Aussie Swag supplier?

[Stevie777]

Hello, Our Member Knifefan just recently posted in the for sale section a Dune 4WD Aussie swag, See Below.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132555&highlight=Aussie+Swag

Unfortunately he had sold it before i saw the post. I've been thinking of buying one of these for years but never managed to source a UK supplier so the idea kinda got put on the back burner until i saw Knifefan's post.

So my question is. Does anyone here know a UK Supplier of Aussie Swags.?

Doesn't have to be the Dune Brand. I can only find Aussie suppliers and the postage cost are Killer, not to mention import duty etc. Not saw one with postage cost of under £100 so far. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers, Stevie.

 

[decorum]

Got mine from the aussie shop (http://www.theaussieshop.co.uk/swags.htm). I've had it a good few years and it's served me well.

 

[knifefan]

Hi steve. .I'm on my hols at the mo..but due to a major postage cock up by yodel it wll be back up for sale!!! I have one interested party but if you'd like to go on the list drop me a pm..im back on 9th july
Graham

 

[Stevie777]

Got mine from the aussie shop (http://www.theaussieshop.co.uk/swags.htm). I've had it a good few years and it's served me well.

Cheers decorum...I'll have a wee look. funny how i couldn't find this site. I typed in all sorts of formats into google and nothing in the UK showed up. Thanks.

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

You could get someone that lives in Australia to send you one. If you remove the mattress and buy a mattress in the UK shipping shouldn't be too much.

 

[decorum]

... funny how i couldn't find this site. I typed in all sorts of formats into google and nothing in the UK showed up.

I had to rack my brain to remember who I'd got it from after a quick search for swags didn't pop them up for me either .

Family business ~ or they were when I bought mine. I think the new version of mine has an additional pole to help keep the canvas up at the foot end.

Mine's crypt dark when closed up ~ It's a bit like a sensory isolation tank so I tend to leave the canvas open slightly to allow some feeling for time passing (Also allows for some air movement :yikes: ).

 

[Stevie777]

You could get someone that lives in Australia to send you one. If you remove the mattress and buy a mattress in the UK shipping shouldn't be too much.

I believe the Mattress is attached or at least zipped up inside..? Maybe a good opportunity for someone to start a business here in the UK considering, by the time they land here in the UK you are being asked double+ what you would pay over the counter in Aussieland.

 

[Stevie777]

I had to rack my brain to remember who I'd got it from after a quick search for swags didn't pop them up for me either .

Family business ~ or they were when I bought mine. I think the new version of mine has an additional pole to help keep the canvas up at the foot end.

Mine's crypt dark when closed up ~ It's a bit like a sensory isolation tank so I tend to leave the canvas open slightly to allow some feeling for time passing (Also allows for some air movement :yikes: ).

Maybe cheaper nipping up to the local undertakers for a coffin by the sounds of it.. ...Pray tell, is your swag Waterproof..ie, Hammering it down or is the tarp in your pic there for a reason other than fire and belongings.?

 

[Stevie777]

You could get someone that lives in Australia to send you one. If you remove the mattress and buy a mattress in the UK shipping shouldn't be too much.

I have a cousin or two who live in Australia, but they are all nuts and i dont think i could trust sending them Money..

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

I have a burke and wills Ironbark Double and the swag just has a slot at each end to hold the mattress in. Now is a good time to buy from Australia considering the exchange rate. I would estimate I could buy one and ship it to you for about £200 without the mattress.

 

[Stevie777]

I have a burke and wills Ironbark Double and the swag just has a slot at each end to hold the mattress in. Now is a good time to buy from Australia considering the exchange rate. I would estimate I could buy one and ship it to you for about £200 without the mattress.

Is that you Cousin Phil...

Seriously though, Cheers for the offer, It's very much appreciated and as far as i can see a great offer depending on custom duty. Anyway, i'm still doing my homework on what's best for me as i'll be back packing with it. Weight it the most important factor for me now.

At the moment i use a two man tent and Military sleeping bag and roll mat. Never weighed them but i seriously need to get the weight down in the near future as last year nearly done me in.

Cheers Mongoose, i'll keep you in mind.

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

If your planning on carrying it I would steer clear of most swags. I have a couple of swags and the only one I would carry is one that is made of oilskin cotton. It weighs about 2 kilos but it is also quite basic.
http://bushcraftoz.com/forums/showthread.php?659-bedrolls-and-swags/page8 I use the one a couple of posts down if I have to carry it. The closest thing to that now would be http://www.terrarosagear.com/woodcrafters-swag
Evan makes great stuff too I have one of his tarps.

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

Do you still have to pay customs duties on presents. I can always pack it with a birthday card. From cousin Phil

 

[Stevie777]

Do you still have to pay customs duties on presents. I can always pack it with a birthday card. From cousin Phil

I think he's in the jail or been sectioned at present but i'll let you know when he escapes.

 

[decorum]

Maybe cheaper nipping up to the local undertakers for a coffin by the sounds of it.. ...

Indeed! Not cheap but, thankfully, built to last

... is your swag Waterproof..ie, Hammering it down or is the tarp in your pic there for a reason other than fire and belongings.?

Sort of ... I opted to go with a heavier canvas base and haven't had an issue with water coming up even where my body's put direct pressure and I've pitched up with the leg end exposed to rain with no issue. BUT when rolling it up wet to go home water does transfer to the bedding . It's waterproof in the same way as most canvas is ~ the fibres swell and unless you prod or apply direct point pressure, it's easier for water to follow the fibres than form droplets/drips .

It has two points of entry. There's the hard to miss top loader bit which makes life really easy and also a zip and roll cat flap at the head end ~ I'd not want to choose to crawl in feet first, certainly not if it were raining . Said cat-flap also means that if a deep puddle were to form at the head end that you could end up floating


The pitch that pic shows has a heavy and faecally generous corvid roost :yikes:

 

[mrcharly]

Ironically when I lived (and did much bushwalking and camping) I never came across a swag outside of stories. They are in shops all over now, even my Dad (who almost never ever camped out) had one.

They are a fine idea when you are camping on dry ground, might even work ok at very cold sub zero temperatures. But I wouldn't want one anywhere with damp soil. IMO, the only advantage they offer over modern sleeping bags+bivvi sacks is fire resistance. It's a lot of weight to carry for that one feature. A modern synthetic bag shoved in a canvas bivvi bag would do much better in the UK, particularly if the base of the bivvi was heavily waterproofed.

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

I actually use my swag as a combined shelter / bed which at 3kg including my sleeping bag is actually a reasonably light weight shelter / bed. I use a sleeping bag or a quilt and a thermarest mattress in mine as blankets and solid foam mattresses are quite heavy. The advantage I find specifically with mine and the one sold by Terra Rosa Gear is the fact it doubles as a tarp shelter.

 

[mrcharly]

Your swag must be very different from the ones sold in country stores. They weigh about 5Kg by themselves, I reckon. They also wouldn't be wide enough for use as a tarp.

What sort of solid foam mattresses are you referring to? Presumably not something like a Karrimat, as they are featherlight (just very bulky).

 

[mousey]

From the terra Rosa website:--

http://www.terrarosagear.com/woodcrafters-swag

http://www.terrarosagear.com/swag-photos

Looks quite interesting - I'm happy with a hammock and tarp though and still it's 2kg which I think is still heavy...

 

[MongooseDownUnder]

If you were to check out the Terra Rosa Gear website mine is very similiar to the Woodcrafters Swag but is made from cotton oilskin. I have tried finding swags similiar to mine but have never seen them since, I have had mine for about 15 years though. Most mattress are just cut foam im not sure what sort but very soft, just not very portable.