question on poncho as shelter

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darkhawk424

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Feb 10, 2006
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It was raining quite heavy here in Singapore and while I was out, I notice a few people wearing poncho. I myself use it a few times as a rain cover or as a shelter then I though of a question...

If you use a poncho as a shelter, and you are wearing it during a heavy rain with strong wind, how do you set it up without you or your equipments getting wet?

I do not know if this has been asked before if it has could someone direct me to the thread ;)

thanks!
 
Good question-I guess it would depend on how the rain was falling and how the wind was blowing. If the wind and rain were coming at an angle maybe using the ponch more like a lean to may do the trick. I would carry two ponchos-one cheap little one that folds up to the size of a wallet for this kind of situation and one ponch dedicated for wearing or shelter.
 
While my gear is still in the bergan it'll hold out against even the strongest rain far longer than it would take me to pitch a poncho. Add to that I have a bergan cover, and if I'm going light with a day pack that isn't especially waterproof everything inside that needs to be dry is in a separate bag anyway.
 
A couple of suggestions.

1. carry a 2nd poncho or a rain jacket. With a poncho you are going to get wet from the knees down anyway.
2. put your pack into a heavy duty plastic bag when you set it down.
3. sleep in the poncho with your legs tucked into a plastic bag. Rest your back against your pack so you are sleeping in a semi-upright position.
4. if its really warm, don't even wear a poncho. Get wet. Just set it up as a shelter at day's end.

I happened to read a book about the famous British Commandos of World War II. I gather that they NEVER wore rain equipment. Just their wool jackets, wool sweaters, and wool pants. Nothing leather whatsoever in their kit. This practice was meant to toughen them against the elements they might face in northern Europe.
 
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You're just gonna have to get a bit wet while you set it up. Like Baldtaco-II said, it pays to have a waterproof bag in your rucksack's main compartment. Anything that you don't mind getting wet goes in the outside pockets. That is the way we did it in the Airborne Infantry. I hope this helps. H-Minus
 
I use a Gatewood Cape, which is a SUL poncho designed for easy, fully enclosed setup as a shelter. Here's a website with pics and specs:

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

There are individuals who claim to be able to set up a Gatewood while wearing it. Basically, you extract your head from the hood and stake out the cape from the inside. Then you use your trekking pole to provide the single required support. You finish up inside the shelter with your pack.

I think this approach would require a bit of practice. Do try this at home before you try it in the wild. :D
 
thanks for the replys

Fraser said:
A couple of suggestions.

I happened to read a book about the famous British Commandos of World War II. I gather that they NEVER wore rain equipment. Just their wool jackets, wool sweaters, and wool pants. Nothing leather whatsoever in their kit. This practice was meant to toughen them against the elements they might face in northern Europe.
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Wait a minute... wool?? Wont it like absorb all the water?? Aw man I hate to be them...
 
^ keeps you warm regardless of how wet you are, and it breathes VERY well when your moving fast and outputting lots of heat/steam/sweat.
 
keeps you warm regardless of how wet you are
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Yep, it insulates even when wet. But it's a real bear to get dry sometimes. :)

it breathes VERY well when your moving fast and outputting lots of heat/steam/sweat.
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Another huge advantage of wool, why I wear wool socks for summer work and hiking, wool maintains a level of cushioning even when soaked.

As far as the poncho question, I wear a military surplus poncho with the grommets and snaps. It's come in handy quite a few times in mountain monsoon rains and hail storms. Several different ways it can be used to protect from rain:
- when day hiking, it covers the entire pack
- hiking with a frame pack, it can somewhat protect the top of the pack if snapped together a certain way
- when stopped with a day pack it's easy to sit cross-legged with daypack on lap, and have the poncho covering everything. Eat lunch in there, take a nap, whatever.
- when sleeping, poncho snaps around sleeping bag to protect from dew or light rain. Most of the time though I simply lay it out as a ground cloth.

I've only used it to build a shelter a couple of times in real-world situations:

Once, I used a stick in the poncho 'head' to hold up the center, and staked each corner. Two people with ponchos can snap theirs' together for a decent-sized shelter. Spent one rainy night like that with two friends and their ponchos.

And once I removed my boot laces and tied the poncho between two trees. Used the frame pack as one 'wall'. That was a hellaceous hail storm...

