Love your willingness to experiment with a variety of shelters and other equipment, giving everything a fair shot instead of just making an uneducated guess. This was a great experiment and has helped me know for sure it's not a system I'd choose, it wouldn't work for me.
@@geraldhenrickson7472 I don’t care for the tarp/bivy experience. I have done it just not on a hike-I also don’t care for single wall tents or cuben fiber for that matter. It all feels to flimsy for me. And I backpack in boots almost exclusively. Old school, old girl.🌿
@S M Same to you! Best of luck and thank you for the kind wishes. Good days and bad but mostly pretty doable and definitely better than it was. All days I’m grateful to be alive🌿
I've used a tarp and hammock all 4 seasons for over 20 years, I love it. Every season, torrential spring thunderstorms to winter snow. I'm also not a through hiker! LOL. Tarps are great IF you can set them up correctly AND the wind doesn't shift AND you have trees AND a lot of random string...you get the point. Great review, but if I was going to use a poncho as a shelter and rain gear, I'd use my old Army poncho. It might weigh a bit more but is bomb proof and was quite a bit less expensive, not counting the 4 years of active duty LOL. I use a 2 pound Aquaquest tarp, 10 ft. by 13 ft. Yeah, it's huge. It's a palace underneath with room for my stuff and can cook under it too. Not dyneema but $100 with lifetime guarantee. Works for my weekend warrior style of backpacking.
does the wind not blow in America ? I have seen large heavy tents blown to rags in the wind, how can you be sure the eyelets just won’t rip out of a tarp, a thing I have had happen to me in a bit of a blow.
@@CrimeVid Many tarps have sewn on tabs, stronger than an eyelet. Properly tied and secured it will withstand a typical spring storm. We have tornadoes here, but I’m not usually out backpacking in a tornado.
Nice informative video. I always enjoy your great videos. A tarp is great because it is multi-functional being a shelter, pack cover, ground coveer and rain gear. I've been using the same cheap no name rip-stop nylon poncho for about 35 years. I periodically waterproof it and it has never let me down. I've used it in snow and rain here in California where bad weather is rare. Growing up in Boy Scouts in the 70's we never used tents but used tarps for ponchos. Only now that we are getting older have some of my buddies started using tents.
I’ve used a military long range patrol poncho a couple of times. The easiest way to set it up in the rain is to set up a ridge line, while wearing the poncho stake out one side parallel to the line, set your pack under it, throw the loose side over the line, drop out of the hood and stake the opposite side. No need to ever get out from under the poncho at all. Your pack is already there so just lay out a ground tarp and everything can be set up out of the dirt and under shelter. The only reason to get out in the weather is to go potty.
There's an easier way to pitch the tarp. Stake one end's corners first. Next set the ridgeline on the opposite side followed by that side's corners. Go back and finish the ridgeline on the other side. Finish by adjusting any stakes as needed. I used a tarp throughout my CT and PCT hikes along with several other trails. I've never had a problem under it in stormy weather, though my tarp is larger than the poncho tarp discussed here. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Same here; for decades. SOP. And even when I used the tent the majority....I ALWAYS found a use for the tarp. Hardly any weight, and the "tools" it offers are totally worth it: a roof, a tent, groundcover, additional insulation, windblock, sunblock, a layout pad/organize gear, yoga mat, etc.
@@lethiapage4767 If going minimalist, it will work as rain gear and as a shelter. We did it in the Army 50 years ago. The good Army ponchos could also be used as a strecher or a hammock. The poncho that I like now is from River Country for $10 but they seem to be running out. Good Luck, Rick
@@richardross7219 maybe? I had a military poncho tarp purchased from a surplus store. I loved it and it was super well made. I used it for a great number of things! Laying out my gear blanket. Firewood gathering. End wall on a tarp. Sitting on it. Peeing under it. Wearing it over my jacket or sleeping bag for a little warmth. Buuuuut I posted this elsewhere on the thread for this video that I would never risk carrying\wearing my shelter through any sort of hostile terrain where I might damage it on brush or thorns. UL performance fabrics tend to be very thin and even if stronger than they look they aren't indestructible. I would hate to ruin a piece of gear that is so important...it would be a complete suckfest. Also if you were in the army thank you for serving!
