We’re incredibly proud to announce that Alton’s Walkabout Swag has been awarded Gold in the 2025 Australian Good Design Awards.
To have one of our products recognised for the second year in a row by one of the world’s most respected design awards means so much to us. We’re so honoured.
The Australian Good Design Awards are one of the most respected and long-standing design awards in the world. Established in 1958, the Awards celebrate excellence across more than 35 categories, from architecture and engineering to fashion and sports and lifestyle. Every entry is evaluated by a panel of 80 expert jurors from around the world, assessed against three key criteria: Good Design, Design Innovation, and Design Impact.
The theme of this year’s Good Design Awards was ‘Design for Better’, a celebration of how thoughtful, responsible design can play a role in creating a more sustainable world.
This year, the Good Design Awards highlighted projects that not only demonstrate an exceptional standard of design quality and innovation, but also make a meaningful impact on people and the planet.
To receive a Gold accolade is to be recognised among the very best, awarded to the top five entrants in each category.
We couldn’t be more proud to see the Walkabout Swag classed among the best entries this year, especially considering the incredible range of entrants in our category (Sports and Lifestyle).
We were in some seriously inspiring company – so much effort, care and dedication went into every product on show alongside us.
As a way of celebrating this achievement, today we’ll unpack the origins of our Walkabout Swag, and dive into some of the inspiration, goals, and challenges that went into making the award-winning design you see today.
The Gold Standard of Solo Shelters: Unpacking the Walkabout Swag’s Design
Born in the Backcountry, Designed in Brisbane
This all began in 2022, when the Walkabout Swag was born out of a collaboration with Scott Williams, an Australian adventurer and filmmaker known for his Scotty’s Gone Walkabout Youtube Channel.
Scott’s hands-on bush experience was indispensable in conceptualising this shelter, and we’re deeply grateful for his feedback and insight.
From there, we worked closely with Clandestine Design Group, a specialist design firm based in Brisbane. With their expert support, we were able to bring our vision for the Walkabout Swag to life.
Built to Go Further.
Every product we create at Alton begins with a purpose: to equip people to go further, experience more of the wild, and find a sense of freedom or fulfilment in doing so.
In Australia, the swag has always been a symbol of self-reliance and simplicity. It was a shelter born out of necessity, trusted by those who spent their lives in the bush.
We wanted to capture that spirit, but use innovative modern materials to create a lightweight, minimalist solo shelter that would be suitable for challenging wilderness environments around the world.
To do this, we knew that the Walkabout Swag needed to be tough, reliable, and functional, without compromising on weight and packability.
While this sounds simple, in reality, creating a shelter that adheres to all of these criteria is a huge challenge.
Nanopore™ 3L Breathable-Waterproof Shell Fabric
One of our biggest hurdles initially was that none of the materials commonly used in swags or bivvies ticked all of the boxes for us.
Traditionally, swags are constructed from a heavy-weight canvas, a material that is renowned for its toughness, longevity, and weather resistance. And while that classic fabric choice is perfect for station life or vehicle-based camping, it isn't a viable option for hiking or backpacking scenarios.
On the other end of the spectrum, most of the ultralight composite fabrics on the market commonly found in specialised outdoor equipment lacked the durability and breathability we were looking for.
We considered traditional ripstop nylon and polyester, which would have given us strength, weather resistance and lightweight performance, but they lacked the breathability necessary for a small, fully enclosed shelter like the swag.
Fabrics with PU/TPU membranes were on the table, and certainly offered the breathability and weather resistance we needed, but the technology was largely developed for apparel, not shelters. Another downside was that most of these options relied upon DWR treatments that degrade over time, reducing performance and leading to chemical build up in the environment. They also require a heavier laminate construction to achieve durability, which didn’t align with our target weight/packability goals.
All of this led us to find something better. A material that could deliver true four-season protection without sacrificing performance, durability, or sustainability.
Working directly with an industry-leading textile engineering company, we developed Nanopore™, a proprietary 3-layer shell fabric that utilises a cold-extruded nanospun membrane.
The membrane’s 3D matrix of nanopores are so tiny that water molecules are unable to pass through, but allow vapour to escape. As a result, Nanopore™ achieves an unprecedented high waterproof rating of 20,000mm and a breathability rating of 20,000 g/m²/24 h without the use of toxic chemical solvents.
