Life with Poncho.

[firefly]

I got my gatewood cape in the mail. WOW.....I must be nuts. Any tips from people who really use a poncho for raingear and shelter?

[Vi+]

Firefly,

“I got my gatewood cape ...”

I’m utterly unfamiliar with that item, so I’m unable to be of any help there.

You advised, “... I must be nuts.”

Please be more specific.

“Any tips from people who really use a poncho for raingear and shelter?”

I’ve tried, I think, every type of rain gear there is. Nothing is perfect. You may need to adjust your expectations downward. Different seasons may pose different demands on rain gear for different people. There, that was pretty helpful, wasn’t it?

In the army, back in the day when the army did a LOT of walking, and you carried everything you needed on your back, I tried to go light. In summer, when walking, I accepted that I was going to get wet and, unless buckets of rain were pouring, I didn’t bother to use a poncho. The poncho lay over me at night when it rained. Winter was cold enough that the snow didn’t melt on you, so you didn’t need anything extra to stay dry whether walking, setting up or breaking camp, or sleeping. Strategic placement of a scarf supplemented a lot.

I’ve become softer and want more luxury.

When you’re wet, you tend to be colder than when you’re dry. In summer, some cooling may not be bad; it may even come as welcome relief, for a while. “For a while” is an important consideration, for after a while a slight “chill” becomes “cold” which may become hypothermia. In winter, staying dry is of greater importance.

I perspire a lot. Rain wear reduces the evaporation rate of my perspiration making me wet, starting from the inside. A poncho provides the best ventilation for me. When enough wind picks up, ponchos flap, and rain reaches my torso. To counter this, I wrap cord about my waist to reduce the flapping. This of course reduces the ventilating properties - the specific reason I prefer a poncho - bringing me to the same level of every other rain garment, but the poncho remains superior for my needs all the other times.

Cooking, while wearing a flapping poncho is another trick altogether.

I use a tarp for shelter. The poncho can be overlaid on an end of the tarp to provide additional protection from windblown precipitation. I haven’t figured out how to take off a poncho, in wind and pouring rain, then set it up as shelter without becoming completely saturated and possibly dangerously cold.

The trick is to balance dryness/wetness with warmth.

[MDSHiker]

I don't exactly have any tips, but I use a poncho for rain gear and ground cloth if the weather isn't too cold. My pack is small enough so that the poncho fits over me and the pack. If I'm cold then I'll wear a fleece jacket under the poncho. Yeah, they aren't always easy to hike with but they get the job done.

Last May, just north of War Spur shelter, I found myself in a thunderstorm complete with hail and lightening. I sat down on a log and completely covered myself, shoes, and backpack with my poncho. I still prefer a rain jacket when backpacking, but the poncho fills a lot of needs for me depending on the weather. Though, I've never had to pitch it as a tarp.

[food]

I have had my Gatewood in some heavy rain and wind. It works great as a shelter and as rain gear. I carry a drop stopper jacket to wear around camp for warmth and to give me something to wear if I had to set up in the rain.

[Just Jeff]

There was an article about setting up a poncho in the rain...don't remember if it was the GC or a standard poncho. It was either on backpackgeartest.org or backpackinglight.com. IIRC, you set two stakes, pull your head inside and crawl through to set the other two stakes, then put up your pole until it's tensioned. Then crawl around and redo the stakes until it's just right.

[blackbishop351]

Just a note on ponchos in general....

I've read on the forums that a lot of people disagree with me, but I actually prefer a poncho to a rain jacket. Why? Because I don't use a waterproof pack, a pack liner, or waterproof stuff sacks. I use a pack cover. And, as I'm sure many have experienced, the pack cover is great, except for the hole it leaves open around your pack's suspension. I can let my poncho drape over this area, keeping it dry. It also gives the top of my pack some extra protection.

As always, just my .02 :D

[Just Jeff]

Hope you don't fall in a river.

[blackbishop351]

LOL I have, actually....a couple of times! But it was summer, so it was actually kind of refreshing...:D

I see your point, though. And I'm talking primarily about warm weather hiking. In the winter, I generally wear a waterproof shell, top and bottom, so it may as well be a rainsuit.

[Spock]

Congrats, you have broken the poncho barrier. Maybe these ideas will help.

As raingear: Ponchos provide coverage for you AND your pack, and will keep both drier than a raincoat and rain cover ever can. The water that runs between the pack and a raincoat chills the back of the raincoat to cause greater condensation than otherwise would occur. And a raincover cannot keep the back of the pack dry. No pack fabric is waterproof - other than hypalon or some other thick, heavy plastic material. And most packs have fittings, padding and layers at the back which absorb tons of water, stay wet, and eventually wick water into the pack. So the poncho keeps the pack and its contents drier than a raincover can.

The poncho leaves the lower legs and forearms somewhat exposed. You can take care of the forearms by adding simple thumb loops or finger loops strategically on the hem to keep the arms covered. The lower legs can be protected by chaps, high gaiters or just left alone, depending on the size of your poncho vs. your height, weather, personal preferences, etc. I like to use a W/B windshirt under the poncho in cool weather. The extra layer seems to keep the arms drier and generally seems to promote better vapor and condensation management.