@@lethiapage4767 I did 29 years with the US Army and Reserves. My wife did 21 years. I agree with the worry of damage which is why I usually carried 2 ponchos and a roll of 200 mph tape. That allowed me to snap them together and make a pup tent like shelter. Those old Army ponchos are hard to find now. My two disintegrated after only 40 years(the air mattresses too) and I haven't found any more. If you still have yours look at adding a woobie(poncho liner) to yours so that it can be a sleeping bag. Woobies do not have a head hole to wear it with the poncho. If I can learn to use the sewing machine, I'll try to sew two cheap fleece throws together with a head hole for lining my River Country Ponchos. Corporal's Corner did some good videos on setting up poncho shelters. Good Luck, Rick
Ive been thinking about this for a while. I think this is really for specific application. If you're going out to hike a mountain for a day, this is perfect so you dont have to take a load of stuff. If you're backpacking Dolly Sods, you probably would want something else. Just my opinion
Oh wow, Hank. We do miss ya buddy. 😢 I like the idea of a convertible poncho/shelter but your setup depends on the bivvy a bit too much for me. I’m too claustrophobic of a sleeper to go with a bivvy. I’m pretty much set on a Gatewood Cape + net tent from 6MD. It’s a bit closer to a normal tent setup while still going for the minimalist thing. It actually has a vestibule, which is really nice. I personally am a huge fan of ponchos for rain gear based on experience as a kid in the white mountains, For stakes I’ve had good success with the Easton Nano Nail stakes but I keep hearing about problems with them breaking down on really rocky ground. I’m going to pick up a set of MSR CarbonCore stakes ($$$) and try them out. I give you a lot of credit for trying out something new. 🤗👍
@@rjhikes6248 You'll probably enjoy the Gatewood Cape. I love using mine from April through October, the snowless months. It's also a great poncho with that front zipper adding breathability.
Super interesting, thanks for sharing! Comparing this to my current setup (Zpacks Altaplex tent + single CNOC Carbon Cork pole, Zpacks Vertice jacket and pants) and considering pluses and minuses. If you factor in the weight of the poles, they land in about exactly the same place weight-wise. Plus I can see, beyond what you mentioned: the tarp poncho probably takes less total pack volume. Smaller volume = smaller pack = potentially lighter pack. But beyond that it looks like a lot of minuses. A lot harder/fiddly-er to set up and potentially less reliable in really high wind/bad weather. Like you I really enjoy the sense of climbing into a tent and sealing the world out a bit. Was just hiking Goat Rocks in WA and the ability to keep out hordes of biting black flies was critical. In the Altaplex there is still room for gear, keeping it all off the ground and available within that bubble. If it gets very wet and you start to get water flow on the ground, you have a bathtub floor to rely on. And I like the idea of having redundant equipment. In the tarp poncho case you are relying on one piece of cloth for a lot. With the Altaplex set up you have a couple of redundant items. I also use my jacket and pants as windstoppers when it gets colder/windier. Since even in summer hiking in these areas you can sometimes end up with unexpected temp drops, even below zero, I don't know how it's possible to go without that and stay safe. Think I'm staying with my current setup. But was very interesting to explore this option with you - thanks again and for doing it in such depth!
If Im not running conventional rain gear I use a 5'x8' Silponcho. 12 attachment points give you setup flexibility. To keep your legs and feet drier I recommend good quality goretex gaiters.
Such a helpful video. Even as someone like me considering regular non poncho tarp camping I found your detailed, practical run down super instructive. Thank you.
Aside from potential damage while wearing the poncho/tarp through shrubbery and the heat gain wearing a waterproof, (not breathable) material during warm weather, a poncho/tarp is a reasonable rain protection & shelter. A tent, is the ultimate shelter avoiding wind, wind swept rain and snow and critters both grounded and flying. After many years I'm finally content with my 4.7 ounce DIY Dynemma 5ft x 9ft x 3.5ft high tent.
I have used a Six Moons Designs Gatewood Cape extensively. Like anything else, it has its place but it is not the ultimate shelter. It goes if rain is possible. If rain is certain, it stays home. It has its advantages and disadvantages. Every design is a compromise.
Use shock cord with snipped mitten hooks out to the tarp tie outs. That eliminates the need for 4 extra stakes. Also, if you’re hiking in an area with consistent tree cover switch to a continuous ridgeline from Dutchware. That drops 6 stakes from your kit and makes setup a breeze.
