I don't use a swift because I rarely buy yarn that comes in a hank and needs winding. But I do have a ball winder on loan from my sister who has another one. I find it is great for rewinding the yarns I have hand balled after ripping out a project that I did not like or to reshape a partially used skein into a neater "cake."

It can be done without a swift, but it's a whole lot easier and faster with one! If I need to use it in the RV, DH volunteers to hold the hank while I wind it. You can use the back of a straight back chair, but I find the yarn tangles badly. You will be much happier if you get the swift also. If you think it's too expensive new, check ebay.