By Mike Berger

Photos courtesy of manufacturer

Back in March of 2007, we conducted a test among our members of Napier Enterprise’s Sportz Xtreme Pac ($299), a self-contained complete camping kit for two. Two mummy-style sleeping bags, two folding camp stools and a two-person tent are all contained in a nifty 25-in.-long duffle that easily straps to your motorcycle’s luggage rack or passenger seat. I was so impressed by the ratings from our Club members (see the March/April ’07 issue for their reviews) that I just had to try it out for myself. So on a recent weekend trip from Minneapolis to the northern regions of Minnesota, I strapped the kit to the back of my Softail to put it to the test. And let me tell you; if you plan on doing any serious traveling or camping with your bike, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better setup.

When you first look at the Sportz Xtreme Pac’s carrying duffle, it’s hard to believe that there’s not only a tent but two sleeping bags and two camp stools hidden away in there. But thanks to some well-designed components, everything fits neatly into the bag. And it’s always a great thing when a tent you’ve never assembled before goes together easily. But it’s a real testament to thoughtful engineering when the tent in question goes together easily for the first time in the dark! (A few unforeseen delays caused me to reach my campground well after sunset.) The simplicity of the tent’s design, its color-coded poles and its easy-to-follow directions made setting everything up a breeze. And if you’re sharing the tent with a camping partner, you’ll really appreciate the opposing doors that allow each tent occupant to enter without having to crawl over the other person. The polyester-fill sleeping bags are rated to 25 degrees F and provided plenty of comfort. And the tri-legged camp stools were perfect for sitting around the campfire after I had set up camp. About the only thing I found myself wishing for was one of my backpacking air mattresses (which I’ll be smart enough to bring along next time.)