I carry two with me, I have the mil-tec military poncho that I sleep under and another that I lay on the ground as a ground sheet. I set them up in either plow point or A-frame Configuration.
Seems like a perfect setup to bring when there is no rain in the forecast. You totally have a safe viable option to keep you dry enough if it rains. If it doesn't rain you didn't carry the extra weight of a tent/rain jacket for no reason.
Did you ever think about an ultralight cot for bavkpacking? I got one for car camping during the summer heat and it's been great. It does get chilly when things cool off but a good sleeping bag is enough. Thanks for the content 🙏
Just buy an Army poncho for around $20-30. Tough as nails and will let you see if a poncho/tarp combo is something that is worth your time, without costing you hundreds. Personally, if I was thinking tarp, I would just get a tarp. Forget the poncho aspect and get a 10x13. That size will give you half a dozen configurations to suit the site and wind.
Well I don't have any questions. In fact, I now have the reassurance that I am a tent guy. Definitely, not hammock tent, not a poncho tent or cowboy camping.
A tent is protecting you from a lot of things. Mice, Raccoons, snakes, and bugs for starters. I personally don't enjoy those things scurrying over me in the middle of the night, or in the case of the raccoon, running off with my gear to line its den.
Is this a set up that can be used in the western deserts with their treeless rocky terrain and myriad of critters? The twenty-two ounces is really tempting to use for short in-and-out excursions lasting two or three days. Thanks for the information, stats and review.
I think it´s not a poncho-tarp + bivy set up, it´s a bivy + poncho-tarp set up. This system comes from the military use. You habe a bivy to protect you while sleeping. Your Poncho is added luxury.
There's a better designed tarp in Ray Jardine's Beyond Backpacking book that includes "wings" that come down to protect the ends from rain coming down. Why the Poncho Tarp doesn't include this superior design -- it wouldn't be expensive to add it (a few dollars of in tarp materials) -- is a disappointment. BTW, Jardine's book mentioned above includes instructions on how to make your own tarp. This was how I learned to sew. :)
Hi Dixie! I just have a quick question. In one of your older videos, you said that it costs about $1000.00 for every month thru hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Other than food, what other expenses would a thru hiker need to have money for on the trail? Are there hidden expenses that a new thru hiker would need to know about?
Hey! Some of the other things to think about is lodging in town so you can shower/sleep in a bed, laundromat costs, food in town from restaurants and food for the trail, gear replacement (mainly trail runners and socks), occasional shuttle costs if necessary, toiletries/any medical supplies.
Funny, I thought it was great service that they included a tube of seam seal at all (I'm assuming at no extra cost?) It's a fast process and a great way to check over the seams on a handmade product. I've always found seam sealing my shelters to be a sort of bonding experience, but I'm admittedly strange!
If you're too broke or cheap to buy American products 🇺🇸 you can support the communist Chinese government, which controls every legit business in the country and makes sure that they get a cut of the income.
I love that you casually dropped that amazing shot of the mountains in at the end. I was doing dishes watching this and, genuinely, the soap slid out of my hand when I saw that… I love the Tetons. Thanks for sharing your videos, it satiates that part of me that wants to explore but has to wait while I’m in the toddler-aged-children season of my life. Keep being awesome, kind and curious.
I primarily use mine as rain gear - still light compared to a jacket and pack cover - but I have used it for shelter when I didn't expect mosquitoes in the Trinity Alps and Sierra last year.
A double function is great if it saves weight or space. A 55 gallon drum liner bag works as raingear or makeshift bivi and is much lighter than a poncho. I must admit this poncho looks pretty cool.
@@carlbernsen1290 Oh there is lots of options, the more one knows about the more informed decision they can make for what they carry as there 10 essentials. With different goals, personalities, budgets, abilities, and bodies, what works best will also be different for each of person. I actually think she said this is not avaliable on their site anymore(did not check), but it is an interesting concept.
I used a poncho as my rain/snow suit and my shelter for a week in the mountains north of Seattle in March in the USAF POW Survival school (SERE) back in the early 70's. No sleeping bag, ground cloth, winter clothing, or food. But crawl into any thick bush, tuck that poncho around you (as best as you can), and you'd be surprised how warm (relatively speaking) it can get. You may not like it, but you'll live. Next time, I'll share my recipe for cockroach tea. Good eats! 😆 Today, I prefer my motorhome, thank you.
omg $260 for a thin nylon tarp with a hood... maybe there's a very very specific person this is meant for, but overall seems like a product for someone with more money than sense...
