Swags

Swags in Australia today are a little different from what Henry Lawson described in his 1907 poem The Romance of the Swag. In Henry’s days, and before motorised transport, it contained the whole kit-and-kaboodle, clothes, bedding and belongings. The swag was home on your back, carried around from place to place.

Tips on Buying a Swag

White Cliffs Road 1979

Swagology

Swagology (my invention for studying swags) can tell you quite a bit about a person. A neatly rolled take can often mean a neat person with attention to detail. An unsightly bundle of canvas with blankets hanging out might mean a bloke doesn’t give a toss about much. No doubt you have seen those double swags with a huge mattress that almost fills the back of a ute… I’ll let you make up your mind about that!

Note the rolled swag on the fuel drums of the old Bedford truck after a few hours of sleep on the road. Yes, that is right, it was rolled out on the road. The picture is from 1979, there were very few vehicles in remote areas of Australia, and you could camp anywhere, even on the road.

For instance, during the 1960s, when our family owned Yamarna Station, we often camped on the road in soft sand. When my father became too weary from driving, he would pull up where a creek crossed the road. We’d all pile out and camp in the creek. A canvas sheet on the ground, with a rug to cover the three kids, and we would all be instantly asleep.

The first thing you do when you roll out of your swag is light a fire to put the billy on. Mornings in the outback can be pretty chilly. My brother and sister are sitting around a cheerful morning fire. Of course, camping on any road today would not be a sensible thing to do!

Modest swags

When I think back on my swags, they were modest affairs. A piece of canvas sourced from an old tent or truck tarp with two blankets, and that was it. No soft mattresses in those days! Buying a swag wasn’t an option; you could buy a sheet of canvas, but made-up commercial products weren’t around.

Dad is sitting on a swag.

Here is my father sitting on his swag while eating breakfast and looking at some cattle yards he built all those years ago. No doubt a softer seat by far than sitting on the ground. This one did have a small foam mattress.  Different from the frugal roll he carried on horseback when he built the temporary cattle yards in the 1950s. Amazingly, the remnants of these yards still exist some 50 years later.

Many years of my early life were spent sleeping under the stars, on a bedroll, or on a cyclone bed as a shearer. Roll your swag as soon as you climb out of it. Left unrolled, any manner of biting animals will likely find it comfortable too. Not so bad if they are lizards, but scorpions and snakes are generally not welcome bedfellows. My unkempt bundle on the cyclone bed is off the ground, and although untidy, it is unlikely to become filled with ‘nasties’. One should pull the canvas over the blankets to keep some dust and crap out.

Modern swags

The current crop of camp bedding has become an accurate fashion statement, and the variety of styles is simply amazing. These days, many are good quality, with a high-density foam mattress inside and a waterproof canvas cover enclosing both bedding and the sleeper. Some also have head flaps and zipped sand-fly-proof fine mesh for those hot nights in insect-infested locations. My wife’s new canvas hotel has fibre rods to keep the top open. It is more like a small tent than a swag.

They are perfect for car camping or fishing. They can be thrown on the back of a ute for a quick or long trip out bush. There is no doubt that in Australia’s harsh outback conditions, the durability of this bit of kit comes into its own.

Years ago, blankets were used inside swags, but most people now use more practical sleeping bags, especially when it’s freezing. When the swag is rolled up, it is fastened with straps. Overall this form of bedding is much heavier and bulkier than a bivvy bag. However, they are more comfortable and durable.

Don’t want to buy a swag, then try a hammock!