Setting up a Poncho Shelter

panzertroop

panzertroop

Joined
Aug 8, 2008
Messages
2,142
Got out yesterday to play with my new MEST poncho and check out the woods in my area. Temps were at 40 with sunshine. Spring is starting for sure. Insects are coming out and buds are start to pop.

IMG_6868wa_zpsegacuxec.jpg


IMG_6850wa_zpsvqclhgbw.jpg


IMG_6849wa_zpsazthpvy2.jpg


No time in the woods is complete without coffee

IMG_6848wa_zpsb9yhszpn.jpg


New pack to test out

IMG_6847wa_zpswb1habmz.jpg


IMG_6859wa_zpscpzrbhzk.jpg


IMG_6858wa_zpsza7kojsb.jpg


Video of my day, showing set up of the poncho
[video=youtube;7VlMHNXT2Y4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VlMHNXT2Y4[/video]
 
Forest floor is alive.

DSC_0079wa_zps8uih5zj2.jpg


The Heavy Cover get goes everywhere with me now.

IMG_6860wa_zpsf7sryb4f.jpg


IMG_6861wa_zpssibyzr3s.jpg


Made in the USA!!! How can you bet that. Thanks Bushcraft Outfitters for putting out such great products.

IMG_6874wa_zpsb8cwaevs.jpg
 
I just did a wilderness first aid course, and somehow it rained for every scenario session, while being dry for the classroom bits. Having a shelter that is easy to set-up, and flexible was really key. I learned a few things about silnylon. Wet silnylon is super annoying! But it was really good to be able to practice setting up on odd positions to keep someone covered and dry.
 
Nice set up

And the alcahol stove is great
Tell about the poncho as i need to replace my old and very shot Army Poncho

my poncho set up
Works in very poor weather with torrential rains
You can use trees sticks or hiking poles
I used to use my framed backpack when I was a kid



 
Hi! Very nice post :) Tarp is also my favorite camp shelter type in spring and summer. I got a Tarpfox a couple of years ago (from Amazon) and it works really fine. Nice camp-set up and god gear you have :thumbup: As soon as snow will melt out a bit in the mountains here I really have to work out an overnight! Thanks for sharing, nice read!
 
I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on how to set up a tarp shelter and have something I've been hoping to be able to ask a tarp user I'll ask here -

Are you guys using a bivy sack to keep the foot end of your sleeping bag dry in rain?

Seems like the poncho tarp is about as long as I am tall unless it's oriented diagonally. Which means that when I lay on the ground under the tarp my head and feet will be within a few inches of the edge. Which means that either or both my head and feet will get drips and spray from the edge. I've been exposed to some real humdingers of thunderstorms and hailstorms in the mountains and some very heavy all night rains that closed the road 1000' above me for depth of snowfall. Have been real glad of being in a tent for these events. (wished for earplugs when I didn't have them though)

With a bivy sack I can see scooting so that my covered feet are outside the drip line and my head is well inside.

Is that how you do it?
 
I have to admit: aside from a day shelter (very handy when out hunting all day and it rains) I never really got the tiny tarp setups. I mostly hammock camp now when I backpack but for a bit more money you can get a silnylon tarp that can protect 2 hammocks and folds down to the size of a fist:




I have slept on the ground countess times in tents and have done the tarp thing a couple of times. I personally would rather use a Goretex bivy for my sleeping bag and I and a trash bag for my backpack and gear instead of a small tarp. The Bivy protects me from the rain that always seems to run along the ground (if you're on a hill it runs if you're in a flat spot it pools).

The hammock adds less than a pound of gear to the tarp and gets you up off the ground. The trick is to tuck the hammock up tight against the tarp so you are protected from blowing rain and sideways winds in a way that a ground tarp can never protect you (you can at best be level with the edges of the tarp.

For summer hiking a blanket is all that is needed for warmth (vs. needing ground insulation no matter the season when using a tarp/tent). In the fall/winter/spring a lightweight down "underquilt" keeps your undersides toasty and can turn any summer hammock setup into a 4-season setup.
 
For me the poncho/tarp is a two in one day kit just in case. Not dedicated overnight camping gear. I have a warbonnet tarp for that.
 
That's about where I am. Have carried and used military poncho for years. Used as raingear on the go, used as shelter/raingear while waiting for t-storms to pass, used as tarp for rain when camping with a tent.

Just can't see it working well for overnight in rain. (especially when my summer weather pattern is to end the summer day with ground whitened by afternoon hail and air temps in the 30's just before sunset)
 
I've not camped under a poncho since getting out of the Army. Use to spend a month at a time under one during FTXs. Bought one an put it in my daypack with 4 bungee cords. My poncho liner is currently on my side of the bed :)
 
Halfneck said:
I've not camped under a poncho since getting out of the Army. Use to spend a month at a time under one during FTXs. Bought one an put it in my daypack with 4 bungee cords. My poncho liner is currently on my side of the bed :)
Click to expand...

Likewise I have never slept under a poncho by choice. But for many years I packed one or two in my canoe for emergencies. Usually came in handy during an unexpected downpour when setting up my tent would have been an exercise in futility. But twice over those years they were real lifesavers. Once when I was caught in an unexpected wet snowstorm. I tossed one over me and erected it tarp-style from underneath preventing hypothermia. Another time I was caught on the river at dark on a section with only steep banks and no flat spots as it began to rain. I set it up teepee style in a canebrake, again from inside of it. I stayed dry and warm though I had to sleep sitting up with a candle between my crossed legs. Being in the South, I've always been more about excluding bugs and other bedmates when camping thus my preferences for a real tent. I tried a bivey style for a while but hated not being able to sit up or move around to change clothes or pack/unpack gear. Never tried a hammock but they seem to have the same shortcomings, IMHO. Kudos to those who do like and use these shelters though. I might have learned to love them had I started on them when I was young and more agile.
 
Pretty much what those guys have said, a USGI poncho on its own is not quite enough for most. The one I have is far too heavy considering I can carry my tarp, rain coat, and a few extras for that weight. Silnylon is a fantastic invention. there are some very good civilized poncho-tarps on the market right now. At work we have a bunch of guide size tarps that roll up to about 4x8 inches, and they will shelter quite a few sitting up, and can be pitched so that a bunch of people can sleep cross-wised. really handy for those real worst case situations. A good tarp is all about adaptability.

Macchina, I can't do no underquilt, but then, I'm a cold sleeper, and don't like a cold back, even when the temp overnight stays above 25C. I do have a pretty thin one though, and its far more comfy than my old 3/4 thermarest.
 
Codger_64 said:
...when I was young and more agile.
Click to expand...

That's the truth. My current tent is a Sierra Designs 1 person. It's light and packs up small, but as I've gotten older it's gotten to be more an more of a hassle maneuvering around inside it.
 
Halfneck said:
That's the truth. My current tent is a Sierra Designs 1 person. It's light and packs up small, but as I've gotten older it's gotten to be more an more of a hassle maneuvering around inside it.
Click to expand...

Thus why the last tent I bought was a discontinued second hand Mountainsmith Sanctuary three man dome with a vestibule. Room to sit up, move around, use a UCO candle lantern, store my gear and a dog. Heavy, yes, but I backpacked it some. Mostly I canoe camped. But I don't bend like I used to. And don't enjoy things crawling on my face at night. No-seeums are no fun. Even stinky granddaddy longlegs lose their novelty.
 
A poncho was the way to go while in the back 40 during training in the army but not used while in combat so I could live with it or without it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top