swags what to look for

[krazyfisher]

I am going to get a swag I know what I think I want but is there anything that I should look for as in matteress, zips, anything at all that makes a swag that bit better
thanks

[nhoj]

Krazyfisher,

I have an enclosed swag with screen across the top and it has a hoop at the head end to keep it apart. The feet end is together. Last time I used it it was in fairy infested midge country and because the screen sort of sags and lays down on your body I could feel the midges biting me through the screen. They wernt getting inside.
I would suggest that you purchase one that has some type of ridge pole or support that keeps the top off your body and it has space in the feet section.
Nhoj.

[smerl]

G'Day,

I had my latest swag custom made. I based the design on the best features of a few swags that I've had over the years. The first thing I did was get it made extra wide (1200 mm). I then had the canvas flaps made so the inner is 900mm wide and the outer is 1300mm wide. I hate zips on swags (they get full of dirt, grass etc.) so I used press studs. The press studs are located at the outer edge of the outer flap and 300 mm from the edge of the inner flap. This means that there is 300 mm of overlap between the flaps which is very important to stop rain getting in. The above dimensions will give the swag flaps a radius of about 600mm (if you imagine the looking at the swag from one end and seeing a 1/2 circle the height at the middle of the half circle would be 600 mm).

The other advantage of using studs and an overlap rather than zips is that on a warm night with no rain you can lay the swag down with the stus facing into the wind and fold the inner flap down to allow a breeze into the swag. This means you can sleep with the canvas cover over you in just about any weather, which is great if there are mozzies or sandflies about.
I used a 30 mm high density foam mattress which is OK but for extra comfort a 65mm would be better. Makes the swag more bulky though. Make sure that it is high density foam not just the ordinary stuff.
The final thing I would recommend is to ensure that the flaps of the swag 1000mm longer than the mattress/base at the head end and 500 mm longer at the foot end. This means that you can keep your gear under the flaps and out of the rain if it is wet.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Simon