Napier Tent Owners (especially ones with bed covers) - I have questions

[Wilklersticks]

I've been looking at the best way to get my entry into off-the-ground camping for a while. The dream is a rack tent, but at the moment, that's going to take some saving for. I've seen the Napier tents both from a maverick-specific case and a general truck-bed case. They seem like a pretty handy solution assuming you have the right padding under you. They're also reasonably priced for entering into the camping scene.

So my questions are the following:

1. Do you have the Maverick specific one or a general short-bed version? And why'd you go with that? (The Ford specific one has skyrocketed in price)

2. If you have a bed cover for daily use, do you remove it entirely or just remove the cover and leave the remaining hardware (e.g. the rails)?

3. If you remove just the cover and leave the rails, are you concerned about any edges of the rails causing harm to the tent? (Maybe there's enough slack in the tub to not rub aggressively?)

Hoping to get some background as I make a decision on this. If there's an even better solution, please feel free to throw that out, but keep in mind, I'm trying to keep it low-budget for the moment. Not looking to buy a $2k+ setup just yet. (Someday, though!)

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[Sticks]

1. Mav-specific Napier tent. I got it at a discounted price, and I wanted it to fit fairly well to keep bugs out.
2. bed covers won't affect the tent fitment, but it will affect your enjoyment. I removed my soft trifold and put it in the cab. Other covers should be more compatible.
3. No issue.
4. [unsolicited opinion]: It served it's purpose, but I probably won't use it again -- it's inconvenient. You can't use the truck unless you completely tear it down. It covers the exhaust pipe, so you can't use the power outlet. And I hate shoving a heavy cooler + luggage into the cab. On the other hand, the hard bedsides provided an artificial feeling of security and a convenient spot to clip on my battery-powered fan. You can also put a car air mattress down between the wheel wells and then stack a Full size mattress on top (It's pretty cramped otherwise).

tl;dr: It's pretty inconvenient. I'll probably sell this for a regular ground tent. Or even better, rent a hotel room.

 

[Wilklersticks]

Thanks much for the feedback. This is part of what I'm really curious about. The Maverick specific one seems like they took some time to over-complicate it. If you look at the non-maverick one, they did some things totally different.

One thing that you definitely made me think about is what to do with literally everything else, e.g. the cooler getting shoved into the cab.

Thanks again for the perspective.

 

[thejim]

I've been looking at the best way to get my entry into off-the-ground camping for a while. The dream is a rack tent, but at the moment, that's going to take some saving for. I've seen the Napier tents both from a maverick-specific case and a general truck-bed case. They seem like a pretty handy solution assuming you have the right padding under you. They're also reasonably priced for entering into the camping scene.

So my questions are the following:

1. Do you have the Maverick specific one or a general short-bed version? And why'd you go with that? (The Ford specific one has skyrocketed in price)

2. If you have a bed cover for daily use, do you remove it entirely or just remove the cover and leave the remaining hardware (e.g. the rails)?

3. If you remove just the cover and leave the rails, are you concerned about any edges of the rails causing harm to the tent? (Maybe there's enough slack in the tub to not rub aggressively?)

Hoping to get some background as I make a decision on this. If there's an even better solution, please feel free to throw that out, but keep in mind, I'm trying to keep it low-budget for the moment. Not looking to buy a $2k+ setup just yet. (Someday, though!)

After research, I would not buy Napier. So ugly with limited use. I went for cot tent that I can use in the bed or on the ground.

 

[Wilklersticks]

After research, I would not buy Napier. So ugly with limited use. I went for cot tent that I can use in the bed or on the ground.

I thought about this but they're bordering on claustrophobic. Not sure I could go quite that small.

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