There are dozens of myths and legends around the origin of the fabled Aussie swag, whilst old cowboy movies portray the days of old in America, where romantic travelers spent time out on the roam. Much to many Aussies surprise, our vast proud land has a similar history with squatters, shearers, drovers and swaggies, sleeping under the stars, and travelling far and wide for work in their swags.

The wonderers lifestyle, is a romantic concept, but with the lack of creature comforts the good old Aussie bushman’s life was a tough one, however the memories of generations past,  living out of a swag have burned themselves deep into Australian culture, and become an integral part of Aussie camping culture with references from Banjo Patterson’s songs and poems still ringing true in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of young Aussies who head out camping in a swag.

Modern swags have progressed in leaps and bounds and offer modern campers plenty of bells and whistles that the good old swag men from the days of old would of never of even dreamed about having as part of their swag kit.

With some swags being priced more than a decent used car, the options can seem endless and overwhelming. To help you narrow down the most practical features and what represents the best possible value available in your swag for the most durability, longevity and affordability in your swag,

We have put together a shortlist of features we consider these to be the essentials to maintaining the authentic spirit of camping in a swag, yet staying comfortable, and without breaking the bank.

Real cotton canvas

The word canvas has become synonymous with any durable and tough fabric, but what makes a real canvas fabric is that it is made of a majority of cotton fibers, this is important for a handful of reasons.

Cotton being a natural fiber has the ability to soak up water, however being extremely hydroscopic this ancient fabric has a strange property, that once it is damp, the fibers swell and interlock, creating an extremely hydrophobic layer which is extremely breathable but also 100% waterproof.

What makes the Adventure Kings choice of the perfect fabrics for a swag is the special addition of a polyester rip stop grid woven into the fabric directly making their notoriously tough fabric what is known in the industry as “polycotton” which offers the tear strength of synthetics and durability of canvas for the ultimate in affordable longevity.

nce. With the integrated polyester grid, it takes a lot of force to break through this tough fabric, and with the natural wear resistance of canvas, you’d be mistaken for thinking it was a much thicker and heavier fabric!

Heavy duty ground sheet.

As above, the fabrics used in constructing a tough swag, have to be absolutely solid performers when it comes to durability, offering reliable weather proofing for performance on the track.

By combining the tough ripstop polycotton canvas and a fully waterproof PVC bucket stitched floor, an Adventure Kings Swag offers you the absolute perfect solution for keeping the weather out, whilst you sleep comfortably inside!

The PVC bucket floor offers extreme rip resistance on rough surfaces and offer impenetrable waterproof qualities making sure you don’t get damp in the middle of the night.

Double stitched seams

With the toughest fabrics and absolute durability in mind, the bonding and construction of the different stitched material panels has to be taken into account. what good would a fabric that has the best waterproofing and durability be, if it simply fell apart at the slightest bump, graze, or short drag across the grain, into the best location at camp!

All Adventure Kings Swags take advantage a method of construction called double stitched seams.

What double stitched seams do is reinforce all of the potential tearing points, and by folding the fabric through the stitch you enable a fabric join that is multiple times stronger than just the raw fabric on its own.

Double stitched construction makes sure that the Adventure Kings Swags range are absolutely reliable in the toughest conditions Australia can put it through. The forces placed upon the fabric can make or break a camping experience, and during rough weather can mean the difference between sleeping or being kept up all night wondering if your swag will fall apart through the  heavy weather in the night!

 Easy to setup

When considering a swag, one of the most critical factors to consider, is the speed of setup, being able to show up at camp at 2:00am and be in bed ready to snooze by 2:05am. Some swags have taken this fast and easy concept and butchered it beyond absolute recognition, with half a dozen poles that need to be setup in exactly the right sequence otherwise the jenga tower you are building will collapse.

Although some of these pole systems are extremely ‘strong’ once set up and pegged out, often they don’t pass the 2am campsite test and leave tired travelers frustrated and fed up with their more complicated setup.

All of the Adventure Kings Swags have only 3 or less poles making the whole range incredibly  easy to setup with dome style poles having an elastic cord in the center all you need to do is unfold the bundle and they automatically align into place.

Additionally, it isn’t recommended, however you could easily set up all of the Adventure Kings designs up without the included poles by simply stringing up the high points on the head end of the swag to your bull bar or spare tyre to keep the swag canvas suspended.

Excellent ventilation

Lastly but probably the most important factor when considering a swag is the swags breathability.

An adult human body pumps out over 2 liters of moisture overnight through sweat and moisture in breath, at first this is in the form of water vapour which is invisible, but is the leading contributor when we experience dampness or condensation on the inside of our tent or swag, this is because of what is known as “dew point”.

Dew point is the temperature where water vapor from sweat and breathing turns to liquid and  condenses on the inside surface of a roof top tent or swag.

To combat condensation in our swag, we require as much ventilation as we can get without leaving the swag open and sacrificing our waterproofing. All Adventure Kings Swag designs like the Adventure Kings Big Daddy Deluxe Double Swag have massive amounts of ventilation, with large mesh panels on all sides, allowing the vapor to breathe out of the swag, meaning all excess moisture wont be trapped resulting in much less moisture on the inside of your swag.

Most swags won’t offer this kind of protection from the elements, and all the rough treatment your swag will experience throughout its lifespan, so make sure you don’t get stung with a swag that fails to deliver the performance and bang for buck found in the Adventure Kings Swag range.

To find out more about what is available and what the latest prices are head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au call us on 1800 88 39 64 or visit one of our showrooms in person to touch and feel the gear and see which swag suits your camping needs!