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Everything
you need weighs less than
20 pounds: The Napier X-Treme
Sportz Pac ready to roll
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The
Napier X-Treme Sportz Pac
unfurled: Tent with ample
room for two VERY good friends,
two campstools, and 2 summer-weight
mummy bags
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Have Tent, Will Travel
By Tim Beaubien
Tents aren't just for backpackers!
I had to make a quick trip out to Sturgis, South Dakota
during the annual event known as the Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally to do a radio interview. Because this
was going to be a solo trip, I took the opportunity to try
out the Napier X-Treme Sportz Pac tent package that we sell
at American
Road Shop.
Two things need to be mentioned. First, I did not ride
the bike out. I loaded my hot rod Sportster in the back
of my Ford and drove like hell! The second is that a few
years back I did a lot of backpacking, so I am very familiar
with camping out of small lightweight tents.
The Napier X-Treme Sportz Pac consists of a standard backpack
quality tent with a rain fly and vestibule, two summer-weight
mummy-style sleeping bags, two folding camp stools, and
a storage bag with D-rings for rigging to the bike. The
entire package weighs 19 pounds and measures 24" x
14" x 10". This product is generally considered
a 2-person package, but here's a word of advice. If you
intend to use the tent for two people, the other person
should be someone that you really, really, REALLY like!
The tent is approximately 6' x 7' in overall size and has
about 48" of headroom. It features large dual side
doors. Because you can enter and exit from both sides, you
don't have to crawl over the person sleeping next to you
to get out and take a nighttime constitutional. It has plenty
of screened ventilation for summer nights, and a full rain
fly with vestibules covers the entries. The vestibules offer
minimal storage for dirty boots, jacket, and other gear.
The tent is easy to set up and holds up very well in pretty
high winds.
The campstools are about as comfortable as they look but
way better than nothing, which is what you usually take
with you on a bike trip. The two sleeping bags worked very
well and are what I consider summer-weight bags (manufacturer-rated
for temperatures down to 40°F). Keep in mind that I
am 5' 10" and weigh about 175 pounds, and I found the
bag had plenty of room for a mummy-style. Consider picking
up a camp pillow from your local sporting goods supply store.
These squeeze down to a very small size and are way better
than yesterday's shirts!
The really amazing thing about this entire package is that
it will all fit back into the carrying case.
Tim
& Barb Beaubien opened the