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