May 2001 -- Lay your eyes upon the moon and sigh. The milky white stream of solitude up above sews great lengths among you, relaxing there beneath the spring night with a warm summer wind kindling-up the camp fire as you and your woman gaze upon the stars and toil with the thought of tomorrow's trails.

The Astro Dome Once you lay in this thing for a good night's rest, you'll see nothing but stars - in your head. I laid down and was out like a cheap light. The mattress was one factor; the other was that I was damn tired from a full day on the trail. Either way, I was a happy man.

Your XRs are shod with a fresh set of spiked knobbies. And when you're through with the day's ridding, your truck is suited up to traverse the untamed Jeep trails with your XRs in tow - taking the long way to tomorrow's camp - fully mobile.

To ad trechorous traction to that fresh set of knobbies, the clouds move in and paint the midnight sky with darkness and rain. It's time for some sleep.

Hauling the bikes along for the ride has left you without a camper shell, and a tent on the ground ain't going to impress the woman one bit, especially when your tent is floating down river at three in the morning. Regardless of common knowledge, there is hope.

Sleeping somewhere other than the river thats formed beneath your feet is as easy as Sportz Truck Tents. This unit will turn your motorcycle-hauling, truck bed into an instant slumber shack, worthy of hanging your helmet and having a pampered night's rest worthy of a king and his dirt-bike-riding queen (the kind of KTM-riding-woman that Kevin's in need of).

Urrr! Just Squeez The dude in this photo is usually all smiles. But for this shot, he had to give that grumpy look, making believe it was difficult to pump the mattress. It was not. It took only a minute-45 to get the thing into comfort mode.

The Set Up

The first time I pitched the tent was on a dreary night with no available light. Easy enough, it took me 20 minutes to get the tent set up right. The following morning it took me a full seven minutes to have it packed away in the handy duffle bag and ready to roll. I've since mastered the set up process with an eight-minute, master-planned truck tent.

The Ammenities

Equipped with a sturdy rain fly, the tent is designed to shed rain water away from the bed of your truck. The edges of the tent slide over the bed rails and do not permit anything to slide down into the bed except for a good night's rest. With the light rain we encountered, we had no problem finding a dry night in the comfort.

Don't Flaunt What's Not Taunt Here's the problem with the zipping the door up. The door's not taunt, allowing the zipper to bind up when going for those midnight munchies - or worse, those midnight bladder relievers.

The tent also includes a total of four windows, two on each side. Each window easily opens to a screen, which guards against the attact of blood-sucking mosquitoes, ticks, ants and other nasty insects.

Photo Gallery

The front door, which also doubles as a screened window, is as wide as the tail gate, allowing for easy entry for those midnight restroom runs. Though, it does not zip open or shut as easily as either of the four windows do. This occurs due to the lack of tauntness on the either end of the door. It seems that another pole is need to arch over the door way and keep it taut. With that, the minor problem would be solved. But as it sits, the zipper recieves undue stress and is difficult to operate at times.

Packed and Ready To Rock Here's a look at the contents of this particular expedition with the Sportz Truck Tent. As you may notice, the XRs aren't packed away for this trip. But, there's plenty of room.

Two book-sized pockets are at opposite corners of the tent and are handy for flashlights, books, watches, knives and small hand guns. A loop at the ceiling of the tent is perfect for a Mini Mag Light to dangle and serve as a reading light.

Missing In Action

One crucial ammenity which is missing from the line up is a ceiling vent to keep the condesation from building up. If the windows are open, this is not a problem. But if they are closed due to foul weather, then the build up of moisture is excessive, making it slightly colder than it should be.

The King's Matress

An added bonus to Sportz Truck Tents' line of products is the pillow-soft matress, which inflates within two minutes and deflates just as quick. There is no need for a pump. It's included.

One or two breaths of air into the small valve will fill the pump's chamber. From there, simply unscrew the chamber's large valve, slide one hand over the large valve and beneath the strap and the other hand onto the other side of the mattress. Begin "clapping" your hands. Within two minutes, you'll have a bed-sized air matress.

Portability

The versatility and portability of the Sportz Truck Tent makes is a great asset for the back of any pickup. I've always carried a tent in the past, allowing me the versatility of making my home wherever I roam. With this unit, there's no more need to spend a considerable amount of time scouting for a camp. Rocks, cactus, swamps and rivers are no match for the Sportz Truck Tent. It's not that I recommend camping directly in either of these extremeties. It's just that there is little need to worry about where it is you'll hang your hat on any given night.

SUV Tent - Sportz Truck Tent II

Tents On Trucks
P.O. box 13724
Las Vegas, NV 89112-1724
1-800-234-1486
Tentsontrucks@prodigy.net
www.TentsOnTrucks.com