Poncho as stand alone pack cover

[hootyhoo]

I am taking my golite poncho tarp and do not have a pack cover. No money, either. I would make one but my last peice of anything waterproof is too small. I thought about tyvek - which I have two rolls of - but am not too willing to invest the time to make something that I might hate. That leaves the poncho tarp. I could hike in it, but the wet arms bother me when it is cold. I was trying to figure a way to attach it to pack without bungee cords if possible. I plan to be careful of snags. The wind could be an issue with slippery silnylon.

Any suggestions on how to use this as a stable pack cover?

[jrnj5k]

just wear it and wrap a piece of string around your waist to deal with the wind. thats what i do and it works fine. Doubles as a tarp for a day hike or a tarp for cover when in a group if you want to all hang out.

[hootyhoo]

Its the wet arms that I can't afford in winter. I guess I could quit being a baby and just wear it.

[daddytwosticks]

Use your poncho as planned...if the cold rain bugs your arms, wear a lightweight but water resistant wind shirt underneath the poncho for arm protection. This will keep you warmer in the cold rain also.

[RWK]

Use your poncho as planned...if the cold rain bugs your arms, wear a lightweight but water resistant wind shirt underneath the poncho for arm protection. This will keep you warmer in the cold rain also.
Exactly what I do. Works great

[gregugadawg]

I am taking my golite poncho tarp and do not have a pack cover. No money, either. I would make one but my last peice of anything waterproof is too small. I thought about tyvek - which I have two rolls of - but am not too willing to invest the time to make something that I might hate. That leaves the poncho tarp. I could hike in it, but the wet arms bother me when it is cold. I was trying to figure a way to attach it to pack without bungee cords if possible. I plan to be careful of snags. The wind could be an issue with slippery silnylon.

Any suggestions on how to use this as a stable pack cover?

How can you not afford a pack cover but you can afford to hike the trail?

[hopefulhiker]

Check out the Packa, combination poncho and pack cover.

[hootyhoo]

How can you not afford a pack cover but you can afford to hike the trail?

Its pretty simple - I'm poor. Happy, but poor.

Tell me what your trail name means - I can't figure it out. Are you Greg a U of Ga dog? Thats cool - but you know the Vols will have a good starting team next year so look out...

[hootyhoo]

Windshirt of course - I knew that. A similar story - A while back I was in Blue Ridge to get some Aquamira and it had gone up to 16.95 - I almost fell out. The dude working there had just sobo'd and reminded me of two drops of bleach in a quart - dooh. I keep forgetting things.
I might not make it.

[take-a-knee]

If it is warm enough for shorts, it is warm enough to use a poncho for your sole raingear/packcover. If not, you may well freeze your a$$ off.

[BrianLe]

I like using a poncho in general --- agreed on the "tie a string around your waist" comment --- but if you don't like ponchos, a common alternative to a pack cover is a pack liner. Not expensive, just get a yard waste plastic bag, possibly one of the beefier ones if you want it to last longer.

[garlic08]

I agree, using a liner and not using a pack cover is the simple option. A compactor bag is best and they last a long time. All you really need to keep dry is the sleeping bag and clothing.

[Tinker]

Are you talking about an attempted thruhike or just weekends?
The only time a poncho gets to be a problem as a pack cover is in extremely warm weather when you want your pack covered but not yourself. In that case you can wrap your poncho around the pack and then put it on - won't be 100% protected, but probably good enough. Use bungee or tent cord to hold it in place.
Whatever you decide, it's never a bad idea to use a pack liner. Dispensing of all those little stuffsacks lets you use the capacity of your pack more efficiently. Frameless packs, especially, benefit from this style of packing (stuffed like a sausage).

[JAK]

I use a cheap sylnylon poncho and cheap nylon wind jacket year round. Have to say my 4oz nylon wind jacket is not water resistant at all really. On the plus side though, it doesn't hold much water, and dries out fast, and it does at least slows down the cold water flow to my wool or fleece sleeves. The only real problem is that the cold water tends to concentrate at my wrists and hands, so cheap waterproof overmitts maybe. Sometimes I hike with my arms inside the poncho, but you need to be quick on the draw should you tumble.

[Kanati]

I am taking my golite poncho tarp and do not have a pack cover. No money, either. I would make one but my last peice of anything waterproof is too small. I thought about tyvek - which I have two rolls of - but am not too willing to invest the time to make something that I might hate. That leaves the poncho tarp. I could hike in it, but the wet arms bother me when it is cold. I was trying to figure a way to attach it to pack without bungee cords if possible. I plan to be careful of snags. The wind could be an issue with slippery silnylon.

Any suggestions on how to use this as a stable pack cover?

I lost my pack cover on Tray mtn last year and from that day on I used my SD Hurricane poncho. I wraped around and folded in such a way that it covered better than my Kelty cover did. The bottom was open which is good. I used my 20' rope to tie it. Never had a problem. My poncho also doubled as a ground cloth.