Originally Posted By ringtail
I have used a poncho as a primary shelter. I use a spinnsheet ground cloth which is no longer offered by Gassamer Gear, but their polycryo ground cloth should be OK.

The call of nature is no problem. Either use a pee bottle or figure out the downhill side. lame

A WalMart* emergency ponsho weighs 1.9 oz. and cost 88 cents. No reason not to carry one.

You can stay dry. BUT, on rainy days when you might be in your shelter for more than 12 hours there is not much room to move around or read. The issue is not staying dry, it is life style.


Which is why I stick with my tarp. I love having all that room to cook, move around, spread out in the hammock... and I can invite a guest under it too, in case their poncho tarp falls over when their trekking pole collapses.

As for peeing out the side of the shelter? only if I'm hammocking on a steep hill, thanks. Some of us don't quite have your range, clearly.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki

http://hikeandbackpack.com