Poncho Emergency Shelters

Good work. Just make sure that you roll up that hood and tie it off or it becomes a funnel. When I was in the military I used bungee cord for tie offs because it worked better in high winds allowing it to flex and flutter without pulling out the tie offs so easily.

In warmer weather I use longer tie offs and raise it off the ground a lot more so that I have rain and sun protection but it allows the breeze through.

You can lay on a small portion of it and wrap it over you as a lean to, which works well in high winds as there's no gap forwind to sneak through, but it's a very minimal shelter this way, as ponchos just aren't very big.

If you're just using it as a sun or rain shelter for cooking under or playing cards, etc. under then you can put a stick into the hood as a support pole and it becomes somewhat teepee-ish. You can also tie off the hood to branches above you for the same effect without a stick being in the way.

I often used a poncho and poncho liner as a simple sleeping bag. Just tie them to each other and wrap it around you. Works fine for warm weather when rain and dew aren't a problem.

If you're partnered up with someone else you can make some interesting shelters using 2 or 3 ponchos, especially if you're in heavily wooded areas where you can tie off to branches above you.
 
Used my poncho for that very thing yesterday. Saw a rain storm blowing across the bay we were at, and set up a simple lean-to to throw our stuff under. I crept under and stayed pretty dry and watched everyone else pack up and flee in their cars. Nothing like getting a little practical practice while hanging out at da beach!
 
Thanks for posting this up :thumbup:

The poncho is a very versatile piece of equipment. Well worth their weight in gold.
 
You can get more room under your lean to by slipping a noose around the hood any tying it off to a tree or a properly placed stick. Mr. Bunny won't brush up against the tarp as often and stay dryer.
 
Nice post.

The Flying A-frame with ridgeline and Lean-to are two of my favorite poncho/tarp pitches.

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dd61999 said:
what kind of poncho is that

and can it hold up to strong winds without ripping
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Mine is a Golite Silicone nylon poncho. It’s about 10oz and packs down to nothing. It has proven very weather/wind resistant. I have covered some serious miles with it.
 
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If you have some old flexible dome tent poles, you can cross them and dome the poncho into a rectangular dome tent that you can put over you like a clam shell. You will have to shorten the poles some and place an electrical nut on the end to get the poles to stay in the grommet holes.
 
I've found that a diamond pitch, with the foot end of the diamond slanting down towards the ground afforded me me the best protection in wind and rain. The lean to is nice for room, but unless the wind stays in just the right place, I think there are better options.

Nice A frame setup there.
 
I am relieved to find out I am not the only guy that plays with tarps in the back yard. ;)

I got a new Etowah 10X10 nylon tarp last week, and have been putting it up, taking it down, putting it up another way.......................

if you bought that Golite poncho for $39, you got a STEAL. Most places have it at almost double that price point.
 
Mannlicher said:
I am relieved to find out I am not the only guy that plays with tarps in the back yard. ;)

I got a new Etowah 10X10 nylon tarp last week, and have been putting it up, taking it down, putting it up another way.......................

if you bought that Golite poncho for $39, you got a STEAL. Most places have it at almost double that price point.
Click to expand...

I don't think the OP's tarp/poncho is a Golite.
 
Love the ponch shelters here are some I'm fond of

I this one the poncho is folded under to make a bit of a floor..it also emploiys a frame of dead wood
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Looks comfy don't it?
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Here's another one I use allot if I'm jus tout for the day and its rainy.. gives me some room to sit and work on projects or whatever.. Ialso tehorize it might make a decent blind if situated with in the environment correctly
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Here is just a simple example of an emergeny setup I made as a demo utilizinf a dead fall tree..and a back wall as a fire reflector, Its a little sloppy as I was just trying to illustrate something at the time.
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All in all I'd say my poncho is on my top 3 facvorite piecves of gear.. I;ve used it for shelter.. water collection..as a hammock, to gather leaves for a debris shelter... as a rucksack.. and am currently working on a net trap utilizing the poncho.. (we'll see how that turns out...

anyway great thread.. always a pleasure to meet a fellow poncho lover... Thanks for posting
 
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