Sportz Tent

So this morning, I wanted to let you all know my thoughts on a product I had the chance to use this weekend. The Sportz Truck Tailgate Tent from Napier. Now before we begin, I need to let you know that I am not much of a camper. In fact, I borrowed almost everything that I took with me. A fun filled weekend in the woods of Minnesota was my goal. A group I belong to was hosting this weekend and there was about 75 at the lake.

First things first, everyone had to come by and check out this tent. If you are the type of truck owner that likes attention, then this tent will certainly serve that purpose. So I arrive on Saturday morning with enough snacks to spend a month out there if need be and start setting up camp.

First observation: If you are going to use the Sportz tent, make sure you are parked on even terrain or one that slightly elevates the tailgate upward. Once the tent is set up, you will not be able to move your vehicle so, pick a good spot. Next the set up. I was actually pretty impressed with the instructions. The only problem I encounter was at one point, it told me to insert the gray bar through the top. When I looked down, I had three gray bars all of different length. I guessed and grabbed one. I still don’t know if I grabbed the right one but the tent stayed up all night. It took me about 20 minutes to set up but if I was to go out again, I would say I could do that in half the time. Second Observation: The tent is taller than you might think. I’m 6.2 and could actually stand in the bed while being slightly crouched over. Once the tent is set up, you have a nice little area all right in the back of your vehicle. This part was really nice. I left a lot of my gear in the cab of the truck and everything was right there. The one thing that does take some getting used to is entry and exit. Let me put that another way, you really want to remember you are elevated if you wake up in the middle of the night and need to go back outside.

With an air mattress in the bed of the truck, I was quite comfortable. Overall, I found this to be a neat product. Tear down was especially easy as you don’t have as many stakes to contend with. For me personally, I liked that I was up of the ground. No concerns about rain or rocks that are right under my back. I also enjoyed the fact that I was sleeping within my truck bed. Having a solid structure around brought a sense of security that I would not get with a normal tent. Had any experience with a Sprotz tent? Let’s hear your thoughts.

Jeff V

RealTruck.Com History and Core Values

RealTruck Core Values

RealTruck.Com is pleased to announce our about us page has been updated.  It includes more information on the history of RealTruck.Com Car and Truck Accessories along with detailed information on our shopping benefits and ultimately why buy from RealTruck.  Read more about RealTruck.Com.

In additional, you can find more information about the RealTruck Core Values which include: 1.  Deliver More.  2.  Transparency Rocks!  3.  Improve. 4. Take Risks. 5. Be Fun & Productive. 6.  Unity with Individuality.   View the Complete RealTruck Core Values.

RealTruck.Com CTO Travels The Yellow Brick Road

Justin on the Yamaha V Star

RealTruck.Com’s CTO (Chief Technical Officer) or “Chief Geek”, Justin Deltener ocassionaly takes a break from the internet highway to travel the yellow brick road.  Well, alright we don’t have any yellow brick roads around here but you get the idea.  Justin’s V Star Classic gives him some freedom and peace as he’s traveling around North Dakota.  Hitting the open road in North Dakota is always a great way to spend an afternoon or even a few days.  If you see Justin riding around on his motorcycle, he prefers you give him the Star Trek sign rather than wave.  Keep having fun Justin!!  PS… i wonder if Justin has a star trek uniform at home?

A Visit to Google Campus

Jeff Vanlaningham visits Google

The weekend of May 30th was eventful for a number of reasons for Jeff Vanlaningham, RealTruck.Com’s Vice President.  One of those was a visit to Google in Mountain View, California.  As Jeff said “its like a college campus and its own world.  They even have a slide that goes right by the main conference room window to keep things exciting”.  We asked Jeff if it took a trip down the google slide and Jeff smiled and said “no comment”.

LED Premium Interior Lights…Do I need those?

I wanted to take a moment to discuss a product we carry here at RealTruck.com.  Putco PURE LED Interior Lights.  Being the Vice President of a Truck Accessory company, I am often asked if I would like to try a new product for my truck.  Now I love to accessorise my truck and am always on the look out for the next “cool” thing.  But I tend to focus on the outside of my truck.   Grille Guards, Nerf Bars,  Tonneau Covers.  As for lights, I certainly have tried my fair share of Tailgate bars, Third brake lights and even a front light bar that kind of looks like the front of the Knight Rider car, but interior lights have never been high on my list because I didnt really see the value in them.  Wow, was I wrong.  I recently was asked by a friend to try these out and I would like to share my thoughts on this product.

Install Time:  2 minutes and that includes the 30 seconds I was channel surfing on the radio station.  Install is literally a breeze and trust me when I tell you that if I can do it, anyone can do this.

Actual Interior Lighting:  I could not believe the difference these LED lights made in the cab of my pickup.  Excuse the cliche, but it is a “night and day” difference between these and my factory lights.  These dont just add a bit more light, they give you maximum visibility and illuminate every inch of your interior.

However, the best part for me (being more concerned with the outside of the vehicle like I told you before) is when you come out to parking lot and unlock your vehicle with a remote.  Never again will you waste any time trying to find your vehicle in a crowded parking lot.  As soon as you hit the remote and your vehicles dome lights kick on, you will know exactlywhere you are parked.  The cool moon-like glow that now engulfs my truck and the parking spot make it impossible to miss.  I have had these in for a month now and have received no less than 12 positive comments, which by truck accessory standards would make that a record.  Oh and by the way, they will last for about 100 years after you have decided to get a new vehicle.  This is not meant to be a sales pitch, just a observation from someone who works with and around a lot of Truck Accessories.  The LED premium Interior Lights are a great buy.