{"id":844,"date":"2026-09-28T02:15:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T02:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.auto-tsl.com\/?p=844"},"modified":"2026-09-28T02:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T02:15:55","slug":"europes-camping-boom-has-gone-car-shaped-and-your-tesla-is-already-the-cheapest-way-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.auto-tsl.com\/?p=844","title":{"rendered":"Europe\u2019s Camping Boom Has Gone Car-Shaped \u2014 and Your Tesla Is Already the Cheapest Way In"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Clean<\/p>\n

Two small stories this autumn say something big about how Europeans camp now. In D\u00fcsseldorf, the continent\u2019s largest camping show closed its 65th edition with more than 259,000 visitors<\/strong> and a third of them total beginners. And in the Netherlands, a shop has built its entire business around letting you rent a rooftop tent before you commit to buying one<\/strong>. Meanwhile the cleverest new camper kit costs \u20ac22,000 and does not ship until 2027. There is a much cheaper way in \u2014 and it might already be parked outside your house.<\/p>\n

The Show: Bigger Than Last Year, and Full of Newcomers<\/h2>\n

Caravan Salon in D\u00fcsseldorf is the industry\u2019s annual reality check, and the 2026 edition delivered an optimistic one despite a nervous wider economy. The final numbers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Measure<\/th>\n2026 result<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Visitors<\/td>\n259,000+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Exhibitors<\/td>\n834 companies from 41 countries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Space<\/td>\n15 halls plus outdoor grounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First-timers<\/td>\nroughly one third<\/strong> of visitors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Buying intent<\/td>\naround 50%<\/strong> arrived with concrete purchase plans<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Organisers made a point of saying the crowd held up even with people being more careful about big purchases \u2014 and the industry association chair called the footfall in the halls \u201cgood\u201d with lots of serious conversations at the stands.<\/p>\n

The interesting part is how the floor was organised. Alongside the usual motorhomes, the official theme worlds included StarterWelt<\/strong> (for people brand new to this), self-conversion adventure<\/strong>, equipment and outdoors, and \u2014 tellingly \u2014 rooftop tents and off-road<\/strong> as its own dedicated area. This is no longer a niche corner. Sleeping on top of your own car is now a mainstream category with an entire hall section.<\/p>\n

The Rental Counter: Try It Before You Buy It<\/h2>\n

Here is the detail that says the most. In Kampen, in the Netherlands, Nelisa and Erik Boone built a business called Freelife Adventure from nothing but their own family holidays \u2014 and the core of it is a rental service for rooftop tents.<\/p>\n

The idea is obvious once you hear it. A rooftop tent is a \u20ac1,000\u2013\u20ac4,000 decision, and the question everyone asks is: will we actually use this?<\/em> Their answer is to rent one first, go away for a weekend or a couple of weeks, and find out. If you then buy, part of what you paid in rent comes off the tent.<\/p>\n

They stock three very different kinds, which is a neat summary of the whole market:<\/p>\n