Swift Campout June 19-20 2021

What is the Swift Campout?

The Swift Campout is an annual bike-camping weekend organised by Swift Industries – a bike bag brand from the USA. In addition to organising a ride, the Swift Campout intends for folk all over the world to organise their own campouts on the same weekend. It’s all about celebrating the pure joy of bike camping during the summer solstice.

When does the Swift Campout happen?

As the Swift Campout is celebrating the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice (the longest day of the year), it happens in June. This year, the campout is scheduled for the weekend of 19-20 June. For Aussies, this means the campout is celebrating the winter solstice. So be prepared for some cold camping!

How can I take part?

There are a few ways you can take part in the campout, depending on how much effort and input you want to expend. You could just use the date as an excuse to go camping. Job done.

But if you want to get a bit more involved in the community spirit you can join the international event. Sign up on the Swift Campout website and register the route you plan to take, sharing this on their world map. An added incentive to sign up on the website is that you’ll have the chance to win a ‘grand giveaway’. Although you’ll be added to a few mailing lists for the privilege. 

Swift Campout Canberra

Around 20 Canberra bikepackers headed out for the Swift Campout into the nearby Namadgi National Park. Riders started wherever and whenever they wanted, meeting up at Brandy Flat Hut to camp for the evening.

This campout was a great example of how rad a (semi) organised ride can be. The format was similar to the Jimna Escape, with riders choosing their own routes, timings and groups to reach the common meeting point.

Already looking forward to the next campout.

Some words from the CBR campout have been published on the Capital Brewing website.