High wind and brush are the poncho's greatest foes. Both can be mitigated somewhat with a waist strap. It usually works better to have the strap attached at the center back (at least through a loop there) on the outside, so it can hold both the back and front down without slipping down. A center front loop, again on the outside, will keep the strap up in the front.

As shelter: An 8-foot x 5 poncho is adequate even for 6 footers with practice; 8.5 or 9 is generous. An 8-foot poncho set up as a half-pyramid is a roomy, bombproof shelter for one and with the back to the wind is the driest configuration. A simple leanto or A-frame will work as a dew shield. And remember, a heavy dew precedes dry weather for the next 12 hours. A longer poncho, 8.5 or 9 x 5, will work give just enough coverage in the rain if a low side is to the wind - either a leanto or A-frame set up high/low, and certainly, the 1/2 pyramid.

There are three ways to handle the job of attaching guy lines when transforming raingear into shelter. The simplest but most time consuming is to simply tie lines onto the poncho when and where they are needed and untie and store them separately in the morning. When setting up the leanto or 1/2 pyramid, the ground side (s) does not need guy lines. A quicker method is to attach the lines with small mitten hooks - either steel or plastic (they weigh the nearly same for equivalent strength). The trickiest way is to sew reinforcement squares to the corners and sides of the poncho in such a way that they can be turned inside-out with the guy lines inside. Velcro holds these pockets closed. The small extra weight or the guy lines inside the pockets helps keep the hems of the poncho down when using it as raingear in the wind.

The hood can be a problem when using the poncho as shelter. It is preferable to use a configuration in which the hood simply flops over to shed rain and in which the hood opening does not allow the shelter shape to distort. The 1/2-pyramid and leanto achieve that. The A-frame pulls along the ridgeline and will distort to prevent a weather-worthy setup. Some hoods are designed to avoid distortion, but they are rare. There are two common fixes. You can put a noose around the neck of the hood and suspend the hood from a separate line, or you can support the entire ridge line with a line running under it and let the hood fall over. The latter is easier on the hood, simple, and secure. Some folks worry about water running down the line to drip inside. Just tie a bit of line or thread around the line before it goes under the tarp. The water will drip off there instead of over your head.

I have mentioned four configurations that I have found to be the most useful for a poncho: 1/2-pyramid, leanto, symetrical A-frame (both ends the same height), and high/low A-frame (the foot end lowered against the wind). It is a really good idea to spend an afternoon in the yard or a nearby park practicing setting all of these. And it doesn't hurt anything to run out and set up the next time you get a high wind or a storm. And in the dark. And on difficult ground. You can bet on meeting nasty conditions the first time you use anything new in the woods. That's a law of nature, so be prepared.

I generally use my 8.5 x 5 foot poncho in an A-frame over my hammock. Above timberline, I use the 1/2 pyramid because it will handle high wind and has more useful room inside than the other shapes. 8.5 feet is more than enough for my 6'2" self, and I have used an 8 footer successfully. I prefer the longer one for better coverage of the hammock in the A-frame shape. Furthermore, I use a cape instead of a poncho. The hood is formed by strategically placed fasteners on a long side hem. That completely eliminates all the issues that pertain to the hood.

[Vi+]

Spock,

You advise (Post #9), “... I use a cape instead of a poncho. The hood is formed by strategically placed fasteners on a long side hem.”

Would you provide more specific detail for the intriguing fastener placements?

Couldn’t this “cape” be another name for “tarp?”

[blackbishop351]

Oh, and here's a fun little item you guys might want to check out:

http://www.goodlingoutdoor.com/Poncho.html

I haven't used the larger "poncho/pack cover/shelter" model, but I have one of his regular ponchos. Very durable, lightweight, breathable, well made. I've also had him make several different size/style ground cloths for me. He does a great job, and his prices aren't terribly high either.

[mingo]

ponchos are hot and cumbersome.

[firefly]

Hey thanks for all the tips..I used an army poncho for both raingear and shelter back in my search and rescue days but I was younger then and have forgotten most of what I learned. For those of you who are not familar with what a gatewood cape is check it out on the six moon designs website. It is very different from your regular poncho and it provides a totally enclosed shelter. In certain conditions it could also pull double duty as my raingear but I am not ready to go there yet.

[Spock]

Can the 'cape' just be another term for 'tarp'? Sure.
Let me see if these pics. attached properly.

[Spock]

The fasteners are set inside/outside, 16-18 inches from the center of a long side and 6 inches in from the hem with matching fasteners on the hem to form a sortof 'double breasted' overlap. One set of fasteners is at the 'collar', and three more sets go down the front or along the hem - however youwant to look at it.

[Spock]

More on the cape: the attached stuff sack is sort of the 'crown' of the hood. All the guy lines fit into pockets that are also reinforcements as these pics show. Neither the attached stuff sack nor the built-in line pockets are necessary to have a functional cape. They just make life a little easier.

[GlazeDog]

firefly--
See my comments in your recent stuff sack post.

GlazeDog

[SuperTroll]

http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/ponchotent.htm

Now apply the thought process here to a silnylon poncho or tarp....

a free standing shelter, much like a Half dome footprint and fly setup maybe?