For me at the end of a long day of bike packing I just really like being able to set up my little tent, sit up, have a snack, easily change clothes and get away from the bugs until I go to sleep! It’s all about the bugs! lol
If you wear it as a poncho , you lose your shelter If you use it as a shelter , you lose your poncho. Limited wind protection, limited bug protection. I'll stick with a tent , AND have my privacy.
And if it tears you lose both your shelter and your poncho. I use a poncho as a backup not a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none that I would solely be dependent on.
A big collapsible DCF bowl or dog dish works great for keeping items nearby and clean/dry, then can just cinch it up and throw it in your bag like a “junk drawer”. I got mine on eBay. Love it.
The best person I ever saw "handling" a long poncho was a judge! (I guess from using robes.) She donated it to our sweep guide(who only had a cheapy Disney type 2$ one) on the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu.
Nice review, I applaud you for taking time to try something new for our benefit. Given your preferences, did you consider the Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape as an option as well? The Gatewood cape is definitely more tent-like and protective. Just curious, thanks.
This is fine in colder weather with few bugs. In fact in those conditions I would recommend skipping the head bug net. But in the hot summer when you sleep in your skivvies with a sheet or less and the flying critters come out I would highly recommend a bug bivy of some sort.
5ft wide would be a problem for me. I thru hiked with a 10 by 12 I think. Nice to have more room for rain and not much more weight. Ultra lite tarp that is small sort of sucks. Especially if you want your sides up a bit to see what's coming. Bivy makes me feel like a bear candy bar.
Don't even know why I watched--no interest in such a thing--but honestly Jessica is interesting regardless of what she talks about. Was rewarded for watching by magnificent Teton's scenery.
Maybe a compromise of a mesh inner tent and a tarp arranged over it instead of a conventional rain fly. I saw someone do that recently on youtube (I forget the channel) and they said it worked good for them in buggy conditions. Seems like it would have real good breathability.
Before ultralight... I backpacked for years in the Eastern seaboard I used an Army surplus poncho, blanket, closed foam mat and a ground sheet Using a poncho is very easy and fast and light when you know how to use it
Ya gotta check out the ultralight poncho from wilderness innovation. Ultralight poncho/tarp tie outs and built in Dyneema cord in each end to slap it up as a hammock. I was skeptical when I first seen them without much on RU-vid. But awaiting my second one and it’s 100% top notch an made in the US. Have been more than happy with it. So ya have the poncho. Ya have 12 I believe tie outs on it to string it up as a tarp. And two runners with Dyneema cord built in with an eye on each side to throw it up as a hammock. Just need a ultralight tree straps an two toggles. They even pretty much made to size depending on what’s ordered.
I couldn't or wouldn't even want to try this setup. It's a TENT only for me. Nor would I try to use a Hammock on longer trips, maybe for a couple of nights. You are one heck of a gal and I've seen almost everyone of your videos. And every time you reached your end of the trail it was heartbreaking for me too. You did something I can't do. Oh, I'm from Carrollton, Ga. and the way you talk (like I do) is just so down home and proves you're a Country Gal. Waiting to watch any other new trips you go on.
The Poncho Tarp definitely looks interesting, but i prefer my Hilleberg Bivanorak (raingear/bivy/windbreaker combo). Unlike conventional bivys, i can sit up and cook food and have a 360degree view of my surroundings - and i can even stand up and go take a pee without going out of my warm and dry shelter (provided i use a quilt or sleeping bag that opens in the bottom). I also dont need to crawl into my bivy. I use a headnet for bugs, which works surprisingly well. As it goes on the outside of the hood - and i sleep on the side - it does not touch my face. I really like being able to set up camp right on the trail, as quickly as blowing up my sleeping pad..! My Bivanorak weighs 500g including stuffsack, so its not as lightweight as the Poncho Tarp, but as i only need a small 1x1,45m tarp (
$430 for only a poncho? flames Creed from China sell the same 💩 for just $30! The funniest thing you tried to justify it by saying "take into account this is not your poncho but, your rain gear", like the cheaper ponchos from Aliexpress are any less of a raingear? what the f is going on? Look I made videos myself so I feel you but, don't have as many inventories as you have if I do, I'll only push gears the majority of the people can afford then keep the super expensive ones for private use or so. All I'm trying to say is, when only one item gotta cost this much, don't you logically think that would intimidate most folks from getting outdoors?