I carry a lawn-sized trash bag to cover the entire frame pack when not wearing it.
 
I read an article that recommended wearing a soft shell. Dont go all out and buy a extremely expensive one with several membranes, just a simple one. It will shed the rain more than long enough for you to get it up and it is very breathable.
 
I carry a couple large contractor bags in my jacket pocket.if it rans all my gear can fit in 1 and be dry while I set up my home...
 
darkhawk424 said:
If you use a poncho as a shelter, and you are wearing it during a heavy rain with strong wind, how do you set it up without you or your equipments getting wet?
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That's why carrying to ponchos, or a poncho + tarp, or a poncho + a bivy, or a poncho+waterproof cloting is very practical: you can set a camp a walk around, enlarge your shelter, lend it to a friend... Sure it is a bit heavier, but not that much and sooooo practical if you foresee heavy rain.

darkhawk424 said:
Wait a minute... wool?? Wont it like absorb all the water?? Aw man I hate to be them...
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Yes it does but not even remotely as bad as the dreaded cotton.
 
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Instead of carrying two ponchos, wouldn't it make more sense to just carry a sil nylon tarp, even a small one (6x8 for instance)?

As for keeping your gear dry, I just put my stuff into dry bags inside the pack. I just let the pack get wet.
 
If I am seriously concerned about having to set up a poncho shelter in the rain I take along a DriDucks Micropore Rain Parka. It's very light (6 oz) and very cheap ($18.99 with pants) for a breathable parka. Here's a website

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/driducks_rain_gear.html

I don't bother with the rain pants. Just get a parka that's a little large on you to make sure you're covered to about mid-thigh or knee.
 
HighDesertWalker said:
If I am seriously concerned about having to set up a poncho shelter in the rain I take along a DriDucks Micropore Rain Parka. It's very light (6 oz) and very cheap ($18.99 with pants) for a breathable parka. Here's a website

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/driducks_rain_gear.html

I don't bother with the rain pants. Just get a parka that's a little large on you to make sure you're covered to about mid-thigh or knee.
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Hmmm... then won't it be better to use a lightweight tarp instead of the poncho? offers more protection... LOL but then it will be out of point right? haha:D
 
Why not carry both? I do and havn't regretted it once. A bit more weight, but the extra available shelter is great. Also, dressing for the trip is important. Knowing whether or not rain is expected in the area you will be traveling, means you will have rain clothing with you.
 
darkhawk424 said:
If you use a poncho as a shelter, and you are wearing it during a heavy rain with strong wind, how do you set it up without you or your equipments getting wet?
Click to expand...
If you are planning on using your poncho as your main shelter, you will just have to accept compromises. If you want to set it up as a shelter, you are going to get wet doing it. If you want to wear it to keep yourself dry, your gear is going to get wet.

I carry a poncho in my daypack for rain protection and emergency shelter, but just that emergency shelter. Even then its really best used in weather where you can get by being at least a little wet. If the wind is strong or the rain is heavy, you will probably end up getting at least somewhat we in a poncho shelter. I live in an area of warm climate a great deal of the year, so that is a compromise I can live with.

Fraser said:
1. carry a 2nd poncho or a rain jacket.
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I see this as kind of pointless. Why carry two ponchos, or a rain jacket and a poncho? If I wanted a minimal shelter in addition to personal rainwear as two separate items, I would bring a poncho/rain jacket to wear and a tarp for shelter.

I happened to read a book about the famous British Commandos of World War II. I gather that they NEVER wore rain equipment. Just their wool jackets, wool sweaters, and wool pants.
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Personally, I don't want to be that tough! Wool is better than nothing when it gets wet, but its still miserable compared to being nice and dry. ;)
 
darkhawk424 said:
Hmmm... then won't it be better to use a lightweight tarp instead of the poncho? offers more protection... LOL but then it will be out of point right? haha:D
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Not exactly. The poncho covers your pack whereas neither the parka nor tarp will do that. Yeah, you could wrap the tarp around your pack, but that's more trouble than just throwing on a poncho to keep you and your pack dry. Multifunction gear beats single function any ol' time.
 
Rain covers for the pack are fairly inexpensive and do a pretty fair job of keeping the pack and your gear, dry.
 
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