Kulkyne Homestead Swag

[Renno]

Kulkyne have bought out a new Homestead swag and stretcher combo in both single and double, does not look to bad, anyone have one yet?  Little bit xxxxy for me but looking at options and appears to pretty good.
Facebook Competition to win one.
Renno

[JCOJ]

Interesting design. Wonder how long it takes to set up from scratch?

[DropBearRacing]

I like the look of them. Being up off the ground will be appealing to a lot of people. I too wonder what the setup time is.

That competition they are running is only for Facebook. It's a shame because I don't do Facebook. Apparently if you are on their mailing list you automatically go in the draw for one of their generators.

[Bird]

there are several makes and models of that style....

but I don't understand it.. why not just peg ya swag to the ground

Staghorn had one of their normal swags there for the weekend and it was quite nice

[Northernmenace]

Just picked up one and set it up at home as a test. Cairns Camping and Boat Show Special of $474. Mainly going to be used on the odd weekend trips rather then long term useage. Sold my ute so need something non ute tray like now.

Pro's
The stitching is top notch, Canvas is great quality. The mattress is pretty nice, though there is a seam line running down off-centre of the cover, but otherwise no complaints.

All the zippers work very well with no snagging and double sided on all zips. Storm flaps cover the sides and ends with no concerns there. The end flap is tiny, and you would want to do the bottom half at least up in wet weather. The hook system they have works to hold the ends out from the windows, slightly offcentre due to the mount method, but shouldnt have any problems.

Its really comfy too with the base being stretched out by the frame. There is also lots of room inside for a rather large bloke to move around.

Looks like it would be fine to use without the base frame as well, though the base is canvas rather then HD vinyl.

Its a nice height off the ground, could easily store gear under it to keep stuff out of the weather.

Cons?
A sorta Con - The fly is a waste of time when connected to the base as shown in their video, you cant adjust height so its like two great big wings to catch all the water and funnel it to the middle. With pegs and guy ropes (included) it would be much more useful at controlling water. Ill be leaving the poles at home in the shed personally. Its a great idea in theory, but pretty horribly executed.

Its a pain in the butt getting the canvas wrapped rope in that track ("..once the locking bars are in place, its simply a matter of..") I found using a peg head to push it in and run along helped immensely. You have to kind of lift and squish the frame to get enough slack to "simply" put the locking bars in place. I assume it will stretch out and become easier once used a few times though. Once I make up a tool to help it should be easier too. To put the poles in, you have to put them in at 90 degrees to the leg, then basically bend it outwards, this distorts the surface of the leg a bit around the hole, but shouldnt affect its strength.

Weight - its rather heavy all together. Irrelevant if your carrying it in a vehicle, but something to keep in mind if you have to carry it any real distance. Should be lighter once the fly poles are taken out

Lack of instructions or any documentation is rather poor, had to watch the advertising video closely to work out which way around the locking bars were meant to go as they can be reversed.


I didnt get the fitted sleeping bag as its way too thick for up in FNQ, will just make something up and use my existing sleeping gear when needed. It did look pretty decent and should keep one nice and warm. The +15 system is basically all but the inner zipped up sheet removed. When its all together though it fits really well in the swag (tent?) and looks like it would give an excellent nights sleep.

Time to set it up was about 20 minutes working out how to fit the poles, should only take about 5-10 mins normally though.

[PenUltimate Destinations]

Thanks for the review northern, as I'm looking closely at one of these now.

The difficulty in getting the rope to "simply" get in the track is putting me off a little. I'm also debating with myself whether I REALLY need the stretcher, or whether their dome swags would be a better value option.

With the fly, could you potentially have one side open, and the other closed to allow the rain to run off one side? I kinda like the idea of the fly to help with condensation inside.

[chester ver2.0]

"A sorta Con - The fly is a waste of time when connected to the base as shown in their video, you cant adjust height so its like two great big wings to catch all the water and funnel it to the middle. With pegs and guy ropes (included) it would be much more useful at controlling water. Ill be leaving the poles at home in the shed personally. Its a great idea in theory, but pretty horribly executed."

Could you replace the poles with adjustable ones or take/ add a section of the pole to lower or raise the height??

[Northernmenace]

Thanks for the review northern, as I'm looking closely at one of these now.

The difficulty in getting the rope to "simply" get in the track is putting me off a little. I'm also debating with myself whether I REALLY need the stretcher, or whether their dome swags would be a better value option.

With the fly, could you potentially have one side open, and the other closed to allow the rain to run off one side? I kinda like the idea of the fly to help with condensation inside.

Definitely could do that with the fly, not sure why I didnt even think of it! Since getting it, I have set it up a few times, demonstrating to the scouts and for seasoning it (didnt leak at all, even spraying straight up underneath) and the rope getting in the track is definately getting easier. Lifting the track and pushing the foot in a bit helps as then its not under tension. I still use the head of a peg to do so though.

@ Chester
The poles are a set length, and the middle could be removed with a spacer or similar put in instead. It might take some fiddling but could work.

