Kings Single Escape Swag Review and why I would not Buy it again!

Ever wondered if the Kings Swags are any good? When my kids transitioned from sleeping in a tent to their own swag two years ago I wasn't sure if they would like it and how it would work, so I did not want to spend too much money on swags if they would not suit them. The cheapest options were King Single Swags so I purchased two. I'm not a fan of 4WD Supacentre or their products and can say that I do not own any other Supacenter product. After two years, I can say the kids love sleeping in swags, and I will be looking for alternatives. While the Kings swags have been ok for my purpose, there are a few things the kids and I did not like and why I would not recommend them so check out the review.

[@ToyBJ]

No Kings isn’t the top of the range equipment by any stretch of the imagination BUT for those just starting out in the 4x4 camping arena and on a tight to non existent budget with short local travel to start with in mind then this is a starting and learning point and this applies to the vehicle they chose to purchase . Not everyone can afford a Landcruiser or Nissan with all the fruit either so let’s not put people off giving it a go , with fail comes achievements, learning , not shame and embarrassment cause they don’t have “The Best “ of everything .

[@det7474]

I like to refer to Kings gear as ‘landfill’.

[@Legaleze]

Your honesty is refreshing and greatly appreciated! 👍

[@AlloffroadAu]

I appreciate that!

[@AlloffroadAu]

Have you had Kings products? What is your experience? Let me know in the comment section. I have learned that this particular Swag is no longer available but has a successor that seems to have remedied the cross country ventilation issue.

[@northislandguy]

CRASHPAD swag with stretcher was very comfortable and lots of room!! Quality build

[@rogerclift2705]

I have exactly the same swag, bought for exactly the same reason, and I think you make some valid points. Closing from the inside is tricky, but do-able. In regards to the mattress, I always put my swags on a stretcher so I have no issue there. My 1st swag was an oztrail and I actually think the canvas in my Kings is better. However, mine is a bit older than yours. Wouldn’t say that now. Always set up under car awning, so water never been an issue. Yes, spend more, get better, but I’d challenge any swag to give better value for money than the one I have. My caveat? Mine is older than yours. I’m not as confident in their more recent quality.

[@Mixos_place]

They seem very popular at the c.p we staying at port Lincoln.I would say nearly 2/3rd were a king's swag. We bought a double swag from snowys in Adelaide for 200 bucks, kids love it .

[@user-gk1nt6sm2z]

My motto, when starting out, buy best Bang for buck cheap. Test to see how much you like the activity. If it's a lot, learn what you need in the next purchase. Everyone has slightly different needs priority. I've save heaps and tried many things. The few things I really like, I spend accordingly.

[@HardstylePete]

I have the kings dual air compressor. It's a beast and it's still going strong after 3 years.

[@fatmanoverlanding]

I bought this exact swag three years ago and have only used it twice (as I've moved into a stretcher tent not long after buying it). Like you, I found properly closing the top canvas cover from the inside to make it water tight, a challenge. And it's design is not ideal for setting up on a stretcher as it has high sides (ie. the top cover does not open all the way to the base of the swag - only half way). No wonder Kings have stopped selling this design. I think their Deluxe Escape Single Swag is a better design. If Im in the market for a swag it's what I'll consider.

[@noodlefoo]

I am still using this same swag for past few years (not so past two COVID-19 years). I do agree with you the velcro to close the top canvas cover is hard to apply. As for the soft 50mm mattress, I add an inflatable mattress plus a sleeping bag on top of it. I also set up mine under a car awning for extra cover. I will keep using mine for a few more years before investing in a better (and more expensive) swag later.

[@AlloffroadAu]

Thanks for sharing!

[@dodgyass11]

Hey Stefan do you think youll do some snow driving and camping this year?

[@AlloffroadAu]

i’m planing it every year but it’s also Desert time and Desert seem to win…

[@beersintheshed.]

I don’t know why people that don’t buy kings stuff say they don’t like them. Those swags don’t have ventilation at the foot end cause it would be near impossible to open/close it from the inside. My experience with kings stuff has been nothing but good. I have a few kings products and my son does also and find their swags are good value and have had zero issues with them. I have other well known brands of gear like ARB and TJM and their products have let me down.

[@AlloffroadAu]

hm I did buy the swags, and I would disagree with rear cross ventilation easy to slightly open before you go to bed for instance. I would not buy ARB or TJM swags but had a Darche Dusk to Dawn (which I should have kept) and kid's now have a Darche Nebula 1550+ which they love so far. Just my experience with Kings if you are happy with yours that's great.

