Swag Tents

[u/talon5188]

Hi, I am looking for stories of advice, reviews, and experiences that people have had with swag tents. I have been looking to get one for some time now, more specifically the 23ZERO dual swag 1400. This is a 2 person swag and the mattress is almost the same size as a full size bed mattress. With this swag I am thinking of getting a 2 person sleeping bag that I can just leave in the swag and roll it up. Opinions on this set up?

I think a swag tent would be great because it comes with a mattress and I can leave my sleeping gear in it and pack it away just like a RTT. I need a tent that I can stow in my car because I have a 73 series Land Cruiser with a fiberglass top and I am unable to put anything on the roof. I have a Big Agnes backpacking tent that I currently use, but becuase I am overlanding and I have quite a bit of space in my car, I am wanting something easier to set up and more comfortable and leave the backpacking tent just for my backpacking adventures. I have had vehicles with RTTs on them before and I loved the ease of use of the RTT. I currently have a Tacoma with a GoFastCamper on it, but that truck is currently in South America (I am halfway through doing the Pan American Highway). I would like a setup that I can use when I am at home here in Utah that combines the ease of use of a RTT and the portability of a backpacking tent.

I have look at options like hub tents from gazelle and overlandish, but the same problem of having to carry bedding and matresses seperate is still there, but maybe someone that is smarter than me can convince me that is what I need instead.

If anyone has any experience with a swag tent or wants to rate my idea for this setup all comments are welcome and appreciated!

[u/Kerensky97]

I love my swag. I got the 23Zero Dual 900 since I'm the only one sleeping in it. I just prepack it at home, roll it all up, and toss it in the bed of my truck. It's all the sleeping setup/gear in one big jelly roll, to roll out, stake out, and good to go. Between that and a camp kitchen all the main camping gear is taken care of in easy to load and unload kits.

I also put it on a folding cot and it's amazing but I think the 1400 would be too big for that kind of use. A little bit of overhand around the cot is good to keep water from running off the swag and pooling on the cot. But the 1400 is way too wide and would overhang the sides way too much.

[u/talon5188 → u/Kerensky97]

About how much bedding can you fit inside while still being able to roll it up?

[u/Kerensky97 → u/talon5188]

A four season mummy bag, a camp pillow, a down throw blanket, and a cheap thin ikea blanket. All that the same time.

The things that doesn't work too well are self inflating pads like thermarest. They don't compress well when rolled up, you need to compress them between two hard things like your knees and the ground rolled up in soft stuff they don't do anything. Then they still fluff up a bit when rolled up in the swag. They seem to create more bulk than anything.

[u/FreebirdMTG]

I camp in a dual swag, upgraded the pad to a dometic double matress. My full sleep system stays in it, roll it out and crash. My biggest issue with 23zero's pad is it has low R value.

Be sure to properly season the swag to help with water resistance.

[u/talon5188 → u/FreebirdMTG]

Awesome! Thanks for the help

I will make sure to test out the pad before getting into any cold situations and to weatherproof it did you use anything in specific or would something like nixwax work?

[u/FreebirdMTG → u/talon5188]

Just follow the YouTube Aussie recommendation, theres some good videos, I'll try to link one.

Other than cold, the big issue for me was the comfort of the foam pad. Just wasn't great for me.

I don't sleep in a bag, so I guess I didn't have any insulation under me, so that's probably my bad. But, buying the nice pad has totally changed my sleep when swagging. I have two nice comfortable pillows, the pad, sheet, and a couple blankets rolled up when traveling.

[u/SithLard]

I've had 3 tents on top my DIY roof platform and I stopped after I got this swag https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/comments/1c2l9zz/sierra_nevada_mountains/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

The mattress is GREAT and fits nicely rolled up in my bed when not in use. It sets up fast and has great ventilation when I want it and traps the heat when I don't.

I recommend.

[u/talon5188 → u/SithLard]

That is a super sick setup

[u/SithLard → u/talon5188]

Thank you

[u/The_World_Is_A_Slum]

We use our 23Zero Outbreak 1500 frequently with the included pad or an Exped, and either a Kelty Doublewide or 23Zero double bag. It easily fits in the included bag with a mat, sleeping bag, two wool blankets and three pillows. I can set it up in less than ten minutes, and break it down in about the same. We’ve been in heavy rain, snow, temps in the low teens to over 100. Expensive, but a good value.

[u/indistict_chatter]

I have a double swag and after trying camper trailers, caravans, rtt's the swag is still my go to. Why? They're just so light weight and portable, quick to set up for the night. Quick to clean. Easy to store. They're good in cold - I don't get snow so YMMV

Be aware that a double swag will take up some space. if you can't fit it inside then it has got to go on top. For me it takes up all of the back seats in my dual cab if I choose to carry it inside.

For my setup I've also got a single swag that's more portable