Just putting the feelers out for people's opinions & experiences with swags ( more an Australian thing I think as I hadn't heard of them til' I moved here ) against tents.
The main advantage of a swag as I can make out as I've never used one, is that it's an all in one thing as they have a built in mattress & don't need a sleeping bag? So less to carry overall. But a downside is you can't sit up in them if you just need shelter from insects or weather?