G'day JMG,

We think this could be do-able without too many problems, you'll just need an eyelet kit and corresponding sizes spigots on a spreader bar.

G'day Peter,

I've just double-checked for you, and unfortunately, you can't unzip the mesh at the head end, the mesh is stitched in.

G'day Peter,

The Exped Megamat 10LXW is 77cm wide, so it is a little narrower than the Redgum King Single Swag, so it won't cause any troubles in combination with your mat.

You're certainly at the tall end for the swags we carry, Nick, it doesn't leave a lot of options for you. Our swags go up to about 215cm in length, but some of these have angled ends which impeded on the usable length. 

If you went for an X-Large swag in the Burke and Wills range it gives you a bit more width with 215cm in length so you can sleep a bit diagonally. Likewise in the Darche range, an 1100 wide version would give you a bit more space. I'd suggest the Dirty Dee 1100 in this instance as the end walls are reasonably upright also with 215cm of length.

If possible, I'd suggest trying to get to a store to lie in a few and make sure you are comfortable, as you are at the limits for size.

G'day Bayls,

The Redgum has 3 poles to keep it nice and taut. The long pole is for the head end and the two shorter poles are for the middle slot and end clips.

G'day Jodie,

You can certainly use the Redgum swag without the poles. If you still wanted to hold the fabric off your face you could use some cord to tie the head end up to a pole or tie off point inside the tent in place of the swag pole. 

G'day Frank,

The Burke & Wills Redgum King Single Swag doesn't come with a bag, no. You can buy a King Single Swag Bag for it here.

G'day Tegan,

So far, we haven't noticed any difference in the quality of the Burke and Wills swags since manufacturing was moved off-shore.

It's very hard to distinguish the two as they're both great swag brands. However, I have found that Jolly Swagman do put that little bit of extra effort into their product through really considering each component which gives me a little more confidence in purchasing a long-term product.

To be honest, the biggest overall difference is in their design and the use of fibreglass poles (Jolly Swagman) over alloy poles (Burke and Wills) which comes down to a personal preference. The canvas itself is very similar.

In terms of waterproofing, we haven't heard of any ongoing issues with either brand and the type of canvas they're using, only the once off issues or matters that can be easily resolved.

G'day Margie.

To set up these swags, simply roll it out in the spot that you would like to camp on, and peg it out to keep it in position. Then assemble the poles allowing the longer pole section to be at the head end, and the shorter at the foot end. Feed the pole through the upper tab which will hold the head and foot end up and feed the pin on the ring on the corner of the swag up in to one end of the pole. Then with a little effort you can feed the pin on the other side into the other end of the pole. These can be a little difficult on a brand new swag as the fabric is stiff but perseverence usually sees you through. When you have both ends on the pins, just hook over the black plastic hooks on the swag, to the poles to finish off. Then when that is all done, simply peg out the guy ropes at each end to pull it nice and tight.

A good thing to then do is to wet it all down and season the fabric an stitching. This will swell the fabric and the stitching to gain the waterproof rating and keep rain and showers out of your swag. If you don't do this step then you may find that the swag is not as waterproof when it rains for the first time, and you may encounter some leaking around the seams. It would be recommended that you do this 2 or 3 times and allow your swag to dry out between each seasoning. You will also find that the swag is easier to put together the next time as the fabric has a chance to stretch a little. 

Cheers!