raingear- poncho or jacket

[iio]

I've been using a gore-tex rain jacket for a long time, and always end up hating how much I sweat in the thing as I hike.
So any opinions on using a poncho instead? Almost all my hiking is in the western part of the country.

[12trysomething]

Use both...https://youtu.be/W9EcF-3uQFY


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[DuneElliot]

I'm been researching this for a while and I've come to the conclusion that a combo is the best of both worlds. I'll be ordering a Packa (www.packa.com) before the end of May. They are a little pricy but I think you get what you pay for...waterproof and breathable due to the fit, not the material.

[mitch]

I like my poncho a lot, mostly for the venting. I don't use my older gortex any more, but I'm looking for something newer, lighter.

[Greenlight]

Frogg Togs (even WalMart carries them) have worked ok for me. They are a bit bulky, but light, and they have a short lifecycle. Carry some clear Gorilla Tape on one of your trekking poles for on the spot repairs and you'll extend their functional life. Cheap, work well, and available everywhere. They make a poncho too, but I haven't tried it.

[Hikingjim]

it's not so useful to wear a goretex jacket that makes you just damp anyway.
I have a very light weight and "waterproof to a point" jacket that I use if it's hot, and then a really light poncho that I often bring as well. ponchos can be stifling too if you get the wrong one

If it's cold weather then I do go with my waterproof jacket... because it's good hiking with various layers if it's below 50 degrees. But summer, no

[nsherry61]

I gave up on rain jackets for anything other than mountaineering or long heavy bushwacking several years ago. I even use my poncho when skiing in wet conditions.

Ponchos hide your feet and get tangled up with them when climbing steep terrain, not a problem on trails or occasional steep sections, but pretty sucky for several hours of off trail steep climbing in the rain.

I use my poncho as my rain gear all year round. I also use my poncho as my shelter more than 1/2 the time.
Keep a piece of line handy to use as a belt on the poncho if the wind picks up.
You will get wet lower legs and lower arms, but your core stays dry and your pack stays completely dry (totally awesome) and you don't sweat, and a poncho is pretty inexpensive - actually I am using the Sea-to-Summit silnylon poncho that is about $100, but you can go less expensive with a little added weight, or lighter with some cottage manufacturers.

The FrogToggs ponchos are too small to be useful other than to help in emergencies in my opinion.

[daddytwosticks]

Mostly use a poncho in warmer months.. Any other time, I usually use my Packa and love it.

[Stevep311]

I've used the SeatoSummit Ultra Sil Nano Poncho/Pack Cover in the summer and it worked out pretty well. I did like that it was lightweight and vented pretty well, however, there was no avoiding getting sweaty which sucks. Then I bought a "breathable" OR Helium rain jacket. Love the weight at just over 5oz, but I have learned that nothing is breathable enough to prevent from getting clammy/sweaty.

After those options on trips I am now a lightweight umbrella user (warm months only).

[rocketsocks]

Me wife's been lookin' for her umbrella for awhile now, he he.

[DuneElliot]

I've used the SeatoSummit Ultra Sil Nano Poncho/Pack Cover in the summer and it worked out pretty well. I did like that it was lightweight and vented pretty well, however, there was no avoiding getting sweaty which sucks. Then I bought a "breathable" OR Helium rain jacket. Love the weight at just over 5oz, but I have learned that nothing is breathable enough to prevent from getting clammy/sweaty.

After those options on trips I am now a lightweight umbrella user (warm months only).

Since I am in the market...what are your thoughts on the S2S poncho/pack cover vs the Packa? I know the S2S is lighter and thinner and thus probably less waterproof

[Stevep311]

Since I am in the market...what are your thoughts on the S2S poncho/pack cover vs the Packa? I know the S2S is lighter and thinner and thus probably less waterproof

First I will say that any design that is both a poncho & pack cover is difficult to get on by yourself. Getting it pulled down over your pack is the hard part. I know that wasn't your question, but just an FYI.

Yes, the S2S is lighter than the Parka (approx 2.5oz lighter). This is simply because the 15D versus the 20D silnylon that each uses. I wouldn't equate this to being less waterproof as much as just a bit more delicate for the long term.

