Swag or tent for the girls?

[gclan]

Hubby wants to get swags for us all (2ad+2kids) but I'm not sure whether I'd like it or if I'd prefer an oztent or similar quick setup tent. Downside to these quick tents is obviously the length of them on the roof and having to take mattresses etc...

Overnighters may be ok, but we're planning a 3-4 week trip through the Simpson Desert, Oodnadatta and Strezlecki Tracks and the Flinders ranges this coming June/July, and he wants to take swags instead of our camper trailer.

I enjoy camping, but a month in a single swag

 Have any of the girls(and I suppose it also applies to the guys too) on here swagged it long term? What are your thoughts


Karen

[savio]

If not taking the van or rooftop I just take the swag and 5min pop up tent to sleep in. The tent folds flat and can be put ontop of gear. I use the pop up tent after an incident of a snake under the swag story from a friend of mine. The tent I can pick up while standing so if I need I can run faster! 
(also gives that little bit of privacy when gettn dressed)
Cheers Savio

[SteveandViv]

Hubby wants to get swags for us all (2ad+2kids) but I'm not sure whether I'd like it or if I'd prefer an oztent or similar quick setup tent. Downside to these quick tents is obviously the length of them on the roof and having to take mattresses etc...

Overnighters may be ok, but we're planning a 3-4 week trip through the Simpson Desert, Oodnadatta and Strezlecki Tracks and the Flinders ranges this coming June/July, and he wants to take swags instead of our camper trailer.

I enjoy camping, but a month in a single swag

 Have any of the girls(and I suppose it also applies to the guys too) on here swagged it long term? What are your thoughts


Karen

With the swags just make sure they are full swags, face covered etc as bugs and the mice will love to snuggle in It's going to be cold so just consider all that. We had 0c a few nights in the desert. Why do you not what to take the camper

[Kit_e_kat9]

Swags also come in Double for Adults who prefer to NOT sleep alone.      

If you are worried about the kids (and I wouldn't be) ... go a larger single each or double for them as well. 

Kit_e

[Bird]

borrow a swag before buying one. they arent for everyone...

[fuji]

Take the camper!

[Woodsie]

The oz tent was brilliant when we did the simpson and Flinders.....the couple with us had one too and we faced them together with awnings connected. There are the odd scorpions, mice, centerpedes and a snakes if really unlucky, so the tent is a safe option. Some nights we just threw a large tarp on the ground and slept on mattresses.....everyone to their own

We are doing the Flinders and Simpson again in 2014 but we are taking the camper this time.

[Nay-DMAX]

A few questions I guess How old are your girls?  Are you travelling alone and will you need somewhere to change etc.  I dont mind swags and we still have both our single swags and double from before camper as they are handy if someone stays or if we go stay at someones house.  Have you slept in them before they can seem suffocating when they are all shut so if you were getting one I would get one that when set up sits off your face a bit and perhaps has the window near your head if needed.  I would want the Camper if staying a few nights in each spot.  Good luck and enjoy the trip

[JustJim]

Karen..

We’ve done both over the years - swags and tents..

There’s no doubt in our experience an Oztent is the better way, prompting us to buy a second one.
Of the many tents we’ve had over the years the Oztent is by far the easiest to put up and pack away - with room to move inside - stand up - get changed etc..

Yes, they are a long package to carry (close to two metres) but two roof bars or a roofrack carries them easily.
As Woodsie suggests - two Oztents can be connected by the front awnings giving you a covered area that’s quick and easy to erect.

For a quick overnighter, with no wind, they don’t even need pegging down.
The kids are now 'too grown up' to come with us, and I'd estimate our original Oztent we still take (now 17 years old) has been pegged down no more than one night in fifty.

The two girls especially loved the Oztent, especially when it could be set up with the back of the tent facing bushes.
The rear window awning can be set to act as a bird hide - the mesh hides you from view outside but it’s easy to see out from inside.
If you’re quiet in the tent it’s surprising how many birds will come out of the bushes.

Jim

[MarkVS]

Karen,

we (myself, wife and 13YO daughter) did Swag's through Central Australia for a week. They both loved them. But it was fine weather the whole time as well and I think part of the enjoyment was the novelty...can't comment on a month though.

MarkVS

[gclan]

Thanks for your replies. You've all given me food for thought.

We had a spur of the moment camping trip up to the Chichester State Forest with a borrowed Black Wolf Turbo tent. Hubby took his swag too, but we all ended up sleeping in the tent. I think it would be easier in the long run ie. getting changed, me not worrying about the kids all night(even though they are 12 & 14), not waking up with animals on or under me etc...

It was quick and easy to put up, so I think I can talk him around to some sort of tent option for our travels. He can take the swag too as I don't mind too much if he chooses to sleep outside on his own...occassionally

I'm not normally claustrophobic, but when I tried laying in the swag here in the back yard, I couldn't wait to get out. The kids didn't seem to mind, but spending the whole night in one, night after night, is a bit different to playing in one during the day.

