For my money, there’s nothing like camping in my Big Daddy double swag! I love how spacious it is, how comfy it is and how easy it is to setup and pack away. Even after all these years of getting to camp in all types of camping accommodation from camper trailers to rooftop tents, I still go back to my tried and tested Kings double swag time and time again for all these reasons. In fact, I’ve gotta be honest here – I still get as excited as a kid at Christmas when I know I’m going camping in my swag! I just did a quick mental calculation, and over the years I reckon I’ve slept in my Big Daddy deluxe double swag at least 500 times, both for work here at Adventure Kings, and also in my spare time.

In that time I’ve learnt a couple of tricks that have made setting up and packing away a canvas swag so much easier and hassle free, that I’d like to share with you.

1. ALWAYS USE A MESH FLOOR

I can’t stress this first tip enough! The only times I ever roll out my double swag without a mesh floor are the bone-headed times when I forget it and leave it in the garage at home. A mesh floor gives you a nice clean surface to roll your swag out on, but more than keep your swag clean – it keeps you clean too! That way, when you’re kneeling down to roll your swag up as you pack it away, you’re not getting dirty – with the bonus being that you’re keeping your swag perfectly clean and dry to pack straight away into your swag bag. Oh, and speaking of that…

2. SWAG BAGS MAKE SO MUCH SENSE

I carry, transport and store my Big Daddy double swag in a Kings canvas swag bag. It makes moving the swag around and getting it to and from the campsite so much easier, but because it’s massive, I can leave all my bedding inside the swag – which is a real game changer because it means I never have to think about whether I have my sleeping bag and pillows – they’re always in there! And because it’s so big, even with all that gear rolled up inside my double swag, I can easily fit it in the swag bag without struggling to do up the zippers!

3. LEAVE THE OUTER CANVAS DOORS UNZIPPED AND UNROLLED

If you zip up the outer canvas doors on a Big Daddy double swag and then try to roll it up, you’ll quickly realise just how waterproof it is – because it’s pretty close to airtight too! In that scenario you’ll struggle to roll the swag up because of all the air trapped inside it. The solution is to simply leave at least one of the outer canvas doors mostly unzipped, but don’t make the mistake of rolling it up – because all that will do is bunch up the canvas in the middle of the swag when you’re trying to roll it up. Leave the outer doors unzipped, but hanging freely for the easiest rollup method possible.

4. USE THE POLES TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Here’s a beaut little trick I use when rolling up my canvas Kings swag. First I remove the two end poles and the telescopic centre pole, and then starting at the foot end, I use the poles as a tool to flatten the canvas and give something firm to roll it up around as I’m rolling. If you put the poles on top of the foot end storm flap and then start rolling the canvas up around the poles, you’ll find that they assist in tightly rolling the swag.

5. TUCK THE SIDES IN AS YOU GO

As you continue rolling the swag, stop momentarily every now and then and make sure you tuck the side doors in as you’re rolling. This has the effect of neatly compressing all the canvas material into the roll, which in effect ‘shortens’ the swag when it comes time to put it back into its bag. If you don’t tuck the doors in, you’ll find that they bunch up once the double swag is rolled up, and it becomes much more of an effort to squeeze it into the bag at the end – so don’t forget!

6. DON’T FORGET THE HEAD END STORM FLAP

When you’re getting close to finishing rolling your swag up, stop about two feet before the end and remember to tuck the head-end storm flap into the roll. This cleans up the last remaining bit of the rolling of the swag, and results in a firmer, neater roll that simply drops straight into the bag when you’re ready.

7. DROP THE SWAG BAG ON FROM THE TOP DOWN

Rather than lift your swag up and into your swag bag, try it the other way around! I grab my canvas swag bag and drop it down on top of the swag, upside down. Fit one end around the swag, then flip the entire thing the right way up and tuck the other end in. Then, just flip the lid over the top of your swag and you’ll most likely find that you’re able to zip it the entire way up the first go. Simple!

8. KEEP THE ESSENTIALS IN YOUR SWAG BAG

One final thing – I like to chuck a small hammer and my pegs into the bag next to my double swag before I zip it up. That way, you never have to hunt around looking for these camping essentials the next time you go camping – you know they’re always exactly where you need them!