Straight from the the ten bushcraft books by Richard Graves
"The Swag
"The swag, proverbial Australian means of carrying a heavy load, is one of the best methods in existence. It is simply made and very easily carried. It has the advantage of being extremely well balanced, two-thirds of the weight being carried behind the body, and about one-third in front. The result is that the carrier walks completely upright. Clothes, tent, bedding and the gear not wanted for the day's walk are carried in the swag at the back, while the food and cooking utensils and day's needs are in the "dilly" bag in front. Because of this the swag is not opened during the day but the dilly bag, attached to the front and right at your hand, is immediately accessible.
The only components for a swag are a swag strap, two binding straps and a dilly bag. The swag strap, preferably of soft leather, should be about 2' 6" [75 cm] long and a couple of inches [5 cm] wide; the two binding straps can be of any strong material such as rope, or a plaited cord, or a narrow leather strap. The dilly bag can be a sugar or flour bag, some 2' [60 cm] long, and 12" to 15" [30 to 38 cm] wide.
Figure 1., below, details the components for a swag. The swag strap should be soft and, if need arises, can be easily woven or plaited from strong grass, vines, bark strips or other material as indicated in Graves' Bushcraft Books: 01. Ropes & Cords. A soft leather strap is ideal.
Half the knack of carrying a swag consists in knowing how to "swing" it. Lay the roll, with the dilly bag extended in front of you, and then put the arm farthest away from the dilly bag through the swag strap. Heave the roll towards your back, and swing the body towards the swag, so that the dilly bag flies up and out. Duck the opposite shoulder, and catch the swinging dilly bag on it. The swag strap will then lie over one shoulder and the dilly bag over the other, with the swag roll carried at an angle across the back.
An alternative method of carrying the swag is to use two straps, one about 3' 6" [105 cm] long and the other about 6' [1.8 m] long. Both straps should be about 1¼" wide and of strong soft material. The roll is made as for the swag, and the long strap is tied securely about 5" [12.5 cm] from one end of the roll. 5" [12.5 cm] from the other end of the roll the other strap is fastened with the dilly bag held in position by the strap.
The swag is lifted to the left shoulder with the dilly bag in front and the roll at the back, the neck of the dilly bag hanging over the left shoulder. The long strap is passed on top of the right shoulder, and then under the armpit and around the back, and tied to a loop at the bottom corner of the dilly bag. This type of swag prevents the dilly bag from swaying, and is preferred by some "bushmen".
To roll the swag, lay your groundsheet or swag cover flat on the ground, and then fold your blankets to a width of about 30" [75 cm] by about 15" to 20" [37.5 to 50 cm]. Spare clothes are laid lengthways on top, with your other gear. The sides of the groundsheet are folded in, and the whole is rolled from the blanket end to the free side, into a tight roll. If a tent is being taken this in turn is rolled in the tent. The two binding straps are laid 6" to 8" [15 to 20 cm] from either end, that is 18" to 24" [45 to 60 cm] apart.
The two binding cords pass through the loops of the swag strap and are tied tightly about 6" to 8" [15 to 20 cm] from either end of the roll. The food, cooking utensils, and daily needs are put in the dilly bag, and the neck of this is tied right at the junction of the binding strap with the swag strap, or alternatively a series of cuts in the neck of the bag can be made and the binding cord passed through these so that the bag is tight to the roll. If this is done it is a good idea to make a cut down the side of the bag for about 12" [30 cm] so that the contents can be taken out without removing the bag itself from the binding straps."
View attachment 701How to make your own bedroll (swag) many variations can be found within Ron Edwards books Traditional Bushcrafts if interested I will find which volumes has this subject in them.