Note the actual weight of the S2S on my scale. I had read that they were very conservative on their listed weight spec.

SS.jpg

[nsherry61]

...what are your thoughts on the S2S poncho/pack cover vs the Packa? I know the S2S is lighter and thinner and thus probably less waterproof

The S2S poncho is going to be much more ventilated than a Packa, is going to get tangled in your feet while climbing steep stuff more than a Packa, and blow around in the wind more than a Packa unless you tie a line around your waist when it's windy, which I do and it works well. The Packa will also protect your arms more and your legs less than the S2S poncho.

I would be surprised if you cannot get a Packa built to be as light and S2S poncho/tarp with similar material.
And, thinner does NOT mean less waterproof. The PU/sil material that S2S uses is quite waterproof.

I have never used a Packa. I use my ultrasil S2S poncho/tarp as my go-to rain-gear and my go-to shelter on most trips, which saves quite a bit of weight. I love the ventilation, even in the winter, and would probably still use my ultrasil S2S poncho/tarp in preference to a Packa if I owned both because of the poncho's increased ventilation and increased versatility as both a good shelter and good rain-gear (or as backup shelter, emergency shelter and rain-gear).

I also really like the poncho, even as my day-hike, go-to, rain-gear because, especially in continuous rain, you can do stuff under the poncho while you are wearing it, kinda like being in a portable tent. I tuck my head back down through the head hole and read a map or use my cell phone/gps or eat a snack "out of the rain", and it rocks.

Good luck on your decision and have fun.

[DuneElliot]

First I will say that any design that is both a poncho & pack cover is difficult to get on by yourself. Getting it pulled down over your pack is the hard part. I know that wasn't your question, but just an FYI.

Yes, the S2S is lighter than the Parka (approx 2.5oz lighter). This is simply because the 15D versus the 20D silnylon that each uses. I wouldn't equate this to being less waterproof as much as just a bit more delicate for the long term.

Note the actual weight of the S2S on my scale. I had read that they were very conservative on their listed weight spec.

SS.jpg

Thanks for the info. I'll take it all into consideration. In regards to putting it on...from what I've read, many people put it on as a pack cover first if they think it might rain, then it is easy to pull over yourself when it does start to get wet.

[nsherry61]

First I will say that any design that is both a poncho & pack cover is difficult to get on by yourself. Getting it pulled down over your pack is the hard part. . .

And, I never have any problem with getting my poncho on over my pack. It is a complete non-issue for me. However, my brother-in-law, who also uses a poncho as his preferred rain-gear (but not as a shelter) does occasionally struggle with getting it on over his pack straight. I think the problem is two fold: 1) practice, 2) shoulder flexibility, 3) pack size (height above your shoulders/head).

[DuneElliot]

I also think it has to do with how tight-fitting the poncho/pack cover is. I prefer loose-fitting rain gear.

[Stevep311]

I also think it has to do with how tight-fitting the poncho/pack cover is. I prefer loose-fitting rain gear.

Me too, hence why I now use an umbrella!

[Secondmouse]

Sierra Designs has a new rain jacket this year called the Elite Cagoule and designed in conjunction with their Elite Rain Chaps.

it's like a combination jacket and poncho in that it has arms and shoulders like a jacket but no front entry. instead it is a pullover and the front half is separate from the back, like a poncho, which allows for ventiation.

in fact, it's almost like a Packa, except it's designed to go under, not over, your pack. and it's more expensive...

[DuneElliot]

Me too, hence why I now use an umbrella!

Won't work for Wyoming...lol

I also pack horses into the backcountry, so I need something that works for both!

[DuneElliot]

Sierra Designs has a new rain jacket this year called the Elite Cagoule and designed in conjunction with their Elite Rain Chaps.

it's like a combination jacket and poncho in that it has arms and shoulders like a jacket but no front entry. instead it is a pullover and the front half is separate from the back, like a poncho, which allows for ventiation.

in fact, it's almost like a Packa, except it's designed to go under, not over, your pack. and it's more expensive...

Looks more like a long rain jacket than the Packa; kind of a cross between the S2S Ultra-sil Nano Poncho/Pack Cover and a rain jacket. I like the idea of the Packa because of the integrated pack cover.