Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#96190 - 05/14/08 11:29 AM rain ponchos
jackb Offline
member

Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 21
Back int the days when I hiked on a budget, I used a urethane coated poncho for rain protection and never really got soaked. Nowadays, we all have GoreTex and similar stuff. Very expensive. I'm wondering if anyone out there has gone back to the waterproof poncho recently and can compare the advantages and dsadvantages of it compared to all the high tech fabics in the jackets and pants. I'm thinking about going back to a poncho.

Top
#96191 - 05/14/08 11:49 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
PaulTheSlow Offline
member

Registered: 07/05/02
Posts: 47
Jack,

I bought a complete Goretex rain suit about 15 years ago, and found that while backpacking with a load, especially when climbing, I ended up wet from perspiration that wasn't transferring out quickly enough. After a few years, I went back to a poncho, but supplemented with an umbrella.

The pros:
- Better ventilation because of the openness of the poncho
- My poncho covers my pack, so I don't need a separate pack cover.
- The poncho can be used as a small tarp.

Cons:
- Less effective in wind driven rain
- It always takes me 5 minutes to get the back of the poncho up and over my pack.

I still have my Goretex, but only use it when I won't be working too hard.

Hope this helps,

Paul

Top
#96192 - 05/14/08 04:35 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
hootyhoo Offline
member

Registered: 12/14/06
Posts: 686
Loc: Cyberspace
If you are going back to a poncho, why not use silnylon? You could save some weight. Mine is a Golite and it is pertty tough. Rugged enough for anything I would put it through on purpose. Just wondering why you choose coated over silnylon.

Top
#96193 - 05/14/08 04:55 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
goatpacker Offline
member

Registered: 01/22/05
Posts: 86
Loc: Eastern Washington
Check out these reviews:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/..._thread_id=2442

One of the best UL gear items IMHO.

Top
#96194 - 05/14/08 06:19 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
wandering_daisy Offline
member

Registered: 01/11/06
Posts: 2865
Loc: California
I am hard on gear. Every "water-proof breathable" parka I have leaks; every therma-rest pad goes flat. I have returned to cheap coated nylon rain gear and cheap foam sleeping pads. This means a lot of stopping to take off and put on the rain gear, but I do not mind that - I am always up for an excuse for a rest break. The umbrella sounds great in theory but I usually backpack above timber with too much wind. I am also going back to rain chaps rather than rain pants- they were quite popular in the 1960's. I will have to make my own - I do not think anyone makes them anymore.

Top
#96195 - 05/14/08 06:37 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: wandering_daisy]
Trailrunner Offline
member

Registered: 01/05/02
Posts: 1835
Loc: Los Angeles
_________________________
If you only travel on sunny days you will never reach your destination.*

* May not apply at certain latitudes in Canada and elsewhere.

Top
#96196 - 05/15/08 08:19 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
Mattress Offline
member

Registered: 05/14/07
Posts: 109
Loc: Victoria, BC, Canada
I no longer use any "waterproof breathable" gear, I have a low-cost poncho I put in my pack for wet-weather hikes (for dry season I just have a water resistant wind jacket). I prefer the poncho as it serves other purposes: ground sheet in the tent, makeshift tarp, pack cover, etc. At $30 I don't mind replacing it when it leaks, but so far it's been 5 years of heavy use with no leaks at all. I don't hike in it, I prefer to get wet from the rain rather than sweat, but once my tent is up I change into dry clothes and put the poncho on for camp chores.
_________________________
http://lighterload.blogspot.com/

Top
#96197 - 05/15/08 08:20 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
Hector Offline
member

Registered: 12/20/04
Posts: 325
Loc: LA/ARK/TX corner
My rain gear consists of a backpacker-size silnyl poncho and a bit of cord in case it gets windy. It doubles as the front to a tarp shelter in the event of a real gutbuster or as a Garlington insulator on my hammock in the event of an unexpected cold snap. I wear a baseball cap under the hood to give it shape; the hood's a bit small and is the one part of the thing I dislike. It covers my pack when I hike so I don't need a pack cover.

Top
#96198 - 05/15/08 09:13 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: wandering_daisy]
Berserker Offline
member

Registered: 05/10/04
Posts: 493
Loc: Lynchburg, VA
I think Equinox makes chaps. I have a pair I bought a few years ago.

Top
#96199 - 05/15/08 09:17 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: hootyhoo]
Berserker Offline
member

Registered: 05/10/04
Posts: 493
Loc: Lynchburg, VA
I agree with hootyhoo. I have a Equinox sil-nylon poncho/tarp I use in warmer weather. It works just fine on most trails, so no need for anything more heavy duty. I would only go with something heavier duty if I were bushwhacking, and I rarely buswhack around here...especially in rain.

Top
#96200 - 05/15/08 10:50 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: wandering_daisy]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

Top
#96201 - 05/15/08 11:13 AM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
Heber Offline
member

Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 245
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
I have a set of Frogg Toggs which are quite breathable but I'm having the same thought processes you are. In warm weather the heat builds up inside the suit and I find myself wishing for more ventilation.

I bought a Golite poncho/tarp the other day. I'm going to try it out this summer and see if it's good enough to use for a poncho and shelter. I chose it because it's longer in back (to cover the pack) and corner to corner it is 9'11'' long, about the length of my homemade hammock.

So far I can think of one downside to the poncho/tarp (besides the fact that it makes a REALLY small shelter, less than I'm used to). Inside the poncho hood my head can get pretty warm. But that's just from trying it out around my yard. Perhaps in a rain it wouldn't feel that way. But I'm wondering if I wouldn't prefer to use a hat to protect my head and just use the poncho for protecting my pack and my body.

Top
#96202 - 05/16/08 08:54 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
Ecrow Offline
member

Registered: 02/02/08
Posts: 85
Loc: N. New Mexico
Same as Heber: Frogg togg, umbrella, now ultralight poncho. I think that I can get it to overlap crossways with a small tarp. They are just so easy to get on and off in comparison to a jacket.
_________________________
Ecrow
Live to tell.

Top
#96203 - 05/18/08 09:39 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
speyguy Offline
member

Registered: 04/11/06
Posts: 35
Loc: Portland, OR
If you are considering a poncho, I just ordered and recieved one of these dri ducks ponchos. I have to say, for the money ($12.00) with free shipping that I think it's one of the best gear deals I've come across in a long time. I did a couple of easy mods to it which was to install a drawstring with cordlocks in each of the end channels and sew a small grosgrain loop in each corner. This allows me to rig it up on the outside of my under quilt under my hammock for extra rain and splash protection. For ground dwellers, this would also allow it to be used like a bivy for added protection under a tarp by cinching one end all the way up and creating a foot box, just like converting a flat quilt to a sleeping quilt with great breathability. Even with the mods, it comes in at 9.0 oz. It's made out of the same polypropylene as the regular Dri Ducks rain gear so a certain amount of care is needed for use. But come on, twelve bucks.

Top
#96204 - 05/19/08 06:50 PM Re: rain ponchos [Re: jackb]
strongone Offline
member

Registered: 06/24/05
Posts: 166
Loc: North Carolina
I used a coated nylon poncho for a few years in rain and snow. I was pleased with the performance overall. It was dry, but had the common compliant of hot and sweaty. So I figured I could lose a few ounces going with sillyon of the same size. After a couple of treks in the rain I found that the sillyon soaked quickly and was just as hot and sweaty . I would have been better off without it.

So the sillyon has been stuffed and mounted and now I carry a little more weight but functionally drier poncho/cook shelter. Depending on weather I have a rain suit and use a pack cover as an alternate.

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 209 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum