History Of The Swag

The swag is an iconic part of Australia’s history. Originally used by the swaggie or swag man from the late eighteen hundreds and so on through the great depression of the nineteen thirty’s, and then after the Second World War as men returned in need of work and purpose.
 The Swaggie was a person, usually a man that wandered Australia’s countryside in search of work. Working in rural areas on smaller farms and larger sheep and cattle stations doing any work the farmer or station owner required. This was a time when money was tight so the swaggie would walk to these places in his quest for work; in those times owning a horse was financially out of the question.
 This meant he had to travel light; everything the swaggie owned would need to be rolled up in his swag. In those days the swag was a square piece of canvas, which the swaggie would lay out his bedding on to one side of the canvas, which in most cases was just a blanket; he would use his spare clothing for a pillow. Once he was in his bed under his blanket he would throw the other side of the canvas over his body to protect himself from the cold wind, rain and frost. 
The next day when it was time to move on the swaggie would place his worldly belongings, along with his bedding inside his canvas square and roll it up, with a piece of rope tied at each side of the roll keeping it tight, this would also create a strap so the swaggie could throw the swag on his shoulder. Then with his cup and billy for making his cuppa tea, and maybe a saucepan hanging from his swag along with his tucker bag, the swaggie would then be on his way.
The days of the swaggie are long gone but still the swag remains. The modern day swag no longer rolls to the size small enough to throw on your shoulder. These days we like some comfort; the swag is a lot more comfortable now with the addition of a mattress and the comfort level depends on the choice of mattress.
Now used for recreational accommodation by four wheel drive enthusiasts, hunters, fishermen and the like. The swag is the perfect choice because of its compact size taking up less space and the modern design will keep the occupant warmer by trapping your body heat in the swag like in a cocoon, rather than sleeping in a tent.
The popularity of the swag has meant that a host of different companies have produced many different styles and sizes to choose from, starting from the basic traditional bedroll swag to the large dome swags, all with or without mozzie protection and a staggering array of options!