There is next to no denying the importance of a quality canvas swag in a camper’s arsenal of gear. They are easy to set up, offer plenty of all-weather protection, and most modern swags include a comfortable open cell foam mattress for a good night sleep on just about any surface.

With the facts about swag life seeming like they are set in concrete it is simple enough to assume that “a swag is a swag is a swag… Right?” but this is definitely a gross over simplification and when mixing with the wrong crowd could get you really beat up, well maybe not, but it’s worth noting the important differences between a cheap quality swag, and a swag that can hold its own all around Australia!

Don’t worry it isn’t as complex as the marketing genius’ make it sound. We’re going to break down the details you MUST know about your brand new swag!

MATERIALS

Upper
When considering a new swag purchase you can easily be overwhelmed by the choices on offer with polyester fabrics and light or heavy grades of fabric not even getting into rip resistance.
canvas is an extremely old technology, and is even older than people really remember, predating modern civilization.

Even though the technology is quite old, it is an extremely effective at preventing water from penetrating through, when canvas gets wet it becomes more water proof. When the cotton fibres absorb water they swell up and bind together making all of the gaps in the fabric close up.

Whilst canvas offers plenty of protection from the cold, varying the thickness of canvas also increases its durability. With some of the latest advances in textile technologies, you can now purchase canvas with an interwoven synthetic reinforcement grid. The reinforcement mesh found in modern canvas adds to tensile (pulling) strength and offers much more durability and rip prevention in the case of a nick or tear in the fabric whilst allowing a lighter, more compact and transportable canvas to be used without sacrificing durability or waterproofing!

The Adventure Kings range of swags take advantage of 400gsm ripstop poly cotton canvas, which is extremely tough, and fairly lightweight, making sure the overall weight of the swag doesn’t get out of hand.

Base

Whilst many old fashioned swags simply used canvas on the base, standing ground moisture and flowing rain water offer more penetration than falling rain. Many materials advancements have meant that a more waterproof and durable material such as reinforced 550GSM PVC, an industrial grade fabric have meant that swags can take on much more water before leaking or seeping!

For this reason Adventure Kings Swags are all fitted with a bucket stitched 550GSM PVC floor panel, this extends up all sides preventing even rain water runoff from soaking through, bucket stitching means literally that – the floor is built with keeping water out in mind. In testing our swags for waterproofing, we found that they have enough waterproofing for them to be able to float down a river!

When looking for the ultimate waterproof swag, you can’t look past an Adventure Kings Swag!

Mesh
Back in the good old days, the perils of camping included getting eaten alive by any insect under the sun. back in the day this wasn’t just at camp but also during every day life. With many of the modern conveniences found today, many people simply aren’t used to insects. This is why insect protection is key to keeping insects out of your swag and away from your better half, and their sensitive skin!

Adventure Kings Swags feature stacks of breathability afforded through large windows and opening panels with fine mesh panels, these panels protect people from insects like sandflies, midges, mosquitos and even blowflies in the desert. This means that even during the heat of summer you can open your swag for maximum ventilation without fear of being eaten alive!

Construction

With some of the toughest fabrics around, it’d be no use if they were stuck together in a flimsy way. Many swags take advantage of heavy duty thread to hold canvas together, but there are many ways to skin a swag. The range of Adventure Kings Swags takes advantage of double rows of stitching on flat felled seams.

By taking advantage of two rows of stitching you gain more than double the strength of a standard single row of stitching, on top of that, by using a flat felled seam you ensure that both rows of stitching penetrate all the way through both fabric panels. The way a flat felled seam hides the unfinished edges of fabric prevents the fabric from freying or tearing and is actually one of the strongest parts of the entire swag with 4 pieces of fabric and 2 separate stitches.

Zippers
Old fashioned swags didn’t have much in the way of protection from the elements with no storm flaps and if advanced design was employed would take advantage of lacing or cordage to stay shut. As you can imagine this doesn’t work out good for keeping out water runoff or insects so a more secure way of sealing your swag is just what the doctor ordered!

Adventure Kings Swags use a durable and robust 10mm wide nylon zipper with tough metal zipper sliders which are perfect for the application, being such a large zipper they are fairly snag resistant, whilst also offering the ability to hold the openings closed even in heavy weather!

Sizes

Swags of yester-year were extremely simple and offered a solution for solo travelers to bunker down for the night no matter what the weather was doing, whilst this worked pretty good for them, many campers are asking more of their swags. This is why the adventure Kings range has a handful of both double and single sizes of swags to suit every application on the tracks!

Single Swags

The smallest, lightest and simplest swag in the Adventure Kings range is the Kwiky single swag, being light and small it can easily live in the back of your 4WD for emergencies, but for longer trips may be a little cramped, this is why the Adventure Kings Single Escape Swag was created.

Offering more space and more support, the Adventure Kings Single Escape is one of the best all around single swags on the market with 850mm of internal width, you can really stretch out at night!

Double trouble!

If you are looking at getting away with your better half, there is no going past a double swag for comfort, not only does a double swag, pack smaller than 2 single swags, it lets you share warmth at night making cold winter nights much more bearable.

The Adventure Kings Escape Double swag offers many of the same features as the Adventure Kings single Escape Swag,with a massive 1450mm of width, which is as large as many swag manufacturers go, offering a massive 910mm of headroom you’ll be able to even get dressed in the morning inside!

Finally the BIG DADDY DOUBLE SWAGS – These things are absolutely HUGE, just like the name suggests and can even fit a standard Queen sized mattress from home inside their bucket flooring!

The Adventure Kings Big Daddy Swags measure 1550mm wide and a huge 2150mm long giving enough room for the whole family, these swags even feature 1m of internal head height, making living out of one of these swags that much easier!

Mattress

The first generation of swagmen pretty much didn’t even know what a mattress was, sleeping inside the fold of a blanket, a cushy grassy campsite is the best they could hope for. Whilst the old timers didn’t have the luxury we do today, Every swag in the Adventure Kings range includes a plush open cell mattress. One of these high density open cell foam mattresses can keep you up off the cold ground as well as keeping you comfortable even on rocky ground.

Much of the range offers a cushy 50mm thick mattress, when compared to some on the market which only offer half or 2 thirds of that thickness, the Big Daddy Deluxe includes an incredibly comfortable 70mm thick mattress for a comfy night sleep even in the dead of winter on rocky ground!

Simplicity

There is no doubting that the market offers some pretty you-beaut setups from electric operation pushbutton setups to setups like the Adventure Kings Tourer Roof top tent, which features a zip on annex section offering a mobile fortress that can happily shelter a family of 4 (or more)!

The swag range is just simple. chuck it on the back seat of your car, chuck it in the back of the ute, or up on your Roof Racks.

Depending on your model of swag, you can be set up in under a few minutes, covered with excellent weather proofing, and supported by an extremely plush and comfortable mattress.

The easy setup and simplicity of camping in a swag makes certain that no matter where in Australia you like to go camping, you can setup and kickback at camp with a beer or two, within minutes of arriving, to maximize your relaxation time at camp!