test. Here, James Butler discusses how they took their Trekker to a beloved winter holiday destination…
“We love a winter holiday but don’t ever love the cost of the ferry when bringing along our caravan. For this reason, we opted to use our Redline Trekker in campervan mode for our recent ski trip. With the seats out, the kitchen in, our daughter’s bed installed, and our drawer unit strapped down, we were ready to head for the snow.
Whilst we love skiing and the snow, we never opt for the Alps like many others. Instead, we like to do things a little bit differently for our holidays. Our love for skiing and the snow is equally matched by our love for Scandinavia, so Sweden was our destination.
As the caravan didn’t come along this time, it not only cut costs, it also meant we could cover more ground in a day – well at least, that was the plan. If it wasn’t for a couple of traffic jams in Belgium and Germany, we would have reached our first destination sooner. However, whilst getting there took longer than anticipated, we were pleased to have reached Malmö from Folkestone inside a day. It was one very, very long day but we had made it to Sweden in under 24 hours.
We headed for a rest area we had used before, where pitching was just as easy as it had been previously. However, with the mercury dropping to -7°C, it was the first time we had slept in the pop top in minus temperatures. After the first night, we quickly learnt that the insulated cover would be a wise idea for the rest of the holiday!
The next day’s journey was a shorter run up to Kläppen, where we then spent a fun week skiing. With another week to explore, it was time to move on. Not shy of a challenge, we ventured further north. It was during the journey further north that we decided to stop overnight in a car park below a ski slope. Due to the snow having melted the slope wasn’t open but whilst the snow wasn’t in abundance, something else was – the Aurora Borealis, a.k.a. the Northern Lights. It’s been our dream to see them in Sweden. Seeing them in the UK feels like we cheated really!
The following day we went to Idre Fjäll ski resort. Much much bigger than Kläppen and one we have wanted to try in the past but hadn’t got around to it. It was fun but was too commercialised for us.
As our park-up spot was so peaceful the night before, we headed back there and secretly hoped to see the Northern Lights again. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
Heading east we drove along the very empty main roads and stumbled upon a fire watch tower. It had been renovated and was free to look around. It’s easy to see why that location was chosen as the views over the forests went on for miles, with Norway somewhere in the distance.
It’s great fun being able to wild camp in Sweden. The main rules for this being you mustn’t be in view of people’s house windows and you can’t go off-road. With these rules being adhered to, a couple more little village ski slope car parks for overnight stops were our chosen port of calls.
Beyond being able to wild camp, the other bonus for taking the Trekker to Sweden and not our car and caravan was the ease of parking. Whether it was swinging into a supermarket for food or stopping to see places of interest, it was much easier to park up. Only taking up one space unlike the caravan which takes up multiple.
This ease of parking was once again proved when a sign was spotted saying ‘IKEA museum’ and an impromptu visit was made. If we had the caravan, it would have been a little more difficult to visit the home of the first IKEA store, learn how the idea of the flat pack came about, and watch videos of colleagues discussing IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad’s work ethic and sense of humour.
Another fun place we were able to stop and park up and walk to was the lowest point in Sweden, 2 metres below sea level!
The Trekker enabled us to make our holiday to Sweden cheaper and allowed us to explore in a totally different way than we had previously with our caravan. Although space is limited in the van and everything had its place with ski and snowboard kit, we survived the cold nights, got into a well oiled routine and had a fun holiday. It has opened our eyes and given us ideas for future trips.”
Discover the Redline Trekker
Designed as an alternative to the traditional campervan, the Redline Trekker is our multi-purpose day van conversion. The Trekker takes a VW Transporter or Ford Transit Custom and transforms it into a vehicle for adventure and everyday activity. With features including a pop top roof tent, plus an innovative bed on rails, the Trekker gives you a solution for transporting all kinds of equipment, whilst also providing a comfortable place to sleep.
Learn more about the Redline Trekker
Looking to find out more?
Whether you’re looking to find out more about our Redline Trekker or you have a question about any of the other campervans in our range, our team are here to assist you. You can call them on 01327 703371, or email them at sales@redline-campers.com
