Rain!

[bundubasher]

Howzit gentlemen - new on the board.

Can anyone recommend a good, fairly lightweight, poncho that I can throw over myself and my bergen if I get caught out on the downs? We used to carry those old British ponchos in Zim because we also used them for a basha everynight however they are just so heavy and no one seems to be able to promise to send you a AAA grade one by post. Something justas good, with eyelets etc, but lighter would be perfect.


enzo

 

[Hugo]

No idea about a poncho but.. Welcome to the forum mate.

 

[leon-1]

Welcome to BCUK.

IIRC Fjallraven make a poncho that's designed so that it can be used as a tarp as well. From what I recall it was quite good weight wise and packed reasonably small. It does have a down side to it though, it's made by Fjallraven which means that if you can get hold of one it won't be cheap think £70 at least.

 

[ebt.]

I'll have a look at mine later for labels. It does the job, only problem is usually the rain on the downs includes winds of biblical proportions.... and I hate flappy noises!

ps. 'enzo' I used to know an enzo, your initials arent 'SP' are they?

 

[crosslandkelly]

Hi Enzo, welcome and enjoy.

 

[bundubasher]

Thanks guys! Doubt if I'll need it much, I just have a dim memory of using one in Zim during the rainy season (didn't have to worry about wind though) - short, sharp, torrential rain - and it kept most of the rain off me and my kit plus you can use as a tarp to sit on or make an emergency basha. Think I'll suck in the light weight spec and go down to my local army/navy and check out some of their stock.

Thanks again,

enzo (initials: JP not SP!)

 

[mentalnurse]

i use a dutch one DPM very light and big enough to use over a pack Ps welcome

 

[lub0]

The Dutch poncho is not light at 760 grams.
The snugpak patrol poncho is the best and lightest (362g) poncho you can get, however it does not have eyelets for rigging as a tarp. The GoLite and SeatoSummit poncho's are even lighter than the Snugpak and can be rigged as a tarp as well.
The next best thing is a Helikon poncho at 410 grams which can be rigged as a tarp.

All the army issue ponchos I've tried have been too heavy and leaked, probably only because they were issued and needed a clean and re-proof.

edit: The fjallraven poncho is only 20grams lighter than the Helikon, but £50 more!

 

[bundubasher]

Cost is also an issue so I'll weigh up all your suggestions. Thanks

 

[lostplanet]

bit more discussion on ponchos here,

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94517&highlight=poncho

 

[rik_uk3]

How about a Kifaru, about £130 but some members here swear by the high quality
http://kifaru.net/woobieXpress.html

 

[bundubasher]

Great thread lostplanet
- thanks!

Bit rich for me rik but thanks anyway!

 

[jackcbr]

Picked a couple up from lidl last month, not tried it out, but cheap as chips. Depending on your region, it might still be about

 

[rik_uk3]

The plastic Lidl/Argos ones are almost disposable, thin plastic, you sweat like a weight watcher in a cake shop and they rip easy. How about Endicotts?

http://www.endicotts.co.uk/advanced...Csid=9426069d060a08c080dd74bbc807f677&x=0&y=0