The double drop is a big step for the premium, lightweight outdoor gear brand from Brisbane.

Alton, also known as Alton Goods, has been around since 2015. They’ve got a no-compromise, independent approach to outdoor gear, and you’ll notice a distinctly Australian and bushcraft-inspired approach in many of their products. They’re also big, big fans of a particularly nice shade of green.

What could be more Aussie than the humble swag? Alton probably could have sold a heap of traditional canvas swags if they’d wanted to, but instead they linked up with Scott Williams from Scotty’s Gone Walkabout for design advice, spent a few years in R&D, and constructed it out of their brand new Nanopore shell fabric.

Listen now: Wild Camping with Respect – Scotty’s Gone Walkabout – We Are Explorers Podcast Ep 9

The Walkabout Swag

Traditional swags are comfy and tough, but they’re also heavy and bulky, something Scotty explored while hiking with a swag in one of his videos.

The Walkabout Swag solves this problem by being made of Nanopore (more on that in a bit), bringing the packed weight down to 1.47kg, or 925g for just the swag itself.

 

 

Dimensions

Set up: 261 X 102 X 53.7cm

Packed: 35 X 15 X 15cm

It’s a bit of a combination of a swag and a bivvy, featuring design cues from both to form the ultimate single-person shelter for Aussie conditions.

Some features I love are the extra room to store your pack, the extra large bug mesh section and the tiny packdown size. You can even leave the poles and pegs at home if you’re happy to tie it to a few trees instead.

All you need to add is your own sleeping mat.

Without a doubt though, it’s the Nanopore material that steals the show and makes the Walkabout Swag adaptable across the continent.

What is Nanopore?

‘Surely that’s some off-the-shelf waterproof material’ I thought when I first saw hints on Alton’s page. But true to form, Alton have worked to create their own waterproof breathable 3 layer shell fabric that marries performance with environmental credentials.

 

 

The material utilises a membrane with nanoscopic pores that are much smaller than water, yet allow water vapour to pass easily through in the other direction. While similar technology is around (Futurelight from The North Face utilises nanospinning) I believe it’s a first for an Australian brand, let alone a smaller player like Alton.

The stats are great, 20,000mm hydrostatic head and 20,000g/m2/24hr breathability. This puts it in the middle to high-end of the scale in terms of performance, but crucially it does this without the use of PFC or solvent-based DWR coatings.

In fact, Nanopore is 100% free of these products, which is a big win for the environment, as these chemicals have toxic properties and don’t break down naturally, leading to bioaccumulation in plants and animals. It’s also a win for durability as DWR layers wear off and need to be renewed to maintain performance.

What’s that all mean for a swaggy bivvy? Well it’s way lighter and smaller, but because it’s basically made out of the same material as a high tech raincoat, it should keep you dry in all conditions and allow moisture from your breath and sweat to escape more than a traditional tent or swag.

I know that this can be an issue for single-layer tents that are often used for high-altitude mountaineering, so I’ll be interested to hear how it performs in the Aussie bush. According to Scotty, it’s comfortable in the ‘tropics of northern Australia, or in the snowy High Country, or the mountains of Tasmania’.

Out Now

The Walkabout Swag is available now on Alton’s website for $699. That’s a solid price for a small, 1 person tent, but given the materials involved it’s actually surprising it doesn’t cost more. Look out for Nanopore in other Alton products coming soon.

 

Images thanks to Alton