Nanopore™ became the foundation of the Walkabout Swag and allowed us to create the shelter we’d envisioned without compromising on any point. It’s lightweight, compact, and highly protective – and yet requires fewer resources to produce and has a significantly lower environmental footprint than most high-performance fabrics.
Function-First Design
Beyond the material itself, our design approach for the Walkabout Swag was to put functionality first.
Every detail needed to be there to serve purpose. That meant stripping away superfluous features and focusing in on the essentials: protection, usability, and packability.
Protection
When you’re pushing your limits in the wilderness, reliability is everything. The Walkabout Swag is engineered to combine storm-ready weather protection with advanced breathability for year-round comfort.
The low-profile, three-pole frame architecture offers superior structural integrity in high winds and heavy rain, while the bath-tub floor, pre-sealed seams, and built-in storm flaps with velcro tabs ensure you stay dry when the conditions deteriorate.
In warm conditions, the entire top section of the swag can be unzipped and rolled back to expose a micromesh upper that protects against mosquitos and other biting insects.
Usability
We’ve designed the Walkabout Swag to be as intuitive and easy to use as possible, with a setup process that’s fast and frustration-free.
The top entry point has been carefully positioned to make it easy to get in and out of the shelter, and at the same time prevent water ingress during wet weather. We’ve utilised anti-snag zipper guards to ensure quick, efficient access and reduce the chances of jamming.
The Walkabout Swag is intended to serve adventurers who spend most time outside their shelter, not in it, but even so livability was a big focus for us. We designed it to be spacious enough to move around and stash gear, while still prioritising the minimalist approach.
Packability
When you’re carrying everything on your pack, every gram of weight needs to earn its place. As such, we prioritised compact efficiency from the outset.
At 1.4kgs, the Walkabout Swag isn’t the lightest shelter on the market, but it is designed to make every gram worthwhile – through comfort, protection, and versatility.
In terms of size, the Walkabout Swag is impressively compact. The Nanopore™ fabric is significantly less bulky than common alternatives, so it takes up minimal space in your pack.
By applying a function-first mindset at every stage of development, we created a product that balances technical performance with everyday usability.
High-Quality Construction
The same obsessive attention to detail drove our approach to construction. We carefully selected premium materials and components that could be trusted in demanding environments, and then worked with an expert manufacturing team to produce the Walkabout Swag.
A part of this is driven by a desire to provide the best possible result for our users, but it is also because we understand that durability and sustainability go hand in hand. Producing outdoor gear has an impact on the earth, and no matter how sustainable the materials we use are, there will always be an inherent impact associated with any product.
However, one of the most effective means of reducing the environmental footprint of any piece of outdoor gear is by using it for as long as possible. The more years of use you can get out of it, the better.
That’s why durability is one of our guiding principles at Alton. We build our gear to last, and one of the most important parts of that is selecting materials that offer proven performance and longevity in outdoor environments.
Committed to Constant Improvement
From testing and refining numerous prototypes to securing detailed community feedback and remote field tests in some of Australia’s most unforgiving environments, creating the Walkabout Swag has been a labour of love – and we’re not done yet.
Every trip report, review, and conversation helps us understand how we can serve our users better, and ensure our gear facilitates the adventures they want to experience.
Since first releasing the Walkabout Swag, we’ve made some refinements based on invaluable feedback we’ve received from our community.
Designing the Walkabout Swag hasn’t been easy, and there have been moments when things didn’t go to plan, but every bump in the road has ultimately helped us create a stronger, more reliable and functional shelter.
This Award is Yours, Too.
We’re proud to represent Australian design on a global stage, and even prouder to see our work contribute to a broader conversation about sustainable, thoughtful design.
In many ways, receiving the Good Design Gold Award doesn’t feel like a personal win so much as a collective one. The Walkabout Swag is the result of a shared effort from Scotty's Gone Walkabout, the Alton team, community, and a wide variety of experts – adventurers, product designers, textile engineers, and manufacturing specialists – all of whom brought their unique insights to the table.
And of course, there’s you. The Walkabout Swag wouldn’t exist without you. Whether you’re supported us or challenged us, trusted our gear or trash-talked it – all of you have helped make this possible.
We’re so grateful to be in this position, doing what we love, making gear that lets you do what you love. Seeing our gear out there, helping people get outside and find a bit of freedom or joy in their day, always hits home.
This Good Design Gold Award isn’t just our win.
It’s yours, too.
