TREAD
SWAG LIFE
An Outsider’s Take on an Aussie Classic
WORDS BY KATIE HARRIS
PHOTOS BY DAN GREC AND KATIE HARRIS
DDan answered before I could even ask, eyes glinting with a hopeful sparkle. “I’ve been thinking we should sleep in a swag!”
That should’ve been my first clue.
He had just finished walking me through a high level overview of the build—the Gladiator he was working on to explore all the remote corners of his homeland of Australia. While I was impressed by the elaborate slide-out kitchen, drinking water and filtration system, and obvious 4x4 capabilities, I couldn’t help noticing it was suspiciously light in the sleeping department.
“A swag?” I parroted back nervously.
I rolled the word around in my mouth like a new piece of candy. “Swag” has a way of swirling around the teeth and gums like the name Maggie. Even with Dan’s soft Australian accent, worn thin after nearly two decades around the world, I could hear the barren spacious singsong of the Aussie outback in the word itself.
Somehow, I knew I was in for it.
What is a swag, anyway?
The word swag dates back to the Aussie gold rush and referred to the bounty a person made off with—legally or otherwise. Over the years, the term expanded into swagman (the men riding around on horses using swags) and then also swagger (presumably caused from spending all day in the saddle).
Sadly the outlaw connotations have long since faded away, though as I began to learn, the word swag is still in daily use Down Under.
More than just a word, the humble swag is part of the Aussie identity.
With a dreamy look in his eye Dan began to unroll exactly what a swag is: “It’s what the old bushmen used to use.”
I later learned bushmen are the equivalent of Aussie cowboys, sheepherders, and explorers of a simpler time, and are often deeply revered, despite many being ruthless outlaws.
“It’s like your sleeping mat and blankets all rolled up into one. Kind of like a bedroll.”
I could almost see Outback tumbleweeds rolling behind his eyes.
“So exactly like a bedroll,” I asked, not entirely convinced.