Poncho Shelter Picture Thread (Pics of poncho shelters only!)

k_estela

k_estela

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I consider a poncho a great multi-purpose item. Uses include an instant rain protection, quickie shelter, ground sheet, makeshift water basin and on and on. Here is a thread that highlights using ponchos as shelters. This item is definitely in my 10 Essentials and may be in your's as well. Time to show off the versatility of this great piece of gear.

"Nammy's or Nammies" Poncho Shelter Variant

Note: If more time allowed, I would have added additional tie downs to the upright poles supporting the paracord ridgeline.

ponchoshelter2.jpg


Ponchoshelter.jpg


Same shelter without the use of a center ridgeline or poles.

wlc35.jpg


Poncho used: USGI Surplus Poncho
 
Same type of shelter as original thread except made with a Sil-Poncho from Integral Designs

wlc123.jpg


wlc124.jpg
 
Real nice and versatile piece of gear those ponchos. The sil-nylon ones are really light as well. I've done several backpacking trips using a poncho as my main shelter, but I find them a bit small, especially with the amount of rain that falls in New York's Adirondack mountains. I'd prefer a 10'x10' tarp, but it's good to know a poncho will do nicely in a pinch. The other reason I don't rely on ponchos or tarps is the hellacious amount of mosquitos and black flies in the places where I backpack. I really need the benefits of a fully enclosed shelter. Nice pics though!
 
PB Wilson said:
Real nice and versatile piece of gear those ponchos. The sil-nylon ones are really light as well. I've done several backpacking trips using a poncho as my main shelter, but I find them a bit small, especially with the amount of rain that falls in New York's Adirondack mountains. I'd prefer a 10'x10' tarp, but it's good to know a poncho will do nicely in a pinch. The other reason I don't rely on ponchos or tarps is the hellacious amount of mosquitos and black flies in the places where I backpack. I really need the benefits of a fully enclosed shelter. Nice pics though!
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Yeah, but they'd be a good place to stash your gear making more room in the tent.
 
As a SUL backpacker, I especially appreciate the multi-use capability of the poncho. Last time in the Grand Canyon I used a sil-nylon variation called the Gatewood Cape:

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=45#

The Gatewood is light and has a zipper closure for use in both the cape (poncho) mode and the tent mode. It sets up with a single treking pole and six tent stakes. This approach works well for me because I always carry a single treking pole on hikes.

Here's a couple pics of a practice session setting up the Gatewood before venturing into the Grand Canyon:

gatewood1xc8.jpg


gatewood3rg4.jpg


The front zipper is open in the second pic. One advantage over a standard poncho is that by closing the zipper a fully enclosed shelter (except for ventilation at bottom) is provided. The cape weighs 11 oz exclusive of the pole and stakes, and is roomy enought for me at 6' 3".
 
From my recent Shining Rock trip. Our kitchen/living room. I put it up to keep the rain off of our stove/cooking and a place to sit and hang while it's raining. Sucks to be driven into your tent. This is a German Army poncho that I've had for a few years now:

PICT0033-2.jpg


PICT0031-1.jpg


PICT0030.jpg
 
OK. Really guys. How much shelter does this give?

Brian, would that really keep you dry if it rained? Or would you be wet from above and muddy from below? It seems to me to be a sun screen and not much more.

Kevin, woudn't you be sleeping in a puddle if it rained?

Same (?) for you Bill.

And Seahawk, that looks miserable to me. Did that provide any warmth? If it had snowed, how much snow could that hold up before you got buried?

I'm not trying to be an asshat here. I'm trying to learn to go ultralight, but here in the south we have bugs that will eat your leg off during the night if you're not protected. In Louisianna we have cottonmouths that are more agressive than the pansy assed snakes you guys are dealing with. All the shelters above, except the cold looking one looked buggy to me and watermoccasin accessible. And they looked to provide less shelter than a debris hut. On a nice mild evening with no weather you could be comfortable I guess. But really, a person gets as much shelter from an umbrella, right?


Edited to add: I like the tarp shelter this guy built. It at least looks to keep you dry in weather...

http://survival.com/IVB/index.php?showtopic=24434
 
Fiddleback said:
OK. Really guys. How much shelter does this give?

Brian, would that really keep you dry if it rained? Or would you be wet from above and muddy from below? It seems to me to be a sun screen and not much more.

Kevin, woudn't you be sleeping in a puddle if it rained?

Same (?) for you Bill.

And Seahawk, that looks miserable to me. Did that provide any warmth? If it had snowed, how much snow could that hold up before you got buried?

