Article: The Best Swag Of All Time! Burke and Wills
The Best Swag Of All Time! Burke and Wills
We are proud to announce becoming UK retailers of the Burk and Wills range of Australian style wilderness shelters referred to as a "Swag". A swag is essentially a bivy/bothy style shelter on steroids. They feature a heavy duty 16oz canvas material which is designed to keep the elements out and the heat in. In addition, the material is extremely hard wearing, the end result being a reliable wilderness shelter that can last many years (naturally, maintenance will be required!).
The Swag also incorporates elements of tenting as the structures include poles and mesh layers (to keep bugs out and air circulating). So basically, a Swag is a halfway compromise between a tent and a bivvy bag, offering plenty of space and comfort but on a reduced footprint.
Benefits
- Simple and quick to put up
- Spacious interiors
- Harder wearing than tents made of synthetic materials
- Warmer than synthetic tents due to the thicker materials used
- Extra warmth provided by the included dense foam mattress
- Plenty of headroom (model dependent)
- Rot proof materials
Cons
- Not for "ultra-lighters". These are definitely not backpacking tents - the lightest weighing in at 8kg/18lb * please disregard if you are Eddie Hall.
- Being made of canvas, the material needs occasional cleaning and re-waterproofing with the addition of a readily available canvas wax such as "Nikwax" or "Greenland Wax".
- If you don't like the colour green, these are probably not for you!
Recommended Use Scenarios
As mentioned above, these are not the lightest of shelters so probably not suitable for long backpacking treks unless the weight of the shelter is being split between two people. However, for car or motorbike camping i.e. scenarios that don't include a long walk with a backpack, these excel; fishing trips, campsites, canoe trips, hunting, bird watching, kayaking, cycling etc.
Please click here to see our range of Burke and Wills swags.