My first trip with the squiq-Traveler Regular rear pull-out system to and around Iceland
by Thomas c Dehmel
Purchase
On our travels through expensive Iceland, we discovered camping with a rooftop tent as an affordable alternative and fell in love with it.
For our next trip, a tour through France, we borrowed one in Germany before deciding to buy our own. We had to return the borrowed tent to its owner at the so-called “Dachzeltfestival” (rooftop tent festival, DZF). That's how I discovered and fell in love with the festival itself, too, like scouting for grown-ups, with campfires, shared activities, and an open, friendly atmosphere.
You know how it goes: the kitchen gear gets packed into boxes, and you have a rough idea where everything is. Just a rough idea, though. So every time you cook, the search starts all over again, and your actual experience time shrinks in favor of tidying-up time.
Sure, there are resourceful people who build their own kitchen into the trunk. But most of those builds struck me as too improvised. And even if I'd wanted to build one myself, I'm no carpenter.
In 2025, at the DZF, by then with my own rooftop tent, I saw a matching rear pull-out kitchen system at the vendor row that convinced me right away:
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The kitchen consists of a basic pull-out tray and two individual campingboxes, built as a flexible, modular system
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Underneath the pull-out table, food is neatly arranged in adjustable, type-case-style compartments:
Sweet and savory snacks, neatly sorted. Bananas don't get mushy.
The tabletop can also be raised and used as a bar, which is really cool.
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The whole construction is strapped to four existing tie-down loops in the car using straps, no screws, drilling, or glue required, and can be mounted and removed in just a few steps
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The white-coated wood panels with rounded corners make the whole thing look sleek. Camping doesn't mean giving up on style.
So I measured my car to check whether it would fit, and ordered it from Jens right away.
The price wasn't cheap, but it was fair.
As Jens explained, this is one of the first units from a newly developed series, meaning the price also covers a share of the development costs. If these kitchens (that's what I call them), and I'm convinced they will, sell well going forward and can be produced in larger batches, I'd expect the costs to come down.
But someone has to be first!
I'm happy to support Jens, a young and convincing developer, for his great idea and solid execution!
So I drove to Leipzig to have him install the unit in my car and get advice on handling and care.
Preparation
Once home, worried about red wine stains, I coated all the edges twice, and the table's edges four times, with protective oil. They darken over time. I really like the contrast between the dark edge and the light surface. Including drying time, you should plan on about half a day for this.
The two campingboxes can be attached individually and hold cutlery, plates, coffee, and similar items. Handy touch: the cut-out rounded slots on top for a cup and a bowl each, always within easy reach!
The elastic straps on the sides for the dish towels are another sign of smart, practical thinking. They let the towels dry by themselves while you drive.
And off we went
By ferry from Hirtshals in Denmark, two relaxed days including a short stop at the Faroe Islands, to Seyðisfjörður on Iceland's east coast.
When booking, you have to state the vehicle height, including the rooftop tent!
Traveling makes you hungry: as soon as we arrived in the land of fire and ice, it was time to eat. With this kitchen, we can both cook at once without getting in each other's way. And we eat together at a properly set table:
We could also fit a cooler in the middle, but since Iceland is cool enough as it is, the extra storage space for the stove and cooking gear mattered more to us.
On the way to the highest campsite, we took a short coffee break and enjoyed the view across the treeless plain:
The vastness fascinates us again and again. The clouds and light keep changing constantly.
We come across sulfurous hot springs on the way to Akureyri.
We cross the island via the northern route until we reach the Snaefellsness peninsula, our favorite spot in Iceland.
Throughout the town, gable walls have been painted by local artists.
Arnastapi is a small fishing village at the foot of the Snaefellsjökul glacier.
The mountain Stapafell split the lava flow during the last eruption of the Snaefellsjökull volcano behind it, 1,750 years ago.
On the way up to below the glacier.
About 80 weddings take place every year in the small church at Buðir. The couples come from all over the world.
The Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik was modeled on basalt columns, which you can also see near Borgarnes.
My coffee breaks come pretty frequently, and with the new squiq-Traveler I can now make an espresso exactly how I like it, wherever I want.
Between Akranes and Reykjavik, for instance, we're really just parked on the roadside here!
When it rains, we don't extend the pull-out system, but that doesn't mean the kitchen goes cold
The weather changes often and fast, but there's sunshine too!
In the end, we arrived back at our starting point in Seyðsförður, where we waited for the ferry back to the mainland:
Before checking in for the ferry, there was just enough time for a quick espresso.
Farewell to Iceland, but not for long! We take the squiq with us everywhere now!
