As spring apprcoahes I feel a lot like a kid who’s just sent off a hefty list to Santa, convinced they’ll wake up to piles of toys under the tree Christmas morning. Spring means a goodbye to the constant snow and freezing temperatures and a happy welcome to milder temperatures, morning hikes and weekends spent camping. Our newest addition to the family means that this summer we will be camping with an infant and three children ranging in ages 4-10, which makes choosing the right gear for our adventure even more important. The idea of an SUV tent that would attach directly to my car and allow us additional sleeping space inside the cargo area, plus easy access to our gear, sounded extremely convenient when camping with kids in tow. Today I’m reviewing the Napier Sportz SUV Tent Model 8200. This tent sleeps up to five and has a universal vehicle sleeve that fits most SUVs and Minivans. I’m checking it out on my Ford Explorer.
First, let’s talk about features:
Prior to hitting trails, I like to test any new gear at home so that I’m familiar with the setup. I set up the Napier Sportz SUV tent in my driveway for the first time. The weather is still hovering in the 20s, so it was pretty cold, but it only took me about 15 minutes to get the tent setup completely the first time around. I’m figuring it will take less than ten minutes in the future since I’m familiar with attaching it to my vehicle now and won’t have to spend time reading the instructions. Even for one person getting this tent setup and attached to the car is a breeze.
The vehicle sleeve is extremely adjustable so I was able to fit it snugly to the cargo area of my car without any gaps. Once set up the inside of the tent is so spacious it will easily fit my boys and their gear. And by using the cargo area of my truck I can sleep extra people, and have easy access to all of our gear and gadgets. I’m betting this will make some challenges specific to camping with kids – like diaper changes and access to spare clothes, books and activities to keep them entertained close at hand – much easier to handle.
I also love that it can be used as a standard ground tent, so I can use it for backyard camping or in areas not accessible by car without having to buy anything additional. When checking out the seams and zippers everything is durable and high quality and I expect it to hold up to many seasons of outdoor use.
Taking the tent down is also quick – although I found that packing it back into the case took a little extra time. It stores easily in my trunk without taking up a lot of room (especially for how large the tent is) – that’s a huge plus when you’re camping with six people and all of their gear.
The Napier Sportz SUV tent is so easy to set up and take down that I plan on using it for trips to beach or days BBQing at the lake as well, giving us plenty of shade and a cool, protected area to relax in through the day.
Overall the Napier Sportz SUV tent is an amazing buy at a great value. It will definitely make camping with my kids a lot easier, and the compact carrying size and extremely easy setup would make this perfect for a single person or couple who want to head out with ease. It’s also perfect for anyone carrying a lot of gear, saving you dozens of trips back and forth to your car.
You can buy the Napier Sportz SUV Tent Model 8200 here, or check out the full line of Napier SUV, Minivan, Truck and Hatchback Tents.
Do you plan on camping with your family this year? What are some of your go to tricks for making a family camping trip a success?
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