It’s just about to be swag season, so to celebrate, we think it is time to season our swags!

Camping in an Adventure Kings Swag often means enjoying amazing campsites, however in the bush you can encounter just about any weather from sunshine, to bucketing rain showers – it is however important that you also know how to season your swag before you use it for the first time, so pay close attention and find out exactly how to keep your swag’s waterproofing in tip top condition!

Seasoning is an easy process that ensures your swag will be completely waterproof and keep you dry even in some of the heaviest rain you can imagine. A little wet weather does not have to put a dampener on your plans to head out bush, and camping in the rain can be just as fun as in the dry when you are prepared for it! Besides, even the most reliable sour weather forecasts can be wrong, so you need to ensure your camping gear is ready for anything that mother nature can throw at it.

The Adventure Kings Big Daddy and the Adventure Kings Big Daddy Deluxe Double Swag already features a completely waterproof 550gsm PVC bucket floor but you will still need to season the canvas before use.

The 400gsm ripstop polycotton canvas is an extremely strong and exceptionally durable fabric held together with hard wearing double stitched seams to ensure even with rough treatment it will last, however when the canvas is stitched together small holes are created where the needle and thread passes through whilst these holes are small, it also means that the water may be able to leak to the inside of your swag through the holes – plugging these holes is exactly what seasoning is and when done properly should swell the cotton stitching to help seal these holes and allow the canvas to ensure the best possible weather shield.

Luckily the process of seasoning any of the Adventure Kings swags is very easy-  Simply follow these steps:

1.Set up your swag outdoors in a location with good drainage. Don’t put the mattress or any bedding inside, and ensure all zippers are fully closed

2.Use a hose or sprinkler to thoroughly wet the canvas. Don’t apply direct water pressure to the seams, but rather simulate natural rain and allow water to fall on to your double swag. Ensure a complete and even saturation.

3.Our goal when seasoning is to ‘wet out’ the canvas paying close attention to the seams, if they are resisting getting wet, you can use a rag or a clean sponge to dab at the seams and ensure they are getting a good soak and are able to swell.

This water will enter in to the threads in the double stitched seams causing them to swell in the stitch holes and seal itself up.

4.Allow your swag to fully dry completely whilst it is still erect. The material in the seams will contract during this time and bind together to form a water tight seal.

Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 at least one more time to make sure the canvas has tightened around the stitching.

While you’re seasoning your new Adventure Kings Swag, it’s also a good idea to unroll the included high density foam mattress to allow the foam cells to fill up with air and breath naturally, this will make it expand at camp much quicker and make it a lot more comfortable to sleep on the first time you use it.

The entire seasoning process may take a day or two depending on how quickly your swag dries, so be sure to buy your Big Daddy Deluxe double swag well before any camping trip you have planned.

Once the seasoning process is complete you will have a swag that will keep you, your loved ones and all  your belongings dry in even the most torrential downpour. If you do find yourself camping in wet weather, remember to ensure your swag is mostly dry before you roll it up and pack it away. If you can’t get your swag completely dry at camp, set it back up once you get home and allow it to dry for a day or two at home, that way you’ll have a mould free swag ready and raring for your next adventure. The sturdy free-standing design of the Adventure Kings Big Daddy Deluxe makes setting up your swag to dry in the living room a breeze!

Swag seasoning is easy to do and only takes about 20 – 30 minutes of actual effort, we recommend seasoning your swag at least once a year to make sure that the stitching stays swollen and the canvas wont leak when you least expect it!

Handy tip: The seasoning process described above can be used on any of the five Adventure Kings canvas swags in the range.