Badlands Fieldcraft: Gear Review and Junk On The Bunk: Helikon-Tex Swagman Roll and Poncho Sleep System Review

The poncho liner is a classic piece of sleeping gear for anyone who has spent any time in the field. It’s lightweight, compact and keeps you warm(ish) when wet. As great as it is though, guys in the field always find ways to improve on their gear. Many would have a zipper sewn in so that the blanket could be converted to a sleeping bag. I believe the current issue USMC poncho liner has this modification done to it now.

The classic poncho liner

A couple years ago, Helikon-Tex decided to take a stab at their own version. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this company, you should be. They’ve been making great gear in Poland for quite awhile now, including the PCS smock for the Brits (Which is another great piece of kit) and numerous other pieces of equipment for NATO forces as well as their own line of outdoor and tactical gear. I decided to pick up Helikon’s version right after it came out, the Swagman Roll.

It’s been designed from the ground up to be an improved version of the poncho liner, with the capability to be used in many different ways. It’s made of a water resistant nylon shell with Climashield Apex insulation, which is much better than the standard quilting used in the poncho liner. Climashield Apex insulates as good when it’s wet as it does dry and compression doesn’t degrade its ability to insulate over time.

Just like the poncho liner, it’s still designed to be used with the USGI poncho. Helikon makes a great new production version of the poncho as well, which I’ve used extensively and it’s every bit as good as the original being waterproof yet durable. It also doubles as a small tarp should you need an overhead shelter.
Together both pieces make for a well thought out sleep system/ warming layer/ shell layer. Combined they weigh in at only 2.8 pounds, making for a great lightweight system.
The Swagman Roll comes with toggles in the corners so it easily attaches to the grommets in the corner of the poncho.

The great part is that the Swagman Roll also has a built in hood so that you can actually wear it with the poncho.

The Swagman Roll also features a full length zipper so it can be used as a sleeping bag. When used with the poncho as I just described, the poncho serves as a water proof bivy bag too. That’s now two uses out of the same two pieces of gear. Shell layer, insulation layer, sleep system. More uses = less weight.

Since the Swagman Roll has a hood, it can also be worn poncho style without the poncho. It comes with straps and buckles to wrap it securely around your body. This is great as a quick warming layer to put on over your gear.

The Swagman Roll has become a permanent part of my line 3 gear alongside my poncho. With the combination of the two and a space blanket I’m good in conditions down to about freezing (your mileage may vary depending on how much suck you can embrace) as long as I can prepare a browse bed of some sort. If I want to add to this further I just grab my goretex bivy bag and a set of USGI field jacket and pants liners, and I’m sleeping toasty. For an opportunity to learn more about your own kit as well as see how others are doing it, be sure to check out my fieldcraft classes.

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

19 Comments

  1. Badlands Rifleman April 28, 2021 at 09:44

    So a quick note to this article- I slept in the above gear down into the teens last Friday at the Fieldcraft Course with the addition of a thermarest sleeping pad and the warming layers I normally carry. Many of the students commented on how much I was snoring while they couldn’t get to sleep in their sleeping bags.

    • spaceman April 28, 2021 at 22:25

      I’m jealous

    • AKR April 29, 2021 at 01:52

      How small do they pack to?
      Thanks for all the great articles Badlands Rifleman. Lots of learning going on!!

      • Badlands Rifleman April 29, 2021 at 13:19

        The Swagman Roll, poncho, thermarest, and space blanket pack down a little smaller then the size of two one gallon milk jugs. Total weighs about 4.3 pounds

        • AKR April 29, 2021 at 14:41

          Thanks Badlands Rifleman!
          Do you or anybody else have a comparison in warmth between this and the Snugpak Jungle blanket? I realize you can’t wear the jungle blanket like the Swagman but would still be curious

  2. Insurance_Agent April 28, 2021 at 10:20

    I’ve looked at this and the Serape offered by Hill People Gear.
    The prices are effectively a push.
    Does anyone have input on a comparison of those products?

    • Oarsman April 28, 2021 at 11:09

      I’ve been very happy with my Serape, but while I haven’t used one, I think the toggles for the poncho grommets give an edge to the Swagman Roll. It’s definitely a feature that I’d like to have.

    • NC Scout April 28, 2021 at 12:46

      HPG is good to go but they’re never in stock.

  3. Hawkeye April 28, 2021 at 10:48

    4.5

  4. Hawkeye April 28, 2021 at 10:48

    5

  5. Paulo April 28, 2021 at 12:46

    That is one good multi purpose poncho gear to have.
    Looks like it definitely beats the heck of the sweating effect with the rubber/plastic ones.

  6. KC April 28, 2021 at 17:27

    This is good gear. I bought one on your recommendation.. I liked it so much that I bought two more for my oldest boys. This fills multiple rolls with the same weight and bulk. These will be well used by the end of hunting season. I ordered a couple of their ponchos as well, but I don’t have those yet.
    Usually I backpack and hunt with a light down bag, which is unbeatable for weight and bulk versus warmth. But it’s useless when you’re not sleeping, It also can get pretty wet on the outside shell if used without a tent in cool temps with heavy frost or dew. I’ll be mixing stuff around a little over the summer and fall to see what works best.
    The Helikon Tek website shows out of stock, but you can buy on Ebay and get it shipped over on Fedex for about the same price. Also picked up some surplus Goretex bivie sacks for 68 bucks on Ebay.
    Thanks for the review.

  7. Commander Zero April 28, 2021 at 19:34

    Whats that shoulderbag?

    • Rucksack Rob April 29, 2021 at 14:57

      That too is a Helikon Tex product. It appears to be their ”’Bushcraft Satchel’. I have one and really like it. They have several different styles such as messenger type and also, I believe an urban line. The Satchel had a couple of lashing loops on the bottom so you can strap a parka or poncho roll to it. Little details like that is what makes Helikon superior products.

  8. Anonymous April 28, 2021 at 21:30

    4.5

  9. RB in GA April 28, 2021 at 21:34

    I bought one of these earlier this year in the Penacott green pattern. This thing will warm you up quickly!
    As an aside I got mine from their European shop, as the US shop was constantly out of stock. At the time, it was cheaper, even with shipping, to get it from Poland!? by $30.00! So be sure to check that shop when looking at their gear- they also have a far larger selection on the European website.

  10. Anonymous April 28, 2021 at 23:06

    3.5

  11. Anonymous April 29, 2021 at 20:21

    5

  12. Rucksack Rob April 30, 2021 at 11:01

    Also FYI: Buying direct from Helikon is much less expensive than buying through Amazon, (by almost $70 for the Swagman Roll) the problem is that A) Helikon is out of stock on many items, including ALL their Swagman Rolls and B) if they ship from any EU facility or company, it can take close to a couple of months for the item(s) to arrive here in the US (it took over 7 weeks to get a patrol pack from a dealer in Sweden that I purchased through Amazon and it was shipped within 3-4 days of ordering) If you have the patients, you’ll get a very good product.

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