We aren't taking the camper (at this stage...but I haven't given up hope ) because somebody else is organising this trip, and they have set the rule of NO campers across the Simpson. Just about everyone who might be coming has a camper, and the thought of recovering a string of campers continuously over a thousand odd sand dunes was not too appealing.

He hasn't put forth the itinerary yet, but I imagine the majority of the trip will be one night stops with the odd two nighter thrown in. We'll do a bit of our own thing either on the way there or on the way home as well.

We were also a little concerned about towing the 1.2 tonne trailer across the Desert with our Defender as we weren't happy with how the Defender performed on the sand at Stockton Beach without the camper in tow   We luckily have the option of taking our Sport as it loves the sand, but doesn't have the same room as the Defender for all of our gear.

And no, we will not be trading in for a Land Cruiser 

As for the tent (and/or swags), it looks like I might actually have a genuine need to go to the Sydney Caravan and Camping Show this year


Thanks again everyone...cheers
Karen

[Symon]

Considering how compact a cheap dome tent packs up these days I would take both.

I love my swag but after having spent several nights in it with the heavy rains up the Cape last year I've decided to always pack a small tent to hide in if the weather turns bad.

[BigJules]

I found that I became claustrophobic in my OzTrail Mitchell swag do I bought a much bigger one, plenty of room.

Having spent the last week and half with a camper again I still would prefer the camper over my swag any time.

However, if I couldn't take a camper I prefer a swag over a tent. My 9yo daughter loves swagging it too. She now has my smaller swag.

[Bunyip]

I suggested a swag for the daughter and was told in no uncertain terms that she is not a Goth and would not sleep in a coffin.

Bunyip

[themissus]

Roo and I swagged it for 5 weeks in cape york this year. Its a Queen size so practically a tent. probably no bigger than an oztent when packed up but big enough for us. getting changed wasn't a drama because we couldn't give a rats if some one was looking

[Frostd]

Karen, We too are heading out to central Australia this year for about 5 weeks . We aren't doing the Simpson crossing , but a lot of things around the desert . We'll be towing our CT, but our girls 11 & 12 will be sleeping in swags on the ground of the CT.  They are very comfortable and warm .  We did Cape York 2011, with SteveandViv, for 6 weeks, with the girls sleeping in swags.  Look forward to your trip report . 

[fuji]

We tented it for two weeks across the Simpsons and looking forward to taking the camper next time.

[Jon]

Karen you should maybe borrow some swags for a short trip as is said above, they arent for everyone.
If you want to go the swag route, definitely buy 2 doubles as it will be cold.
I have an Oztrail mitchell King single which i love and I have heard great reports on the Double version of this swag.
If the girls want separate swags then make sure they have some insulation like gym mats under the matress to stop rising cold from the ground.

As a comparison, a canvas swag will be warmer than a dome tent as the canvas provides a better heat barrier and is quicker to warm up due to the smaller volume.

[rockman]

Have you looked at a ' tent cot ' ... Kamprite / Oztrail / Oztent
Off the ground sleeping , takes up about the same space as a swag , very quick to set up and you can quickly move it around to suit your camping unlike a tent
Looked at them today and will be grabbing one next week

[maurerless]

Being one of "those people" who is changing to a van from a camper, means we are presented with the problem of how to get to places the van won't go. My solution is a cheap dome tent and basic swags (i.e. no mesh). At the end of the day it makes the swag a convenient way to roll and pack up a mattress. Adding extra foam layers under me means I sleep well, but I don't tend to use the top canvas layer of the swag - especially inside a tent. 

Now all I need to do is deck out the back of the ute with drawers, power and stuff for a more permanent solution.

[Bird]

I dont see the point of a swag inside a tent. Just a massive extra cost.
what am I missing?

[SteveandViv]

I dont see the point of a swag inside a tent. Just a massive extra cost.
what am I missing?

All the bedding stays in one spot and they are then thrown on our mattress when packed up. Arrive at the new destination, throw the swags on the ground and all set up. As Frosty noted though, you can then chose to sleep outside is they want then if it all goes pear shaped, move back in.

Anyway it keeps all the bedding all in once place and nice and warm in the Deseret country and worked well for us that way.

[gclan]

The swag argument does still seem to have some merit, and my daughter has had her eye on a nice purple one since seeing one in Weipa

I really should give the swag a test run before completely discounting it. I might start with a night in it in the loungeroom first though

The tentcots sound great too (safely up away from crawlies ), but do you feel the cold come up underneath you?

[cyberess]

I have a rooftiop test on a trailer (our Camper trailer) and give a tent to the kids -- which they must setup themselves  , and a camp strecher to sleep on

the stretchers packup real small.  About coolness coming up from below -- it's usually hot were we camp.

Swags they can take a lot of room in the vehicle..   

 

[gclan]

Space is going to be our biggest issue. I'm not known for packing light, and at this stage, it's either the kids or food ...or the beer for hubby

I'm missing the camper already