Poncho here, too. A couple of times while hiking through a multi-day rain (my user name is earned the hard way!), I wished for a pack cover so I could get some water, where the only places to set my pack down was in a puddle. Heck, the whole place was one big puddle!
Yeah, it's really personal and ideally you'd try them both. I tried a poncho several times and just couldn't get it to work for me. I like a good rain shell, a homemade rain kilt, rain mitts for cooler weather, and my Tilley hat. I also use a rain cover for my pack, as well as a cuben pack liner (belt and suspenders for me!)
I haven't found pack covers to be good at much but catching the wind or the occasional branch. And when it's windy, a poncho is just going to make you cold. So I go for a cheap Frogg Toggs rain suit so I don't get cold and wet. The pack has no outside protection, but everything inside is in dry bags which are in turn inside a 3 mil contractor-grade trash bag. If the pack gets soaked, it gets emptied and placed upside-down in my tent vestibule overnight to have a chance to dry out. At least there won't be any standing water in there to start the day.
I love my Tilley hat as well.
I tried two different ponchos and am on my third rain jacket.
But, I think I've found what works for me.
I think that experimenting and testing to see what fits you really helps.
That said, almost anything can let you survive. I could survive in any of what I used. I'm just happier with what I have now.
I also use a pack cover and some dry sacks and they've worked well.
I had one of those. Didn't think to try it out beforehand.
When out on the trail, wind blowing, starting to rain -- i could not get the poncho over the pack. Gotta be a trick to that, right?
Ditto.I use my Snugpack Patrol Poncho with a rain kilt and gaiters.I wish the sleeves were a little longer though.I also have a DWR wind jacket if I need it in colder weather.In deep summer I would just use the jacket and kilt unless it's pouring(like it was today).Getting the poncho over the pack requires a little knack and maybe some luck but there is almost always someone around to lend a little assistance and I'm not too proud to ask....
Caveat-I think most people over 5 ft 9 inches or so might find the Snugpack Patrol Poncho a bit skimpy but it works great for me.I like the fact that it is not ultralight and flimsy like my silnylon poncho.
Usually, I'm carrying both, a rain jacket and a poncho (plus chaps to cover the legs).
For use with the big multiday-hike-pack, I'm using the poncho that includes a hunch to cover the pack. The smaller, tarp-style poncho is for dayhikes only, as it would not cover the big pack sufficiently.
To get the hunch-style poncho working, while the pack is still on the ground I'd cover the hunch over the pack and form a roll out of the head&front part of the poncho, the roll sitting between the brain of the pack and the shoulder straps.
This way I can lift the poncho-covered pack and get into the shoulder&hip straps easily.
Then, the pack correctly fit to my body and all straps closed and tight, I reach back over my head and unroll the rolled-up part of the poncho over my head and down the front.
When hiking in an on-and-off rain (which is very common here) I just shove the front&top part of the poncho back behind my neck, and forward again as needed.
This gentleman puts the Snugpack Enhanced Patrol Poncho thru its paces in extreme conditions.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKVT2O99AKQ
Several years ago I made myself a "Parcho" from the pattern on the Quest Outfitters website. Similar idea to the Packa, but where the Packa is more jacket like, the Parcho is more like a poncho.
I like it, and it works well for me.
I tried this today with my Snugpack Enhanced Patrol Poncho-It Works! Note,I have not tried it in real world windy conditions but my basement trial panned out successfully.
Note: I still use a very light weight pack cover and a doubled pack liner as I really don't want wet gear.
Obviously, we all pack our fears. Along those lines however, one simply cannot keep their gear from getting wet if you are backpacking in the rain. At some point you are carrying wet gear, whether it is your shelter that you packed away after a rain, or your rain gear or wet socks packed away after a rain event, or a sleeping bag with some condensation in it from a cold night of sleeping, even in a dry tent.
Dry is relative. Trying to keep all your gear dry is a loosing proposition. Managing the moisture in your gear of primary importance.
Keeping the outside of your pack super dry, doesn't keep your wet gear inside the pack from getting everything else wet.
Ponchos do an amazing job of keeping your whole pack dry if you use them right. I think pretty much everyone would agree that keeping your puffy insulation dry is important and keeping it in a "pack liner" is probably the best way to manage that, especially if you pack is otherwise protected by a poncho. But, A double pack liner? Do you not trust your first one? Doesn't it make sense to change it to one you can trust? And why a pack cover under a poncho? All a pack cover will do is hold whatever moisture is in your pack inside your pack, and you don't really want that.
Good luck and have fun out there!
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
I carry an open cell foam pad on the back of my pack and use the pack cover to make sure it stays as dry as possible.The extra liner weight is negligible.The poncho hanging over the pack is a great idea but is not necessarily fool proof.True,you can't out engineer damp air but you can out engineer water.
dont know about all this craziness but the frogg toggs Ultra-Lite2 Poncho is great! $15 @walmart!