Golite poncho tarp????

[saltysack]

Currently trying to lighten up my load for summer trips on southern AT and hopefully a JMT thru late summer..currently use an Easton kilo 2 person that weights around 2 lbs. like the price and weight of the poncho tarp...any users feedback for shelter? I'm a newbie to tarps...


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[Rolls Kanardly]

Currently trying to lighten up my load for summer trips on southern AT and hopefully a JMT thru late summer..currently use an Easton kilo 2 person that weights around 2 lbs. like the price and weight of the poncho tarp...any users feedback for shelter? I'm a newbie to tarps...



What are you putting underneath the tarp? REI has a special on hammocks and 20% off if you are a member.
1 pound 2 ounce and some interesting colors. Rolls

[saltysack]

Poncho for rain and tarp for sleep shelter


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[daddytwosticks]

You may get wet while sleeping under that poncho tarp. I use a Meteor Bug Bivy under an MLD Pro poncho during the summer down here. I tend to stay in shelters that time of year because they are usually pretty empty. The bug bivy works great while in the shelters. :)

[Venchka]

Poncho for rain and tarp for sleep shelter


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We had this talk before. What if your rain gear is in tarp mode and you have to out in the rain? Ponchos will make do in a pinch as shelter, but not full time. The Gatewood Cape may be an exception.

Wayne


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[Venchka]

On the other hand...
You could search high and low for a piece of fabric designed and built to provide shelter. Bill Moss's HeptaWing set the standard many moons ago. There are reasonable substitutes on the market today. There is one in my closet at home. It weighs 1 pound 3 ounces with guy lines, stakes & stuff sack. You can't have that one. :D :cool:

HeptaWing on the John Muir Trail...

http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sierratrails/sphinx/hepta.htm

Trip report...

http://www.catchafallingstar.com/jmt/johnmuirtrail2003.htm

Various shelters in action...

http://www.catchafallingstar.com/jmt/marielake.htm

Poncho in action...

http://www.catchafallingstar.com/jmt/seldenpass.htm

For the record, I am a big fan, owner & user of ponchos for backpacking. I need a new one. The GoLite Poncho is at the top of my list.

Wayne

[bigcranky]

I have one of these. Using a poncho tarp for a primary shelter can be done, but you're going to get wet in some (many) situations. The Golite p/t is a reasonable size and can be pitched with decent coverage if you're not too tall. I use a half-pyramid with my hiking pole in the middle of one long side. That way I can pitch with one long guy line (in the middle, with the pole), two medium guylines (on each corner on the same side), and three short 6-12 inch guylines (on the opposite side, to lift it off the ground for more space underneath.) Then I use a second long guyline and my other hiking pole to pull out the middle/top from the hood (twist tightly and use a girth hitch on the hood) to increase volume inside. Once you've set it up, it's much faster to do than to write about :)

This works well for a small tarp shelter, with all the issues that go with those. However, there are some additional things to consider when using a poncho/tarp as both rain gear and shelter:

1. You can't hike with the guy lines attached (at least, I can't.) So you'll need to attach the guylines before removing the poncho when it's raining.

2. You'll need to practice setting up the tarp in the rain -- transitioning from wearing it as a poncho to sitting under it as a tarp, without getting too wet. This can be done, even in heavy rain, but you have to practice it ahead of time. A lot. And you're going to get wet.

3. You'll need something to use in heavy rain when you need to go out and use the facilites. I bring a single-layer wind shirt, which helps keep me mostly dry-ish. This also helps when setting up the tarp as a shelter.

Overall, while I like the simplicity of the poncho/tarp combo, I would only take it on a hike in places where I didn't expect long term heavy rain. Like the JMT, maybe, or other places out West. Maybe on the AT in the fall, but only after checking the long term forecast. Otherwise I need to bring too many other things to make it work, at which point a 24 or 32 ounce tarptent shelter looks pretty good.

[saltysack]

I have one of these. Using a poncho tarp for a primary shelter can be done, but you're going to get wet in some (many) situations. The Golite p/t is a reasonable size and can be pitched with decent coverage if you're not too tall. I use a half-pyramid with my hiking pole in the middle of one long side. That way I can pitch with one long guy line (in the middle, with the pole), two medium guylines (on each corner on the same side), and three short 6-12 inch guylines (on the opposite side, to lift it off the ground for more space underneath.) Then I use a second long guyline and my other hiking pole to pull out the middle/top from the hood (twist tightly and use a girth hitch on the hood) to increase volume inside. Once you've set it up, it's much faster to do than to write about :)

This works well for a small tarp shelter, with all the issues that go with those. However, there are some additional things to consider when using a poncho/tarp as both rain gear and shelter:

1. You can't hike with the guy lines attached (at least, I can't.) So you'll need to attach the guylines before removing the poncho when it's raining.

2. You'll need to practice setting up the tarp in the rain -- transitioning from wearing it as a poncho to sitting under it as a tarp, without getting too wet. This can be done, even in heavy rain, but you have to practice it ahead of time. A lot. And you're going to get wet.

3. You'll need something to use in heavy rain when you need to go out and use the facilites. I bring a single-layer wind shirt, which helps keep me mostly dry-ish. This also helps when setting up the tarp as a shelter.

Overall, while I like the simplicity of the poncho/tarp combo, I would only take it on a hike in places where I didn't expect long term heavy rain. Like the JMT, maybe, or other places out West. Maybe on the AT in the fall, but only after checking the long term forecast. Otherwise I need to bring too many other things to make it work, at which point a 24 or 32 ounce tarptent shelter looks pretty good.

Thinking about it for late aug jmt thru....??


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[bigcranky]

Thinking about it for late aug jmt thru....??


Might be ok, it really depends. The nice thing about a tent is you just set it up and jump inside. A tarp requires more skill and care in pitching, and a tiny tarp even more so. That's true for almost every ultralight technique - shedding pack weight requires more skill and experience than just buying a bunch of cuben fiber and hitting the trail.

I haven't hiked the JMT, but my limited experience out West was with sudden, brief, massive t-storms in the afternoons in the summer. Using a p/t as a primary shelter would work well for trails where you are cowboy camping most nights, with the occasional need for some shelter. So it could work there. Just get handy pitching it.

Here's an article that might help (http://thru-hiker.com/articles/ponchotarping.php).

[bamboo bob]

I don't see how these strictly tarps would stand up to a New England downpour especially in the windy fall. They are great for out on the PCT where it rains seriously only rarely. Your pitching skills have to be A1

[Smooth & Wasabi]

I have one and think it is a great poncho tarp at a great price. I personally only use it on short fair weather backpack trips or as an emergency shelter for long day trips. I have not used it in serious weather but am confident I would be ok in most weather with my dwr bivy and a synth quilt. It would not be overly comfortable and I would not want to deal with multiple days of inclement weather. I also do not have any experience using it as rain gear above tree line in real wind but many folks have done so with the help of a cord belt. Personally if going on a longer trip or when the weather outlook is iffy I much prefer a 9x9 tarp, light ground cloth, and ul rain jacket. The weight difference is negligible since you won't need a bivy and the comfort and convenience of a palatial shelter and separate rain gear is well worth it in my opinion. Though it is still certainly a useful tool in the quiver for certain applications.