[@jc7654]

i myself had one , it wasn't my first choice as what I was looking for was out of stock at my location, tried it once and wasn't really happy with it as the one i got has to be set-up as a tent before you can use it, so i gave it to a friend and brought an oztrail swag. i used to have a Mitchell double that was great but to big for one person , so what i ended up with i really like, the oztrail flinders discovery king single swag , I'm 180cm and 120kg and its very comfortable if you are looking for a great single swag this is hard to best, and you don't have to set it up into tent form to use it you can just roll it out and open it like a sleeping bag. you also can just tie the head-end of the swag up to a hi point of your cars and the fly screens work fine, 70mm mattress, definitely have a look if you are looking for a easy to use well made swag that has all the bells

[@AlloffroadAu]

yea good tip, kid's liked the tent form though easier for them to read etc.

[@jc7654]

@@AlloffroadAuthe flinders discovery comes with all the poles and pegs and ropes as well as a foot mat so it can be used as a mini tent but unlike the other ones that i had you don't have to if you don't want to as the top opening is full width not joined down to middle.

[@tonyf7997]

Stefan, as I am a bit older and like to think I have good life experience, my motto is buy the best quality you can afford and but the product that is going to serve you best with ease of use! ✅✅✅

[@AlloffroadAu]

yes learn that as well over the years, in this case the purchase made sense as they could have been in use only for a short time if kids had not liked it.

[@brentmcd12]

they look heaps good for kids. infact I heard that someone said this is the discontinued model and they now have something like the big daddy deluxe which is what I have . and all the other gear .there has been different versions built of the same product so I guess it depends on what year it was ,

[@AlloffroadAu]

yes mate did not check this one does not exist anymore new one seems to have some improvements, but I wont test one again.

[@anbu999]

Kings probably aware that the fizz of going bush camping will wear out very quickly for most of people.

[@4x4touring47]

I'm surprised Stefan I thought king's gear would've been so much better! 🤣😂 I will never buy king's gear again after extremely poor customer service experiences let alone crap quality. The only good thing I have from them are their led strip lights. What brand of swag would you go for? I like the look of crashpad because I've had a few of their products and the quality is right up there 👍

[@AlloffroadAu]

I'm (or better the kid's) currently testing a new Darche Nebula 1550+ so far the kid's love it and while it's a bit bigger it's great to have straight sidewalls and the little luggage compartment, not to mention a quality 70mm mattress and plenty of ventilation

[@kimbullock475]

They are not swags…. They are mini tents. I can’t understand why that they are marketed as a swag.

[@paultucker4923]

IME of buying stuff you can have only ever score a maximum of 2 out of the 3 choices of "cheap", "quality" and "functional"

[@AlloffroadAu]

yep 👍 💯 agree

[@rossstafford4531]

If you’re looking for another swag mate go to 23 zero that make bloody good swags and I enjoy your KZbin clips you put really good stuff on take care 👍🏻🇦🇺

[@retepd1e]

I had three (yes, 3) Kings Daddy Delux swags over the last three years. ABSOLUET RUBBISH by any means! All 3 of them leaked. No seam sealing at all. Foam is thin and does not support. For twice as much I bought 123Zero swag and top quality. One good thing about Kings: they gave my money back. I think they are well aware of the cheap rubbish they are selling. Will never buy anything from them. Spend a bit more and no headache.

[@rroche0123]

Their post sale customer service and support is absolutely shocking, they do not care about the customer at all and are downright arrogant. I would never buy anything from Kings ever again.

[@allanmck6078]

I've got the big daddy deluxe double been vertically living in it for 5 mths been great guarantee the darchy double is no better but double the price

[@AlloffroadAu]

hm got a Darche Nebula 1500+ now and it's better in pretty much every aspect but the price

[@fisherman6794]

People rip into kings, but my experience with their products have been nothing but great. I personally have had this swag, and the quality was great, but the design as you pointed out is not so great. I've had a number of more "quality" swags and have found the design is better, but the quality is poorer. Even kings awnings are better quality, compare the fittings and brackets etc to something like xtm and you will see they are much heavier duty.

[@AlloffroadAu]

yea, as I mentioned canvas is ok, mattress is appalling design is poor overall you get what you pay for still ok for the price but I rather pay a little more and get a notch up quality.. Hm I had a King awning as well some years ago was not to bad but no comparison to a higher end awning like SupaPeg, Darche tec.

[@fisherman6794]

Very true mate, there are definitely better options but if on a budget, kings will do fine 🤙

[@Malc664]

I don't think this swag is available anymore. The other Kings swags have an ok review by people. There's many good reviews on their website, if they're to be believed. Many other products have positive reviews too. I don't know what to believe, but their business is still going strong right?

[@AlloffroadAu]

yes I learned this one has been discontinued, new one seem to have improved some issue I mentioned. The swag where ok for what I bought them for however If you know you like and keep the swag I would purchase something better.

[@KarlEller]

I've been looking at a Kings swags as my first swag, but it keeps coming back to how much they'll actually cost. They look nice and cheap on the website, but by the time you put a proper usable mattress in them and buy a canvas swag bag, you're really not saving all that much over a better quality brand. ~$250 for a Kings single dome + mattress + Bag vs $300 for a 23Zero 900? It doesn't seem so worth it.

