Hi Greg,
I'm an anthropologist and part-time birder who lives and works in Central
Australia. I've spent alot of time in a swag over the years, so here's a few
observations.
Good points about swags are in their ease to set up and put away, but they take
up a lot of room in your vehicle. I have two swags, a small single with a very
thin matress (to save room) and a king-size single, which is more comfortable
than my bed! My partner and I have a double swag, which is a huge monstrosity
and takes up the entire back seat of his Landcruiser or the half the back of my
Prado! However, we've had many great adventures and love this swag.
I've slept outside in my swag in temperatures varying from -6 celcius to 41
degrees! It's great for cold winters (I also have a -22 sleeping bag from when
I went to Mt Everest which comes in handy, and one for -5 and one rated at +5).
The swag iss not so good for hot nights in Central Australia ... in fact I
avoid doing bush work over the hot months here. There is, however , a 12v
evaporative air con that you can buy now to help you sleep during very hot
nights. These are available at the disposal shop in Tennant Creek, haven't seen
them in Alice Springs, but I'm sure you could pick them up in Newcastle. My
last bushwork was at Chambers Pillar in late November and it was 41 degrees!. I
slept on top of my swag with just a sheet over me.
I've had many wet nights in the swag, and I just pull the canvas over my head.
If it's really been 'set in' rain (I got stuck for 3 days once in the Simpson
Desert in torrential rain and bogged my vehicle badly!!), I've put a tarp over
the whole thing and used a chair or a vehicle to keep the tarp off my face.
A swag is NOT very nice to sleep in during windy weather! And you also need to
look where you're putting your swag. Once, I woke up with an ant super highway
in my bedding because I had stupidly unrolled the swag at 9.30pm in the dark
and not checked very well where I was putting it.
Also, you will wake up at the crack of dawn in a swag and they aren't fun to be
in during the full moon or where humans have the need to have way to much
nocturnal lighting. The pop-up mozzie dome and fly (described below) help to
remedy this.
On mozzies and creepy-crawlies:
Generally, mozzies aren't a big issue in Central Australia but flies are! It's
good to have a mozzie dome just to give you a break from the flies, sometimes.
There is a handy little mozzie dome which converts into a tent that can be
purchased for in $65 that you can put you swag in. It's like one of those
pop-up fly veils that you put over food - you know, the ones which you pull up
from the middle and they expand out. This solves the tent pole and the mozzie
problem and even the wind and light problem if you put the fly over the mozzie
dome (a fly is about $40). The small size mozzie dome will fit out double swag
and back packs in it. These are available at Centre Canvas in Smith St, Alice
Springs. I can supply ph. no if you're interested.
Well, that's my 50 cents on swags.
Amanda
> From: > To: > Date: Mon, 21 Jan
> 2008 19:58:13 +1100> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Swag or tent> > Gooday birders> >
> Can anyone out there offer an opinion on swags or their experience with>
> swags. Are they comfortable and waterproof and do they keep the insects> out.
> They seem to be a quick and cheap way to travel whether used in> tent sites
> at caravan parks or in remote road side locations. Being a> cheap and lazy
> bugger who wants to spend more time birding and less time> cooking and
> camping etc I want things to be easy and quick as I travel> around. It
> appears I can simply through the swag down on the ground,> crawl in and go to
> sleep after a good counter meal at the local pub. No> spending hours cooking
> after erecting a stupid dome tent the size of a> house with a 1000 bloody
> 200m long fibreglass poles to hold it up. Hate> em.> > Greg Little> > Greg
> Little - Principal Consultant> General Flora and Fauna> PO Box 526> Wallsend,
> NSW, 2287, Australia> Ph 02 49 556609> Fx 02 49 556671> HYPERLINK
> "http://www.gff.com.au"www.gff.com.au> > > No virus found in this outgoing
> message.> Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database:
> 269.19.7/1234 - Release Date:> 20/01/2008 2:15 PM> >
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