Originally Posted by
nsherry61
1) I'm not a big fan of "camp cloths" as I don't spend much time in camp, they add weight to my pack, and changing into them is one more thing I have to do before I get to crawl into my bag or under my quilt to sleep.
2) I am a big poncho fan because it will keep both me and my pack dry while allowing enough air flow so that I don't struggle with moisture from sweating. A poncho also works as a small portable tent so you can look at a map or eat dry food by sticking your head into your poncho at rest stops. They are also warm to cover yourself up in a sitting position if you are taking a break while it is raining. The also double as extra shelter (or, for me, often my only shelter) so cooking or otherwise working around camp in the rain is more protected that without the extra "tarp". Finally, the right poncho can be < 7 oz in weight providing extremely light combination of rainwear, pack cover, and shelter all in one.
To make a poncho work, you need to tie it around your waist when the wind is blowing hard, and you need to be okay with either your lower legs getting wet or adding rain chaps or pants to your kit (still dryer than a rain jacket alone).
A poncho is the only rain-gear I have found where can hike vigorously and not get wet from the inside (and I'm not a heavy sweater). In long days of rain I get damp inside the poncho, but also dry out quickly while moving. In any rain jacket, in long days of rain, I get damp inside and don't dry out until I take the rain-gear off, and that get's darn cold while making camp or stopping to eat lunch, or it leaves me with wet cloths to deal with as I'm crawling into bed.
