Off the ground is where you want to be. Photo: Alex Haro//The Inertia
I have camped a lot in my life. Both for work and for fun, but for some reason, I’ve never really been someone who goes the extra mile for comfort. I’ve slept on sand under the stars for weeks on end in Hawaii, which is quite a bit worse than it sounds. I’ve slept in swampy muskeg while working on wildfires in Northern British Columbia, my throat and eyes burning from cutting down rotten, burning cedars. Slept under a rocky overhang in Indonesia for four nights, battling food poisoning and only cracking my eyes open to try and get some water in me. Slept in an old van up the coast of California, in the streets of Venice, battling for illegal spots with other homeless people, and up and down Baja California. I know discomfort, and I’m comfortable with it. But that doesn’t mean I like it. Which is where the Napier Sportz Truck Tent comes in.
For over three decades, Napier has been figuring out ways to make exploring more comfortable. Back in 1990, a guy named Roman Napieraj packed up his truck and headed out for a weekend getaway. He ended up sleeping in the box of his truck after getting tired of sleeping on the ground, and that’s when he had an idea: a tent that fits in the bed of a pickup truck to keep you protected from the elements and keep you off the ground.
He sketched out a few drawings, made a trip to the hardware store, and mocked something up. Now, 36 years later, Napier has evolved into one of the leading innovators in vehicle camping equipment. I have a Dodge Ram with a six-foot box, but Napier makes tents that fit most trucks and SUVs. After a summer of adventuring around in my truck, I’ve got a few thoughts about the Napier Sportz Truck Tent and, perhaps most importantly, the Napier Roam Air Mattress that is built to fit over the wheel wells in your truck’s box.
Check Price on Dick's Sporting Goods
Get comfortable anywhere your truck can take you. Photo: Napier
Notable Features of the Napier Sportz Tent
Price: $300
Weight: 24 lbs
Center Height: 66”- 70” (Depends on truck bed height)
Doors: One
Windows: Two side windows and one rear cab access window
Pros: Easy and fast to set up with no tools required. Incredibly versatile and roomy with 5′ 7″ of headroom, it lets you sleep anywhere your vehicle can go. Comfortable in spring, summer, and fall. The awning gives you extra room to stand outside of the tent while still having some cover.
Cons: Losing the use of the truck bed for storage while camping. The air mattress makes sleeping with a partner slightly difficult.
The Napier Sportz Truck Tent is perfect for one person and completely fine for two. Like any smaller tent, it’s generally better for a single sleeper, but easily manages a pair if you’re in a pinch. Setting it up is a breeze, since the frame of the tent is color-coded with the pockets the frame inserts into. The frame itself has held up well after about three months of taking it on and off the truck — I’ve yet to see the fiberglass rods cracking — and the 2000mm PU coating (a fabric that can hold a 2,000 mm, or two-meter, column of water on top of it for 24 hours before the drops leak through) ensures that you’ll stay dry if and when it rains.
The Napier Roam Air Mattress comes with a USB-chargeable air pump and inflates in just a few minutes. It is still an air mattress, so it can feel slightly chilly on colder nights, but it keeps its air and, due to the cutouts for the wheel wells, lets you sprawl out to the full width of the truck bed.
Whatever your vehicle, Napier likely has a tent that will fit. Image: Napier
Drawbacks
One issue I ran into while using the Napier Sportz tent was where to put all my other stuff when the tent was set up. Most of it is camping gear anyway, so it finds a place around the fire, but there’s always something else that stays in the truck: an extra cooler, a tote full of food, etc. Also, like all air mattresses, any movement from a partner is fairly noticeable, and it can feel slightly cold if the temperature drops at night.
Have tent, will travel. Photo: Napier
Final Thoughts
With the Sportz Truck Tent, Napier has come up with a truck shelter that’s just about perfect for a few days in the bush or on the beach. It keeps your camp small, keeps you off the ground, and keeps you protected from the elements. I’ve used it a lot this summer, and it has held up admirably. It’s quick to put up, quick to take down, packs up small, and makes sleeping outside even more pleasurable than it already is. With the addition of Napier’s Roam Air Mattress, you can sleep in the bed of your truck and be protected and comfortable while doing so.
Check Price on Dick's Sporting GoodsEditor’s Note: For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here. See more from Napier Outdoors on Instagram and at Napieroutdoors.com.
