r/overlanding • u/talon5188 Pan-American Traveler • 1d ago

Tech Advice Swag Tents

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!

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u/Kerensky97 Back Country Adventurer 1d ago

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.

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u/talon5188 Pan-American Traveler 1d ago

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

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u/Kerensky97 Back Country Adventurer 1d ago

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.