How An Australian Charity’s Swag Is Fighting Homelessness

How An Australian Charity’s Swag Is Fighting Homelessness

As many as 15,000 people sleep on Australia’s streets each night, subjected to violence, harassment, and the elements. That’s 15,000 too many for Tony Clark’s tastes. So his charity, Swags for Homeless, hands out these ingeniously integrated tent-mattresses called the Backpack Bed.

The Backpack Bed is constructed of lightweight, fire-retardant, weatherproof, mildew-repelling UltTrex Lite fabric surrounding a 6-foot 2-inch insulated foam mattress. The floor covering is extendable and the cover can be tied up to create an outdoor shelter as well. The entire assembly weighs only about 4kg (roughly half of what traditional canvas swags weigh) and rolls back into itself for storage its integrated backpack.

The Backpack Bed won the German 2011 Red Dot “Best of the Best” award–one of the most prestigious accolades in the product design world. They retail for $US68 on the Swags for Homeless website with proceeds going to help the homeless.

[Swags for Homeless via The Awesomer]


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