You do need the poles to have a spike on each end as its these spikes that set the tension and direction on the pole. The angle of the leg sets the outward tension on the pole which in turn tensions the fly part once the guy ropes are on.
I tried fitting it with a shorter pole length (just something I had lying around) and it was rather loose and floppy but Im sure it could be done. an adjustable pole with a spike on the bottom could work, or even if the pole could be rigged with a clip to another spot perhaps, also the ropes could be adjusted to adjust the tension angles, though the base is a fixed distance/size so only so much could be done there. Will get some pics up when I next set it up.

[Alan Loy]

What are the advantages over a stretcher and a swag on top?  Cost, weight, size, the fly??

[Northernmenace]

Coudnt really tell you Im afraid, I have a stretcher, but thats been used in a lightweight hiking tent that is basically a flyscreen dome. I havent tried a swag on a stretcher so cant really compare.

In comparison to the stretcher that I have (Wanderer Easy Out from BCF) the base is a fair bit heavier and less bulky, but longer, there are no bands of tension in the middle like most stretchers, its supported by that side strip thing quite well and evenly all the way along. I found that most stretchers have a strip that runs across them that annoys me, so this is good from that perspective.
The swag bit seems to be about the same size and weight as any other similar swag, but last time I was in a swag was when I was 10 odd years ago, been travelling with just hiking style gear or Jayco Dove style Camper since then. Cost was just shy of $500, so in comparison to say an ARB swag, you get a free stretcher, but in comparison to a simple swag or something from BCF/Rays its more pricey Id say?

Sorry I should have mentioned, this purchase was a result of the Cairns Camping/Boat show that was on recently, bought through Savannagh Camper Trailers (local dealers) Im not affiliated with either mob. I have a scout training course this weekend and it was sort of an impulse buy, the wife mentioned that all I had was my lightweight stuff and its been raining since Last year, so I didnt do any real shopping around like I usually do, just went back to them the day after and got one.

[chillipepperz]

At what point does a SWAG become a tent? For me a swag is a piece of canvas folded a few times wrapping a thin mattress and always on the ground...like my Saul Swag. Cheers! Andrew

[tourin n fishin]

At what point does a SWAG become a tent? For me a swag is a piece of canvas folded a few times wrapping a thin mattress and always on the ground...like my Saul Swag. Cheers! Andrew

I agree, although I don't mind the triangular type ones with a head pole and some mesh. I think my old 4 man tent would be more convenient than some of the modern "swags"

[smartyingreen]

At what point does a SWAG become a tent? For me a swag is a piece of canvas folded a few times wrapping a thin mattress and always on the ground...like my Saul Swag. Cheers! Andrew

I used to think the same until I brought the lad and one of the girls a kulkyne dome swag last year. Converted overnight. Comfortable, easy to setup and for the price - brilliant!

Have been thinking one of the double Homestead swags would be ideal for the missus and I when we can't take the Cameron.

Sent from my GT-N8020 using Tapatalk

[chester ver2.0]

You mention it i a pain getting thaat canvas rope in that track i was just wondering what this actually means

Are you talking about the track on the base that i saw that you somehow feed the swag into

[Northernmenace]

You mention it i a pain getting thaat canvas rope in that track i was just wondering what this actually means

Are you talking about the track on the base that i saw that you somehow feed the swag into

Its a piece of rope wrapped in canvas, and you push that all along the side of the swag (heavy duty tent really, lets be honest) into a track type system like a sail track. Unlike a sail track though, you dont put it in the end and pull it through, there is lots more slack. You sort of put is on top of the track and push it in all the way along. The clearance is small enough that its a bit rough on the fingers as mine dont fit through the gap to seat it all the way in. Using the head of a peg though allows me to push on the rope bit to get it all the way in the bottom. See below crappy ascii image. The rope has to go down far enough so that when the locking rods are put in there is space above the rope part for it to sit and hold it all together. Will take images this weekend and post.

    |    <-- Canvas that attaches to swag part
  (O)  <-- Rope covered in Canvas
_    _
|      |  <-- Rough track shape, opening is about the same size as the canvas covered rope.
|___|

I dont know if there is an easier way to do it, it may just be that Im doing it incorrectly. There was no instructions at all and the only guide I got was from their website on the advertising video. It has loosened up with a few setups and is definitely getting easier to do, though I still use the peg head instead of my fat fingers.

[Northernmenace]

Pic as requested. Peg head worked fine, had it all setup in 5 mins on site, was very comfy (I sleep on a pillow topped King at home by comparison). Plenty of Ventilation with just the head and feet flaps open. Very happy with it!

The outer piece is part of the frame, the inner bit on the left is the locking rod, it goes half the length of the frame, the cavity is where the canvas wrapped rope goes, and the canvas base of the swag part goes over the box section on the top right and down basically.

[BDH76]

Kulkyne have bought out a new Homestead swag and stretcher combo in both single and double, does not look to bad, anyone have one yet?  Little bit xxxxy for me but looking at options and appears to pretty good.
Facebook Competition to win one.
Renno

Hi Reno, I know this is an old post, but Kulkyne have a new Stretcher Swag now: Stretcher Swag, worth a look to compare with their homestead swag as to which is the best off the ground swag Off Ground Swag. Also they have a competition running again so you can win one on their blog: 5 Ways to Win a Swag/

[Renno]

Ta mate. Homestead is still going a treat.
Renno