Anna Heslop-Latif and her wife Jane didn't set out to become road trip veterans. Back in 2022, what they actually wanted was a camper van. What they had was a normal car, a normal budget, and a nagging feeling that neither of those things were going to add up to a camper van any time soon.

"We really wanted to buy a camper van but just didn't have the funds," Anna says. So they did what most of us do when the thing we want is out of reach – they started searching online for alternatives. That's when they found TentBox, a brand neither of them had heard of before. They pulled the trigger on a Lite, half-hoping, half-doubting it would actually deliver on the promise.

Four years, one very cold night in the Scottish Borders, and a 3,000-mile European road trip later, they haven't looked back.

From cautious first-timers to seasoned setup pros

Anna and Jane are the first to admit they didn't know what they were doing at the start. "We started out unsure of what gear we needed," Anna says – a familiar feeling for anyone who's ever unboxed a rooftop tent for the first time and wondered where to even begin. But four years is a long time to figure things out, and figure it out they did.

Their current setup is about as dialled-in as it gets: a TentBox Cargo, a KitchenBox, Ladder Steps, an Awning, and a thermal kit that's already proved its worth. When temperatures dropped to -6°C during a trip to the Scottish Borders, it was the thermal kit that made the difference between a miserable night and a good one.

The road trip that proved the concept

If the Scottish Borders trip tested the setup's limits, May 2026 tested its range. Anna and Jane took their fully-loaded car across seven countries on a 3,000-mile European road trip – the kind of trip that would normally mean months of planning, a small fortune in accommodation, and a lot of second-guessing about logistics.

Instead, they had a strategic packing system, a kitchen that travels with them, and a tent that goes up in minutes wherever they park for the night. "My favourite thing is how it turns our car into a camper and makes adventure so easy," Anna says. "The TentBox has given us so much freedom, and we are able to explore places within our budget, all over Europe."

A companion through every mile

No story about the road is complete without the dog. These days, it's Bailey, their 9-month-old cocker spaniel, who joins them on adventures – though Anna and Jane still fondly remember Merlin, their old dog who used to come along on the earliest trips.

Advice from four years in

Anna's advice to anyone considering a TentBox is refreshingly honest. "An easy piece of advice to anyone getting a TentBox is to say – do it! But I'd like to go more in depth than that. Really have a think about what TentBox will be right for you; we chose the Cargo because we love the quick set up and how easy it is to air out."

"It is the best thing we ever bought," she says. "Four years of adventure so far, and many more to come."

Ready to start your adventure? Find the right TentBox for you here.