[@AlloffroadAu]

yep agree, and definitely would not buy one again. However at the time it made sense as it may have ended up on the shelf after one use.

[@baumie4618]

Maaaate. You probably paid $100 per swag, for a 1st swag it did it's job for the money. If anything it'd teach the kids on what they would want in their 2nd swag. Find a homeless person and give them the Kings swag. Good lessons all round. 👍

[@dougneville9097]

G'day mate, They are what's known as WOFTAM swag.Thanks😎

[@AlloffroadAu]

lol please elaborate...

[@KarlEller]

@@AlloffroadAu Waste of fucking time and money 🤣

[@dougneville9097]

@@AlloffroadAu Waste of f*&%kin time and money.

[@ondrejmarko01]

They don't make them anymore anyway.

[@AlloffroadAu]

yes found out as well they have a new model which addresses some of the issue I mention

[@Paul-45-70]

I find that the vast majority of Kings products are just plain crap but as you said you only get what you pay for .

[@donaldo1974]

Kings killed off or forced to move off shore the manufacturing of many quality Australian brands on the market with there saturation with Chinese mass produce crap they should be avoided at all cost, anyone proudly displaying the kings brand should hang their heads in shame.

[@AlloffroadAu]

would agree there

[@dunne_family_adventures]

You lost me a bit at the start, you said “I don’t really like kings or 4wd supacentre, I think this is the only item I know from them” seems your review started out quite bias against kings and it was never going to be recommended this is also a discontinued model, I’ve purchased lots of kings stuff over the years never had an issue with with anything, everything from winch, roof rack to lights and small items.

[@AlloffroadAu]

yes mate, I'm definitely biased against Kings based on previous experiences, I had a few of their products (then called Tigerz11) in my early days and they were quite hit and miss and often gave me grieve. I learned fairly quickly that the poor man pays twice and since rather buy quality (that does not just apply to Kings but many "cheap" Chinese products) While not every expensive product is good quality, rarely is a cheap product good quality and can compare with the good dearer products. That's at least my experience from having bought and been given hundreds of products over the past 10 years to test. However, I also use my products often and not only once or twice a year so poor quality shows quickly for me.

[@northislandguy]

I can’t afford to buy cheap haha

[@AlloffroadAu]

yea, I bought cheap in the early days and realised in most cases it turns out way more expensive. The saying you get what you pay for is correct, and while Not every expensive product is good rarely ever is a cheap product good.

[@northislandguy]

@@AlloffroadAu Totally agree!! I was being cheeky quoting my old Italian boss from my apprenticeship days With everything and taking the time which what you seem to do is far the best way to invest the money in a product Like all your videos great content as always 👍

[@MTBrider26]

Sorry but you lost me when when you said you haven't tested in the rain but you think you will get wet if you do. How is that a valid statement of in anyway scientific or even fair to the product you are reviewing? Sort of like testing a car by looking at it. I have personally tested them having owned 2 for my kids. Bought for same reasons as you. Properly seasoned them before use as you should with all canvas to allow cage to swell and properly settle. First trip we got caught in torrential rain for 2 days. No covering tarps and on the ground on helicopter mats and zero water penetration during the trip. I can say without reservation that mine passed the waterproof test with flying colours #respect. For what they are and the purchase price they are batting above their average as a product when it comes to getting families on a budget out camping. What can be wrong with that?

[@AlloffroadAu]

mate, I can only test how I use it and I camp under tarps hence no direct rain on swag. Camping for decades and hundreds of nights with all kinds of products it needs to rocket scientist to see how the fly closes and knowing how difficult it is to close it from the inside and even outside and to keep it water tight, so I would not want them in torrential rain, you seem to have done a good job closing them maybe you canvas was not overlapping with the velcro as much? I would hate having to go for a pee at night in the rain and trying to close swag again properly in rain. My confidence with rain and the swags is more to do with how the fly closes than the canvas itself. Yes I season all canvas products that's for sure. I also never say they are bad for the money they did the job for what I bought them for still knowing now we keep swags I wish I spend a bit more and bought better ones for all the reasons explained.

[@MTBrider26]

@@AlloffroadAu that is a lot of words to not even admit you made a quality judgement on the waterproofness of the swags without testing them. You provided a classic strawman response. All I am saying is if you don't test something then don't provide a guess or assumption either way. Especially on something as important as how waterproof a swag is. It is unfair to the product, the manufacturer and your viewers. For a reviewer credibility is everything.

[@AlloffroadAu]

see it how you want mate, we had rain at night blowing under the Hexa Tarp and me trying to get my sons swag water tight again as he did not manage it from the inside was a pain. If you watch my video I say "I think you will get wet" so it's clearly an opinion and it's based on my experience and use of the swag. No big deal mate. If you don't like my review and how I used the swags maybe create a review yourself and you can share your experiences with us.