I'm not trying to be an asshat here. I'm trying to learn to go ultralight, but here in the south we have bugs that will eat your leg off during the night if you're not protected. In Louisianna we have cottonmouths that are more agressive than the pansy assed snakes you guys are dealing with. All the shelters above, except the cold looking one looked buggy to me and watermoccasin accessible. And they looked to provide less shelter than a debris hut. On a nice mild evening with no weather you could be comfortable I guess. But really, a person gets as much shelter from an umbrella, right?
Click to expand...

Good questions Andy. If rain is a possibility, set the poncho up on relatively high ground. Doesn't take much in most cases, just don't set up in a depression (:eek:). Also, use a ground cloth (UL of course). As for keeping the bugs and windblown rain away, sleep in a UL water repellent bivy with a no-see-um netted aperture for your face. The UL bivys only go 6 or 7 oz. :thumbup:

Cheers,
 
Andy when setting up a shelter you always do it in a desirable location. Look up to make sure no dead trees or branches can fall on you, check the wind direction, and always set up in a high spot where rain won't puddle. You can also dig a little trench around your emergency shelter to insure the there will be no run off.

Just a couple thing I learned last week;)
 
Andy, yes, it kept us and our gear plenty dry when it rained. :thumbup: It's not as high as it seems in the picture, and the ground underneath slightly rises so water drains away from under it. We wanted a palce to sit comfortably without having to hunch over. We moved small logs under it to use as seats, but they are not yet there when I took the photos.

I used a poncho exclusively as a shelter many times and it worked in windy rainy mountain conditions. You can see some examples if you have Ron Hood's vol 11 video.
 
great stuff guys...:thumbup: i don't own a poncho, though now i think i need one...:o i do have an 8 x 10 siltarp that i keep in my pack...
 
Brian Jones said:
PICT0033-2.jpg
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No disrespect, and maybe it made more sense at the scene, but that seems to be an odd height.

I hate sitting on the ground for extended periods, but using a stool or log would put the person too high into the shelter, unless you were under the centerline. Forget about standing.

I like these high enough to allow standing, or at least sitting on a stool.

I agree that ponchos are very versatile !

.
 
i have a poncho but its way too small for me...it only keeps my dry to my knees when i wear it and it makes for a cramped shelter when i set it up. i need to either have a custom made one or get one of those big army versions...

great shelters and cool ideas guys. i don't have any pics of mine, but i commonly tie one corner low to a small tree or pole, perhaps 1-2 feet off the ground, then stake out the other three corners to the ground. not too much space inside, but it keeps me dry and warm with little space to heat. i have been playing with using one of those cloth space blankets with the survival instructions printed on it for a groundcloth. very light and waterproof.
 
Great thread, Kev! I'm currently working on an article that will feature a poncho as a primary piece of gear.

-- FLIX
 
David E said:
No disrespect, and maybe it made more sense at the scene, but that seems to be an odd height.

I hate sitting on the ground for extended periods, but using a stool or log would put the person too high into the shelter, unless you were under the centerline. Forget about standing.

I like these high enough to allow standing, or at least sitting on a stool.

I agree that ponchos are very versatile !

.
Click to expand...

It does look different in the pics, but it worked superbly. I brought my old crap Vivitar digital camera with me, which has a tendency to elongate the pictures vertically. Plus, my brother is over 6' 5" tall. If I had taken a pic of my brother sitting under it on a log, you'd see the elongation in effect better, and get a better sense of proportion. His head would be hidden under the edge of the poncho. In fact, if you look around the lower edges of the photos, you can see some of the distortion happening, especially in the second pic. It blurs more towards the edges of the pics. Sometimes it even takes pics that look like a funhouse mirror. I have no idea why it does that. Just a built-in astigmatism or flaw. It was fine when I first bought it...

That said, try it a little higher when you camp - not for your actual shelter, but as a "gazebo." If I didn't have the tent, there would have been a very different set up with the poncho.
 
Brian Jones said:
Andy, yes, it kept us and our gear plenty dry when it rained. :thumbup: It's not as high as it seems in the picture, and the ground underneath slightly rises so water drains away from under it. We wanted a palce to sit comfortably without having to hunch over. We moved small logs under it to use as seats, but they are not yet there when I took the photos.

I used a poncho exclusively as a shelter many times and it worked in windy rainy mountain conditions. You can see some examples if you have Ron Hood's vol 11 video.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to harass you bro. I've seen BTD use one too. I've just never gone out with so little protection.

For example. Here in GA (WAY worse in Louisianna) if you sat on the ground like that for 5 minutes, your balls would itch for weeks with chiggers. Much less if you slept right on that spot, rain or not.

I've done a fair bit of camping guys (Eagle Scout). These questions aren't meant to offend.

I'm looking into a hammock just because of these reasons.

Bill! I want to try a bivvy, but I worry about condensation. If you say this isn't an issue, I'll change my strategy and check into it. I'm not bothered by closterphobia.
 
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