Napier Razorback Trekker

I go hunting a lot up and down the UK and overseas, and one of the things that I really appreciate is a decent bag for my gear. The best designs are the trolley bags, which allow you to wheel them around, so ideal for big international airports, where you might have a long way to walk! Over the years I have used a few and bang up to date is Napier’s latest addition to their Razorback range of gun luggage – the Trekker.

Tough and Good Looking

You may be more familiar with this line of products as Napier introduced it as a range of rifle and shotgun bags last year. The idea was a series of tough gun luggage that was none the less appealing to the eye but cut no corners on protection. Since then they have added cartridge bags, bolt holders and other accessories, now the latest member of the family is the Trekker trolley bag, which has a clever secret as we shall see.
Dimensions are 15 x 34 x 10” wide and the build is a mix of black EVA synthetic protective panels and tough nylon-type cloth. Typically you have a choice of colours – terracotta (no it’s not pink…), grey and green. The base section features integral wheels and a sliding, 2-position handle, both of which are external; so not reducing capacity or compromising waterproof integrity, but adding strength and rigidity.
Carriage consists of wrap-a-round straps with adjustable QD buckles (two per side) that join at the top into a Griplock handle, as used on the Razorback gun bags. There’s also a detachable shoulder strap with pad and grab handles at either end. So you can sling it, roll it or just pick it up and carry it.

The Fifth Surprise

There are five cargo areas – the main body offers up to 73-litres of stowage, or to put it another way; you can pack around 40 lbs of weight easily. At either end is a zippered pouch for small items and in the flap is a flat pocket. Now the clever bit, the base is actually a moulded and padded, zip-open compartment that is designed to accept a double shotgun broken down with a maximum of 32” tubes. Moulded inside to take the stock and barrel sections there are Velcro pads to keep the gun safe and secure in transit.
OK this was not designed for air travel as it’s not legally secure, but for a shooting trip in the UK the ability to bring your gun discretely into a hotel or anywhere without alerting all and sundry you are a shooter is no bad thing either. This storage area is fully protected by the build and exterior frame/handle design too and on top by the rest of the bag.

Most Deceptive

All compartments/pockets are closed with zips with a Weather Guard seal to keep the rain out. The ones on the main body and gun area are double ended and show interlocking loops so you can secure them together with a small padlock. All show big pull tags for easy operation. As luck would have it the Trekker arrived in time for my trip to Spain with Winchester to check out their new Power Max bonded ammo.
Though not apparently big compared to other trolley bags, the Trekker swallowed hunting boots, spare clothing, gloves, cameras, binoculars and all the rest of the kit you would need for a few days away. The size is truly deceptive, helped by the handle straps, which act as compressors with their adjustable buckles; fill it up, scrunch it down then fill it up some more. On the way back I had some extra gear as Winchester gave us a parka, fleece and gloves plus brochures, which I still managed to get inside.

Pretty Damn Good!

The Trekker also withstood the attentions of airport baggage handlers easily, which is the true test of a bag! OK you might want something larger for a longer stay, but there’s enough capacity for a three to four day trip I reckon; if you pack sensibly. Plus the ability to discreetly carry a break barrel shotgun too without advertising your hobby. 
Napier have a well-deserved reputation for innovative and quality products and the Razorback Trekker is once again testament to this fact. Steve Rowe (Napier MD) has kindly donated a bag for our free entry prize draw elsewhere in the magazine.

For: Tough and innovative travel bag
Against: Not a thing
Verdict: Quite the most practical trolley bag we have yet seen

PRICE: £134.81