Swags - What Features are needed

PRO's for a swag, and what to look for.

1 - You want ventiation, preferably at both ends, but you don't want bities. So make sure it has mesh over any openings, with a small verandah type cover to keep rain out, and to put your shoes under. Side opening is OK, but top opening is better.

2 - You want waterproof.

3 - You want it to be wide enough to be able to turn over without elbowing the
missus in the face.

3 - You want to be able to roll up your swag with all your sleeping stuff inside it. [use a doonah, not a sleeping bag]

CON's for a swag and what to avoid.

1 - They take up heaps of room, but aren't heavy so on the roof rack it goes.

2 - You will need somewhere to get changed, or have wash.

3 - Farting in bed is a good way to loose more brownie points than you could imagine.

4 - Getting in, or out of a swag while it's raining is the pits.

Aah Alan, you've opened the usual can of worms when it come to fridges, 4wd's and compressors!!

It is such a personal preference thing you will get a different reply from every user.

Any way you've hooked me in ; )

You need to consider where you will be using it. Hot or Cold? Mainly wet or dry? In a tent or stand alone? Ground sheet or none?

We are in Central Oz so warmth and cooling is required so I recomend a full set of zippers - all up for toasty all down for some chill.

We don't get much rain or mozzies so we sleep with no tent if possible and as we don't get dew or ground moisture we don't use a ground sheet however our swags have the plastic bottom so no prob's either way.

If you are sleeping outdoors you will want a flap that comes over your pillow and head to help with full moons, sunrises, dew or light rain or not too pesky insects. This will also help keep dust out when in the ute.

We prefer simplicity so we don't have the ones with poles and guy ropes etc just a basic roll up chuck in the ute swag. If it's bad weather chuck it in a tent. I am much happier with room for my bags and change area etc in a tent in the rain than with an all weather swag.

The greatest thing about a swag is you don't have to make your bed everytime you move, just roll it up. The other great thing is a high density foam mattress that you don't have to remove every pebble from underneath of to get a good nights sleep. I have used the swag with a self inflating mattress when touring on motorbike and it was OK but it was just camping not the usual feeling of WOW I'VE WOKEN UP IN MY BED IN THIS AMAZING PLACE!!!!

Hope it helps, bedtime now!

Regards,

Slammin.

Has your missus ever slept in a swag? From experience not many of the fairer sex like swags, they prefer tents. More space to change clothes (women value privacy when they are getting nude), more space to store their make up, deodorant, hair brush etc and more tent space between them and creepy crawlies.

I have a swag for me and a CT for when the missus comes. She would rather sleep on the front seat than in a swag.

Anyway, go for the biggest swag you can, believe me the space won't be wasted. Fly mesh is a must. Hoops are great to keep cold canvas off of you. A mattress with a plastic base will prevent cold from rising up, plastic base on the swag i also like.

If it's raining i use a tarp strung out from the bullbar, which really defeats the purpose of a swag and sometimes I think a tent would be easier. You can get some nice tents for a couple of hundred.

Alan,

We have both. We used the double swag when we went up the middle the first time and it was OK but being 6'4" they aren't that roomy for 2. Next trip north took 2 swags. Great! I can do what I like without disturbing the other half and she can sleep in etc. It also means if you are going away by yourself or with the boys you just throw 1 swag in and away you go. We have a large tent and we both still sleep in the swags in that. Ray's had a sale recently and I even bought my young bloke his first swag. They take up some room but you can lie them flat on top of the trailer and they help to hold everything in.

Rusty

Hi Alan

Slept in a swag the other week for the first time (borrowed a mates) and am now looking at a double. Some of the notes I have made are.

1. must be at least 4'6" wide and be min 6'6" long (I am 5'10") got to allow for your feet to extend when on your back.

2. canvass base is better then plastic trap as the plastic reduces the ability to breath and your sleeping gear gets damp with the condensation.

3. "shooters entry" which is the end entry so if it is raining you can set up and slip in from the end without opening up the top.

4. as much mesh as possible both ends and on top. this helps drying time and ventilation in hot locals.

5. you only get what you pay for so the higher priced swags normally have more in them (pockets and set up) and better canvas.

6. I always use a ground sheet to keep it clean.

7. I put a cheap awning off the roof rack to put the swag under for both shade and wet weather protection. (made my own 3 min set up and cost $150)

8. Dome set up raises the canvass of you with a more vertical (80 angel) wall as opposed to a single pole end which takes the canvass up at a 45 angle.

