Australian outdoor gear company, Alton has teamed up with Scott Williams from 'Scotty Goes Walkabout' on YouTube and designed what they say is the 'Gold Standard of Solo Shelters'.
The single skin Walkabout Swag is manufactured from Nanopore fabric which they claim is rated at over 20,000mm for waterproof performance and 20,000g/m²/24h for breathability.
It features a three quarter length 'Noseeum Micromesh' insect mesh panel on the top side enabling the top panel to be rolled down to around knee level on warm nights while keeping the bugs outside.
Entry to the swag is through the top rather than crawling it the end which is a great feature.
There also appears to be enough room at the head end to store a reasonable sized pack so you don't have to leave it outside in the weather.
There is no vestibule area which is the norm for most swag / bivvy products, especially those focussed on minimising weight and size.
The design features hoop poles at the head and foot end and it comes with 10 tent pegs and enough guy ropes to setup in pretty much any situation.
For the lightest setup you can leave the poles at home and use guy ropes on the top loops tied off to trees or the bull bar of your vehicle instead.
The weight of the swag by itself is 925gm with the total weight including poles, pegs, ropes, the included groundsheet and bag coming in at 1.47kg (See below for full specs).
The carry bag has compression straps so you can cinch it down tight once it's packed away.
First impressions are that I love the look and shape of the Walkabout Swag and the khaki colour is definitely on point.
There are no windows or vents that I can see other than the top mesh section which you would need to keep closed on a rainy night so ventilation may be a challenge and lead to condensation on the inside walls and potentially get a bit claustrophobic.
Watching Scotty demonstrate the internal space in his video I had the impression that the roofline is fairly low, especially in the middle area. Anywhere that you are in contact with the walls or roof of a tent during the night will usually allow water ingress on wet nights and mosquitos will bite you through the mesh if you are pushed up against it.
I have woken up during many a night camping in the tropics with a dozen or more bites on my shoulder or elbow where I've rolled over during the night and pushed up against the mesh of my mozzie net.
I'd also be interested to see how the Nanopore fabric performs on wet nights when you're in contact with the material.
The Walkabout Swag retails for AUD$699 putting it squarely in the premium quality tent range and it comes with a lifetime warranty.
It's available to buy directly from Altons website.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
