for poncho users:

[johnny quest]

im about decided to ditch the frogg toggs for a poncho. i wont bore folks with why but here is my question: i have plenty experience wearing military ponchos and though i want a light silnylon one for thruhiking, the thought occurs that the light material may aggravate what i recall as being a propensity to fly up in wind. so...you silnylon poncho users, does that happen?

[whitefoot_hp]

the poncho i plan on getting, the integral designs one, has an elastic band on the bottom which can be pulled up to your waist to prevent flappage.

[johnny quest]

flappage. good word. thanks for the post. i had not looked at their poncho. its one of these two i assume?
http://www.integraldesigns.com/product.cfm?id=6&CFID=19193&CFTOKEN=49062408&mainproducttypeid=1
is the elastic the selling point for you?

[take-a-knee]

A poncho works well when it is warm, IMO if it is warm enough to hike in shorts all day, a poncho is all you'll need. If it is cooler than that it is a judgement call. Frog togs and precip doesn't weigh that much. Just make sure your pack doesn't come much abover your shoulders and the poncho will cover your pack well enough.

[SweetAss03]

I did the Poncho thing for a little while, it was a military one, I don't remember to much flappage (it might not have been windy) I remember liking it somewhat but in the end wet is wet is wet. So I gave up on everything and just hike through the rain. When I get to where I'm going I put on dry stuff.

[JAK]

In my clothing system there are only three items that are not insulating fibre, like wool, polyester fleece, polypropylene. These are:

1. Cheap Light Breathable Nylon Wind Pants = 4oz
2. Cheap Light Breathable Nylon Wind Jacket = 5oz
3. Cheap Light Waterproof Nylon Poncho/Tarp = 9oz

Yeah I get some flappage, but this works for me, year round. The thickness of the other layers depend on the season. In mid-winter, if its really cold, I might bring a second Jacket, to wear between two sweaters. In general I like the versatility of interchanging wool, polyester fleece, skin layers, wind layers, in different configurations, while always keeping in mind the option of wearing it all at once when moving slowly to conserve energy in extreme cold.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I use a poncho - I added a single set of plastic snaps that fasten the front to the back between my knees - the snaps don't interfere with walking, but keep the poncho from flying up in heavy wind.

[dessertrat]

I did the Poncho thing for a little while, it was a military one, I don't remember to much flappage (it might not have been windy) I remember liking it somewhat but in the end wet is wet is wet. So I gave up on everything and just hike through the rain. When I get to where I'm going I put on dry stuff.

Unless in very cool temperatures, this is my approach also. Just get wet. The most important part of getting wet is to SMILE!:) Then you won't mind so much, as long as you're not in danger of hypothermia. That changes things.

[Smile]

Hey, I'm not always there to help :)

[johnny quest]

I use a poncho - I added a single set of plastic snaps that fasten the front to the back between my knees - the snaps don't interfere with walking, but keep the poncho from flying up in heavy wind.

interesting idea there. thanks for that.

[LIhikers]

My wife uses a silnylon poncho as her rain gear of choice. It has a hood and is big enough to go over her pack too. There are plastic snaps down the edges and on windy days she puts a belt around the outside of the poncho at her waist. I don't have a clue who makes it but I'm pretty sure she got it from Campmor.

[pyroman53]

Here's my system: I got a poncho with grommets on the corners. Then, I tied some shock cord (or you can use triptease if you like) to the two corner grommets on the backside of the poncho. These cords allow me to reach back and grab them, and tie them in front...thus elliminating the blowing backside. This allows me to assure the pack is well covered and can be done while on the move.

When hiking, I'm usually bending over, so the front doesn't need to do much anyway. If need be, I can just grab the lower portion of the front and "curl" it under my hip belt (in warm weather). My top is secured, but the legs are "out there". If its really hot, you can curl this under the sternum strap and really ventillate.

Colder weather I just use the cord from the back to essentially make a belt that also holds the front down as well, at least to my waist. Then secure the side snaps, and your top is pretty well covered and wind-proof.

[greentick]

If you use poles try a poncho with them. I used a mil poncho on one of my sections and while heading up Springer in wind and rain had definate flappage and minor interference with my poles. NBD, but might be bothersome to you.

