Which Poncho?

[Davyd]

I was out hunting and wandering in semi open farmland on the weekend when a shower came down -after a while I pulled the old poncho I strap to the bottom of bum bag off - and put it on for the first time. Age has not been kind to it.... it worked for time but is probably a decade overdue for replacement.

I am not very familiar with Ponchos. In winter I just wear water resistant clothing and have the poncho as emergncy backup. This situation was unusual to get caught in rain heavy enough to bother about with when wearing lighter clothing due to the approaching summer (in Oz)

What would you reccomend? and Why?

- I like the current size which rolls up to a cylinder less than a foot long and less than 2 inches thick and fits neatly into straps ath the bottom of my hunting bum bag (probably designed for that purpose)

- reasonably tough as it is outside the bag and not protected.

I gather that the army poncho's might fit this nicley - are there other candidates?

p.s this happened in 10 minutes between being loudly berrated by an eagle for coming close to its nesting tree, and having the most intense double rain bow with full half circles showing. The bottom rainbow beign so intenese it had aroudn 10 bands of colour (i.e. more than the usual 7)

 

[333rm]

The best poncho that I have used is sold by bepreparedtosurvive.com. It's made of 1.3oz silicone inpregnated nip-stop nylon. It will keep you dry and last a long time. I'm a Marine and have used almost every type of poncho in the field, military and civilian types, and this is my favorite. They have 2 sizes also, one is 58"x90" and the extended one is 58"x104". The extended one is designed to fit over you entire pack. It also works great as a make shift shelter to sleep under. I hope this has helped some.

 

[j williams]

Go Army. The others are nice, but IMO too expensive to justify for such a simple piece of gear.

 

[Mistwalker]

Go Army. The others are nice, but IMO too expensive to justify for such a simple piece of gear.

I agree, I wouldn't trade my issue ponchos for anything else on the market.

 

[Davyd]

Thank you guys!

Two very good options along the price spectrum

- What are the ponch liners advertised to goe with the army poncho's?

- I gather that the equipped to survive poncho's are at least as robust despite being very translucent??

 

[Mistwalker]

Thank you guys!

Two very good options along the price spectrum

- What are the ponch liners advertised to goe with the army poncho's?

- I gather that the equipped to survive poncho's are at least as robust despite being very translucent??

It's like a quilted blanket made of synthetic material that's very light yet very warm for it's weight. I have two of those and love them too. I'll go out to my truck and take a couple of pics if you'd like.

 

[Mistwalker]

Here are a few pics that show both the poncho and liner.

The liner draped across the back of my truck.

Both laying there with some other gear.

A shelter with the poncho used as a lean-to and the liner for a ground pad.

 

[6shooter]

Hey Mistwalker, about how small do the poncho liners pack up?


And does anyone have a good source for USGI ponchos and liners? Ebay doesn't come up with much, and UScav and BrigadeQM seem pretty expensive. I'm not sure where else to look.

 

[Pritch]

Davyd,

The USGI ponchos are a sturdy polyester while the Equinox ones from bepreparedtosurvive.com are an ultralight SilNylon. If I recall correctly, the USGI weighs about twice what the SilNylon ones do.

-- FLIX

 

[Mistwalker]

Hey Mistwalker, about how small do the poncho liners pack up?

You can compress them down sort of small...but they are still a bit bulky. They have a lot of air space which is what helps them be so warm for their weight.

 

[6shooter]

Ah alright, thanks. PS: I dig your camp setup in those last two pics:thumbup:

 

[August West]

USGI for me, it is a bit heavier than sil nylon, but hella tough, I have used one with two sticks for a field improvised litter and it held up fine. I have also made one of these http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/ponchotent.htm and was very pleased with the results. I don't carry the poles anymore, I just suspend the poncho by the hood from a limb, stake out the corners and get the same results for much less weight. Chris

 

[Cpl Punishment]

I use GI ponchos as well. As far as getting them, I kept searching eBay until I found some good ones.

The poncho liner doesn't compress very well. I can stuff it in a GI buttpack -- ALICE or MOLLE style.


Mistwalker, I love the fact that someone else uses LBE for camping, and carries an e-tool.

 

[j williams]

Poncho liner doesnt compress very well, but its not all that big, I mean its smaller and lighter then most sleeping bags, and works well as a warmer weather quilt. Very nice piece of kit. You can always go lighter and more high tech. If money was no object to me Id get a Intregal Designs Sil poncho, and a Kifaru Woobie. However, I think the GI equipment works fine for my needs.

$200+ vs. $40 +or-

 

[mtwarden]

I went w/ the ID poncho as this is going to be my primary solo shelter when backpacking (combined w/ a light bivy)- 10 oz total and the sewn stake out loops are near bombproof- I got mine on ebay for $50

 

[matthewdanger]

I use USGI ponchos. They can be picked up right now on Ebay for decent prices as more and more of the Woodland camo gear is phased out of use. I have also used a poncho from SnugPak that was pretty nice but nothing really matches the durability of USGI ponchos. Just make sure the ones you are buying are new in the package and actual mil-spec or you are rolling the dice. Brigade Quartermasters also carries new ones that truly mil-spec.

Poncho liners can be pretty versatile gear and keep several of them around. I have found that they compress reasonably well in a compression sack. I will also sometimes load one into a small ultra-sil dry bag, then I put my knee on it to force the air out as I close it. This effectively vacuums the bag down to a managable size.

Compressing them may be too much effort though since they carry so easily. You can fold them into any shape you want so I will generally just fold them into the thinnest shape that will fit in my pack. I find it easier to pack a flat square or rectangle shape than small bulky roundish shape like a sleeping bag. I just lay the poncho liner in the back of my pack so it takes up almost no room at all.

 

[C_Kyle]

Hey Mistwalker, about how small do the poncho liners pack up?

I can fit mine into a Granite Gear Pillowsack, which is 9x14.5". That's just cramming it in the sack. If you folded/rolled it up neatly, you could get it into a smaller stuff sack.

The poncho liner, while cheap, does not have very good weight vs warmth. I love mine, and use it all the time, though.

 

[August West]

I can fit mine into a Granite Gear Pillowsack, which is 9x14.5". That's just cramming it in the sack. If you folded/rolled it up neatly, you could get it into a smaller stuff sack.

The poncho liner, while cheap, does not have very good weight vs warmth. I love mine, and use it all the time, though.

I agree, I have heard legendary claims of the poncho liner's warmth, I have never been impressed. I use mine combined with a wool blanket and it does ok, but not even in the same world as a decent quality bag. Chris

 

[Mistwalker]

The poncho liner, while cheap, does not have very good weight vs warmth. I love mine, and use it all the time, though.

Maybe I love mine so much because I live in the south east where we haven't even had a decent snow in years

 

[Joezilla]

The GI poncho is great. It can be had for next to nothing, has a bunch of grommets, and unless you are crazy about weight and silnylon, it is probably the best choice out there.

Once you have worked hard with that one, you can make the call if you want a better version.