My wife and are thru hiking the AT in 2018. So many decisions to make on gear. I am most curious about rain gear now. I think a poncho would be great to keep the rain off of us and our backpack; it would seem to be more ventilated for the warm days. Rain jackets with a backpack cover would appear to be stuffy and hot, but when I look at pictures of people of the trail, this is what I see the most hikers wearing. Any thoughts, opinions and suggestions are appreciated.