[johnny quest]

thats a great point, greentick. im not a twopoler but i bet light silnylon flappage would do that.

[Tipi Walter]

I've used ponchos in one form or another for years but only because I never had the bucks for a good $200 goretex rain jacket. The first poncho I used was a vinyl BSA thing which I used as a ground cloth when winter bedroll cowboy camping out in the open. One night a heavy snow covered me completely and the temps dipped to -5 degrees. In the morning I packed up and folded the scout poncho and it snapped in two like a saltine cracker.

Then I went with a North Face anorak, a large poncho-type cover with a hood, sewn-up sides and sleeves. Coated nylon. Came down to my knees. It was just too hot to hike in, but saved my butt a few times in the winter when caught out in a freezing downpour, I'd depack and standing around in the anorak until the storm passed.

Then I went with a series of heavy green army ponchos, those thick canvas like things. My pack at the time was a large external frame thing and let's face it, army ponchos were not made to cover a large, high pack. So I just put the poncho on first and the pack second. I never stayed dry in a poncho, water always found its way in along the sides and the head opening, it was unbearably clumsy and too hot for real backpacking. But it made a great ground cloth and when stealth camping in the Sierras for 17 days it made a great camo tent cover.

As soon as my savings allowed, I finally sprung for a decent Marmot GTX jacket(Minima), which is basically just like a poncho but form fitted without all the extra fabric, loose ends and small openings. A form-fitting rain jacket with a thin baselayer underneath, allows me to stay warm AND wet, an important consideration when hiking in freezing rain.

[budforester]

im about decided to ditch the frogg toggs for a poncho. i wont bore folks with why but here is my question: i have plenty experience wearing military ponchos and though i want a light silnylon one for thruhiking, the thought occurs that the light material may aggravate what i recall as being a propensity to fly up in wind. so...you silnylon poncho users, does that happen?
I use a poncho; like them for trail use, but haven't tried the silnylon. Maybe test drive before you spend big bucks. Troubles I have with ponchos are on up- hills... I tend to step on the darn things; must hold or tie it out of the way. And they are troublesome in brush, clinging to briars and limbs. FWIW, their rustling and flapping can also upset a string of pack- horses.

[Critterman]

Use one in the warm months. Sewed velcro tabs on front and back edges so I can close it up like a packa to prevent flappage.

[ScottP]

Check out the six moons designs gatewood cape

[Tinker]

I have a silnylon poncho made by Mountain Laurel Designs. It has a standard round hood opening and snaps on the sides. I wear it over my pack in cool (not hot or cold) weather (hot weather, only my pack gets rain protection, I get wet - cold, I wear some sort of rain suit, or sometimes just a parka).I just tie a bungee cord around my waist after putting the poncho on over my pack. Nice thing is being able to remove the bungee, duck your head inside the poncho, take your pack off and find what you need, still mostly protected by the poncho. Above treeline (White Mts. for me) it flaps and turns into a sail. I usually don't take it there unless I plan on using my bivy with it.

[BrianLe]

Tinker and I think a lot alike on this: Bungy cord around waist is similar to what I do. I have a length of thin shock cord with a small cord lock. Hold one end, swing the end with the cord lock around behind me and catch it on the other side, connect the two ends with the cord lock, tighten as desired. This works fine with both the Campmor standard length poncho, and the Golite poncho --- which latter is similar in overall size to the Campmor extended length version.

Ditto Tinker's comment on using the poncho as a tarp along with a bivy; more typically I use a tarptent, and in that case the poncho provides various nice options (extended vestibule or as a separate cooking space, etc). But next month I'm doing a trip with a very light bivy, and the poncho-as-tarp will be a great fit with that.

[WalkinHome]

"i have plenty experience wearing military ponchos" having made this statement I am surprised you are still considering using any poncho LOL. I found that those ponchos were mostly good for building "hooches" (that would be the early beginnings of the current practice of "tarping".) I am sure Top Rock could chime in here.

[johnny quest]

well i cant agree at all. yeah, i got a lot of time in with ponchos, in cold, wet , cold wet, wet cold, hot, hot wet...you get the idea.

i think ponchos are great mulit use tools. and my question about the "flappibillity" only deals with the light silnylon material. the old military ponchos are heavier with heavy seams and i didnt have the problem.