If you don’t know what a Big Daddy is, we’re going to go over a lot of facts about this EPIC swag to show you how it has worked its way into being one of Australia’s most popular swags ever!

There are a lot of misconceptions about what makes a Swag a swag.

Starting with the name

Originally the term swag comes from the pre-WW1 Australian work force, the government encouraged people from our young nation to mobilize to find work. In pursuit of work men would carry around their life in a canvas bundle referred to as a “swag” this mobile workforce included people looking for work as farm hands, miners, and whatever else work they could find.

Original swags were as simple as a canvas tarp that would contain a woolen blanket and could easily be carried over the shoulder with a length of cord when rolled up.

Features

Times have changed and since these early days, and a swag has come to mean so much more. With many design features being integrated into modern swags, it’s not uncommon to find PVC flooring an included mattress and even pole systems to keep the canvas up off you!

Design

This is where the Big Daddy Swag by Adventure Kings shines bright!

Many early swags simply contained 1 cord or string to tie to a nearby tree, this would serve to hold the canvas up and off you to make sure moisture wouldn’t wick through the canvas and wet your bedding.

Nowadays swags use flexible poles to hold the canvas open and off your face. Swags like the Big Daddy and Big Daddy Deluxe are even free-standing, meaning you don’t even need to peg them down, making them ideal for beach camping.

Modern swags also utilise clever features, such as mosquito proof mesh and a fully waterproof PVC base to allow you to camp in nearly any weather conditions whilst staying dry and comfortable.

Fabric

Material has come a long way since the early 1800’s and things like modern ripstop reinforced polycotton canvas are more waterproof lighter weight and stronger than their ancient ancestors found in “traditional” swags.

Similarities

The Adventure Kings Big Daddy and Big Daddy Deluxe Swags are similar in a lot of ways. Both Swags utilise the same durable robust, and waterproof 400gsm ripstop poly-cotton canvas.

The right fabric allows the swag to breathe whilst not sacrificing any durability and without making the swag weigh heaps!

Both Swags also use a durable and waterproof 550GSM Bucket floor. The bucket floor prevents fast forming puddles and mini streams during a rain storm from soaking through the underside of your swag. PVC is 100% waterproof and is very durable in even the rockiest terrain.

Both Big Daddy Swags use a simple 3 pole design, unlike a dome tent you don’t need to peg out a Big Daddy Swag to get it to stay standing. Simply affix the 2 identical curved poles to the pole footings in each corner. Then connect your hoop hooks to the curved pole to fasten the pole to the canvas.

Once the end poles are in place it’s as simple as takings the extendable centre pole and inserting the locating pins into the brass rivets at the top of each end of the swag!

When the swag is set up it has a massive 1000mm head height inside, that is plenty enough to get changed inside!

And voila, you can peg out your swag if you are expecting heavy weather, but otherwise, you are good to go!

Differences

An Adventure Kings Big Daddy and Big Daddy Deluxe Swag both have very similar construction.

‘So whats the difference?’ I hear you asking.

There are 2 main differences between the Big Daddy and the Big Daddy Deluxe the first and foremost is the included mattress.

The Big Daddy Swag has a massive 1550mm x 2150mm double mattress that is made from a comfortable and firm 50mm thick open cell foam, this provides plush comfort for many of the young guns, but if you have aging bones, aching joints, and find your hip touches the ground on colder nights, the Deluxe Big Daddy Swag is for you.

Incorporating the same footprint as the standard 50mm mattress, the Big Daddy Deluxe swag uses a massive 70mm thick mattress, a massive 40% thicker you are sure to get a better night sleep on the tracks with this massive mattress.

As you can see the Adventure Kings Big Daddy and Big Daddy Deluxe Swags both share a lot of awesome features, its no wonder Australia has fallen in love with this epic affordable comfortable and durable swag found in nearly every campsite across Australia!