NOTE: There is unprecendented demand for Australian made swags. Almost all of the swag makers in Australia work on a 'made to order' basis. You put your order/deposit in to secure a spot in the queue. Some of the lead times can stretch out to months. Contact them for updates on lead times.

Australian swag makers produce some of the best swags and outdoors products in the world. 

All of the swags here are ‘best of‘, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them.  However, Murchison River Swags have been around for a long time, for very good reason. They are superb.

There’s a good choice in sizes and styles.  Whether your are stickler for a traditional swag, or like the additional comforts of a dome swag, you’re covered!

The Deluxe swag  has a sown in foot-end, much like a sleeping bag while the Sunset swag has the top flap open both ends.  Both styles have a canvas top (12oz poly/cotton) and a PVC base. They can be ordered with a canvas base if you choose.

There is plenty of room with a generous top flap width allowing it to be pitched A-frame/tent style to give extra room.

Both styles come in three sizes, so there’s plenty of choice to get the swag that best suits you.

• Single – 80cm(W) x 244cm(L)
• King Single – 100cm(W) x 244cm(L)
• Double – 145cm(W) x 244cm(L)

Nice features include:

• Choice of 50mm/75mm hi density foam mattress
• 300mm base extension beyond the head to step onto or keep your boots off the ground.
• Inbuilt handle to make carrying that much easier.
• Plenty of colours to choose from, so you can set yours up as bit of a statement!
• Optional accessories include from insect screen, storm flap
• They can be personalised even further with screen printing.

Check out Sunset Canvas Swags by clicking here

An Aussie swag range through and through, they have three styles of swag on offer.

• Ghan swag
• Tracker swag
• Deluxe swag

All their swags are available in two sizes – single and double.

Single – 76cm(W) x 204cm(L)

Double – 120cm(W) x 204cm(L)

Sar Major Ghan Swag

• Great weekender swag
• Value for money
• 63mm med-density mattress
• 15 oz proofed cotton canvas

Sar Major Deluxe Swag

• Leather straps, large zip-up flaps
• Comfortable, warm swag – ideal for extended outback travel
• 63mm med-density mattress
• 150z proofed cotton canvas
• Their best seller

Check out Sar Major Swags by clicking here.

This is achieved by

• Elimination of zippers, Velcro and press studs so nothing can really fail
• High quality materials – solid brass, marine grade stainless steel
• Australian made canvas and leather

This doesn’t mean comfort has been sacrificed along the way

• Generous sizes – with the option of an extra long version at 235cm
• Comes in both Single and Double versions
• 70mm hi-density mattress in the single swag version.
• And come with a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer

Check out Sauls Swags by clicking here

The single biggest benefit is they are quick and easy to set up; just unleash the strap and roll them out.  They are relatively light and generally can take any amount of punishment.

If there is a disadvantage, there’s nothing keeping the top canvas cover off your face if you need to snuggle down during the night.  Some users are OK with this, others find it off-putting.

These days they offer good ventilation with insect screening and the design creates a space between you and the canvas.  For me, these are the best camping swag to take with you, unless space is a premium.

These are very quick to setup, stable and still provide all of the benefits of a dome swag.

• Single – 180-230cm (L) x 60-90cm (W)
• King – 180-230cm (L) x 90-110cm (W)
• Double – 190-230cm (L) x 110-130cm (W)

To pick which is the best swag 2022, take into account your height and weight. Pretty simple really. Below we have double swag reviews, singles and king singles.

To keep you warm and dry, the best material is canvas; and it must have the basic characteristics: –

• Weight – minimum 400gm/sq.m (12 oz), better if it’s around 540gm/sq.m (16 oz), where ‘oz’ refers to a traditional imperial measure of canvas strength and quality and stands for ‘ounces per square yard’. Gm/sq.m is grams per square metre, the metric equivalent.
• Sewing – seams need to be sewn with high gauge cotton thread; which expands when it gets wet to seal off where the canvas is joined.
• Ripstop weaves – most durable canvas is made in a particular way to resist tearing if a hole develops. Again, worth having.
• Mould resistance – it isn’t always possible to pack your swag away when it’s dry when you’re out on the road. To avoid mould and mildew attacking the fabric, it’s a good investment to make sure it’s rot proofed.

This process may have to be repeated a couple of times.  Refer to the instructions that come with the sway of your choice.

This causes the cotton stitching to swell and make an effective waterproof seal. Otherwise it isn’t completely waterproof!

Swags, roof top tents, cot tents mattresses are typically in the depth range of 50mm to 75mm.  They’re made that way to minimise storage space.

We’ve got a roof top tent and a cot tent; and I found it hard to get rid of the old numb hip by morning. What we did is go and buy a cheap air mattress to give an extra amount of pliability to the sleeping area. You can pick them up for around $20 – $35 from discount warehouse stores.

A 2.03m X 1.52m X 0.22cm fits our roof top tent perfectly. Add in a 12V air pump (For example, Coleman Inflate-All 12V Air Pump) which you can pick up for around $20. 

The only disadvantage is you lose head room, but for my money it’s the best swag mattress arrangement.  The loss of head room is a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep; and makes for one of the best swag setups you can have.

Once the deflated, the air mattress takes up very little room, and can be rolled up with the swag.

You can check out some pumps here – Air Bed Pumps

And check out some air beds here – Air Mattresses.

Also, if getting down onto the ground is an issue, remember, you can pop your swag onto a canvas camp stretcher to get you up off the ground, away from moisture, crawling insects and reptiles.

Take a look at some suitable camp stretchers here – Camp Stretchers .