9. I will be using a self inflating mattress purely because I like em.

10. duna is far easier to turn over in compared to a sleeping bag top and bottom.

11. look for metal fixings for the roll up straps plastic will break eventually and law dictates this will happen when you are on a big trip.

12. I purchased a water proof bag to put swag in when on roof rack had it made to size with all bedding and pillows in swag.

We generally CT it to a base and do over nights in the swag and back to base camp every few days.

TM2CW

Happy camping

Regards

Trevor

Some people can feel quite claustrophobic in a swag (me - took a while to overcome :) and may never settle to it. It's probably better in a double than a single but if either of you have ever experienced _any_ signs of claustrophobia then it might be worth making a mock up from (say) cardboard boxes and seeing how you feel when all sealed up in the dark in that - be a shame to spend hundreds of dollars only to find, on the first night, you couldn't stand it.

Mine is canvas with top, side and head entry (I can't imagine trying to get in via the head!) I never use a groundsheet under it and it has mesh over everything plus excellent ventilation at the head and foot (essential - when zipped up in the rain). It's got pockets and twiddly bits but, frankly, I never use them. It's a three hoop type and can be put up/taken down in about 3 minutes. Great for on the move stuff but if I'm in one place for a week I prefer the tent.

Mike Harding

A woman's point of view ( who was never keen on the idea of a swag)

1. if possible try a friends, even if it a single, just to get an idea. That way it will give you an idea of what to look for as in flat/dome type.

2. make sure it is easy to put up.

3. make sure you get one with mesh over all openings.

We got one of these last year for our Simpson trip as we were doing daily camp set ups
tinyurl.com/y52l5e
but can never get it tight so it always hangs on our feet. After 2 weeks the mattress had compressed to nothing so we got a new foam mattress from Broken Hill ( it helps having an upholsterer in the family). I have never seen a self inflating to fit our swag.

We got one of these for DS
tinyurl.com/w6dwt
which is really roomy and what I would probably seriously consider if we were to buy another double.

Our Simpson trip last year was done with our family of 4 and 3 other men and found I can get changed in our swag if I have to.
I always put my footwear in the swag at my head so the footwear mat is of no use to me. We always use a tarp underneath, usually doubled but if it looks like a storm we unfold it so that the extra can be thrown over the top 'just in case'. We have never had a leak but I can't think of any thing worse than having a wet bed.

We use a sheet and two quilts that I have made and our swag rolls up thinner than the kids self inflating mattress.

Just some more things for you to think about.... YMMV

Mrs S

Thanks for your replies, i have better idea now of what to get.

Alan

Ventilation!

Alan,
Dont get a bed roll (they are the "swags" that your head can stick out of) Lucy flatly refued to camp with a swag due to the bug problem I went out and had a look around and finally settled on a Burke and Wills double swag. This thing is freeking awsome. It has 2 poles (flexi) one that goes across the high point and another that sits about 3.4 of the way down. It also has an awning bit that you can either fit another couple of pole and som guy ropes to to give you some ventilation and can also be zipped up tight as. another feathue that I love is that is has a 3/4 zip down section on the top that you can use as a moon roof as it if fully fly screened. The first time we used it was in the back yard for a road terst and Lucy loved it. It took about 5 mins to set up and its got so much room in it (not quiet enough to swing a cat...well maybe a kitten) it has some nifty pockets and also one thing that I love is that has a door matt so you can take your boots off outside.

NO im not an agent for these guys just im really happy with the product and its comphy as hell. Yes it is big but as somone said earlier it can go on the roof rack.

Oh BTW its worth about $450 / $500 large.

Hope this helps

REXY

Try before you buy... got mine used once from a dude that hated it!

Alan,
My wife has been converted - she's now a swag enthusiast since buying a double swag 2 years ago for the desert trips.

We bought the Rays Outdoors model for $240 for the double.
It has 3 fibreglass hoops to hold the canvas up,
it is top opening with two zippers, so each person can hop out in the night from each side.
Normal 50mm foam mattress, but we slip one of those really thick 4wd mattresses in there, because we really ike a thick mattress.
It has extra space at each end, so your feet can hang over the foot end of the mattress and you can slip shoes etc at the top end and safe from the dingos.
Its got large flyscreen at top and in front of you.
We simply roll it out on a 10x8 blue tarp, and attach it off the truck with a single bungee strap.
Its very bulky, but we have heaps of space inside our rig.
The quality of the canvas and zips has been fine so far.
In the desert, privacy is not a problem - we spread out and you wash and change behind the truck.

Cheers
phil