Napier Sportz SUV Tent is Perfect for Road Trips

Not everyone who road trips to get to climbing, mountain biking or hiking can retreat from bugs and rain to a Mercedes Sprinter van, and fancy vans, mostly, are restricted to good roads. Most climbers still travel, especially in the backcountry, in minivans or SUVs.

Separate cooking shelters offer protection from bugs and rain, but if you sleep in your vehicle and maybe even cook with the tailgate open, the option of joining your shelter to your vehicle is pretty appealing. Napier’s Sportz SUV offers an exception to these rules.

On a solo visit to some crags accessible only by 4wd, I was able to put it up myself with some struggles the first time, partly because, at 7.25 feet, the tent is high. Two people would find this an easier job, but everything popped into place. Once up, the tent is high, roomy, and strong, with shock-corded aluminium side poles and a few shorter fibreglass poles for the roof. Fitting the sleeve around the back end of the vehicle turned out to be easier than I expected, as it’s easily held in place by an elastic sleeve, secured with strap hooks and guy-lines to the wheels and the roof rack or hood.

Inside, the 9 by 9 foot shelter provides lots of room to either sleep or hang out, plenty for a few camp chairs and a small folding table. You could also sleep in it, but I used it mostly as a shelter.

My worry that there wouldn’t be enough room for the open tailgate of my Jeep Wrangler with the spare tire turned out to be misplaced; there was plenty. The sleeve kept out light rain and even, mostly, black flies. Heavier precipitation, however, led to some leaking on uncoated panels on the sleeve, and, more problematically, the seam between the tent walls and the polyethylene floor. Water didn’t pool in sleeve, partly because my hatchback window supported it.

The tent weighs 37 lbs, it doesn’t pack up small and it’s a substantial piece of kit, but it performs the task of adding shelter space to the back of your vehicle well. Materials are not super lightweight but may put up with more abuse than some lightweight ones. The tent can accommodate up to five to six people for sleeping, the doors and three mesh windows allow for good ventilation.

It’s good that the tent is detachable from the car, but if you intend to move your vehicle and leave the tent in place, you’ll find that backing up into the same position is a challenge, to say the least. I solved this problem by emptying the tent, pulling the pegs up and shifting the tent back to the car.

Not everyone who road-trips to get to climbing, mountain biking or hiking can retreat from bugs and rain to a Mercedes Sprinter van, and fancy vans, mostly, are restricted to good roads. If you’re exploring backcountry accessed by bad roads, you’ll be using a 4wd vehicle, minivan or SUV.

Separate cooking shelters offer protection from bugs and rain, but if you sleep in your vehicle and maybe even cook with the tailgate open, the option of joining your shelter to your vehicle is pretty appealing. Napier’s Sportz SUV offers an exception to these rules.

On a solo visit to some crags accessible only by 4wd, I was able to put it up myself with some struggles the first time, partly because, at 7.25 feet, the tent is high. Two people would find this an easier job, but everything popped into place. Once up, the tent is high, roomy, and strong, with shock-corded aluminium side poles and a few shorter fibreglass poles for the roof. Fitting the sleeve around the back end of the vehicle turned out to be easier than I expected, as it’s easily held in place by an elastic sleeve, secured with strap hooks and guy-lines to the wheels and the roof rack or hood.

Inside, the 9 by 9 foot shelter provides lots of room to either sleep or hang out, plenty for a few camp chairs and a small folding table. You could also sleep in it, but I used it mostly as a shelter.

My worry that there wouldn’t be enough room for the open tailgate of my Jeep Wrangler with the spare tire turned out to be misplaced; there was plenty. The sleeve kept out light rain and even, mostly, blackflies. Heavier precipitation, however, led to some leaking on uncoated panels on the sleeve, and, more problematically, the seam between the tent walls and the polyethylene floor. Water didn’t pool in sleeve, partly because my hatchback window supported it.

The tent weighs 37 lbs, it doesn’t pack up small and it’s a substantial piece of kit, but it performs the task of adding shelter space to the back of your vehicle well. Materials are not super lightweight but may put up with more abuse than some lightweight ones. The tent can accommodate up to five to six people for sleeping, the doors and three mesh windows allow for good ventilation.

It’s good that the tent is detachable from the car, but if you intend to move your vehicle and leave the tent in place, you’ll find that backing up into the same position is a challenge, to say the least. I solved this problem by emptying the tent, pulling the pegs up and shifting the tent back to the car.

This was a useful shelter that filled a gap in my backcountry needs. Some improvement of the waterproofness would be welcome in a couple of places, but it’s still recommended for anyone looking to add space to their vehicle on a road trip.

The Napier Sportz SUV Tent is a versatile and practical camping accessory that offers a unique camping experience for outdoor enthusiasts. Designed specifically for SUVs and minivans, this tent provides an excellent solution for those looking to combine the convenience of their vehicle with the comforts of a traditional tent on any road trip.

This was a useful shelter that filled a gap in my backcountry needs. Some improvement of the waterproofness would be welcome in a couple of places, but it’s still recommended for anyone looking to add space to their vehicle on a road trip.

The Napier Sportz SUV Tent is a versatile and practical camping accessory that offers a unique camping experience for outdoor enthusiasts. Designed specifically for SUVs and minivans, this tent provides an excellent solution for those looking to combine the convenience of their vehicle with the comforts of a traditional tent on any road trip.