Oh the survivors mistake. Lets see how anyone would like to sit under tarp for two days of horisontal hailstorm. Because you know, you cant' hit the ridge when it's stormy, because lightning and stuff.
Thank you for reviewing the poncho tarp. I love the Six Moons Design Gatewood Cape because it is a shaped poncho tarp. The coverage is excellent and I have pitched it for inside in some crazy stormy weather and taken it down and put it on without going out. It definitely has a learning curve, but it is way easier to set up than a flat tarp, or an asymmetrical tarp. After writing all that I do have to admit I am really good at tying knots. I don't even need to look at most of them to tie them correctly. Thank you again for another great video. Safe travels.
Yes! I love my Gatewood Cape. It sheds wind and rain perfectly as a tent; works great as a rain "jacket" with the front zipper fort added breathability. Just like you say, its possible to set up and take down from the inside without getting soaked. It's solid and really convenient from April through October here in Oregon, then I switch to a tunnel tent for full time rain and shedding snow in the mountains.
They should come seem sealed. Period. That’s what you are buying. It’s ridiculous. If the initial seal wears off..then apply but having to pay for sealed seams or not have it even on the tarps when purchased is beyond me. Maybe I will start a tarp and backpacking gear company. My stuff will come seam sealed that’s for sure. So stupid.
I agree. I can understand canvas jackets that you can wax for because some people prefer unwaxed canvas and some people prefer waxed. But NO ONE wants an unsealed shelter!
The hard thing with seam sealing is twofold, the time it take is a small problem, the big problem is the square footage needed. For a tent, you have to set it up, seam-seal it (which would take about half an hour, maybe more on a big tent) and then it has to dry for at least 24 hours. Even a small cottage company, making something like 20 tents per day, seam sealing them all would require about 100 square foot... per tent, that's a 2000 spuare foot working area just to seam seal the tents. You would probably have to charge about $100 or more per tent to seam-seal all tents in the factory, while the competition would sell similar tents cheaper and just send a tube of seam sealer and a small brush at the cost of $2-3 for the manufacturer, so they can include that in the price. I'll bet a few people would pay $100-150 extra for that service... with emphasis on A FEW.
@@MrDanAng1 Square footage is also not an issue. Anyone doing this on any scale would hang the tents during the drying period. There’s precious little reason to not have it come standard. A tents primary purpose is protection from the elements. Cottage manufacturers already charge a premium, it’s reasonable to expect a fully-finished product.
@@blakew5672 You can probably hang a tarp and possibly even a poncho in a frame to dry, but not a tent. Every seam has to be reasonably stretched out and the tent free of wrinkles or the tent is going to be a mess. You can possibly do one or two seams at a time and let them dry hanging, but you can't do an entire tent.
I’ve never tried anything other than the traditional tent setup. First time I went I forwent the sleeping pad. Terrible idea lol. Will never go without one again. It was cold and my back was so sore! I like the idea of a space blanket underneath to prevent your stuff from getting damp on the ground
Definitely not the most comfortable, but it's the ultimate in ultralight. A 6 or 7 oz ponchotarp, plus a 6 or 7 oz bivy and you have both your shelter *and* your rain gear... If you really want to go hard core in not to coold weather, don't carry a puffy, carry a poncho quilt. That's another 10 oz you can ditch. Now you you can go with a frameless pack and ditch another even more weight.. But me, I'm gonna stick to my hammock.
Never leave my hammock tarp at night to pee. Pee bottle. Got a really good one. About the size of a 35mm film canister, with a thick rubber bladder that stuffs inside. The bladder holds a couple of quarts. Lid snaps shut tight. Love it. There's a chick-specific version, too.
How much weight does this actually save vs using a duplex and ultra lite rain gear? Seems like with the tarp, the tie outs, the extra stakes, the extra carabiners, the bivvy, and its extra stakes it wouldn’t be a net weight savings? Did you do the weight math? (Plus, a rain jacket just is so much more comfortable, adds warmth both during the day and as an extra layer to sleep in.) Just curious. (Also, that tarp looks nearly too long to walk in and I think you are tall. I’m only 5’5”.) Fun video- thanks!!
how in the world would people set up in the rain? If it is already raining you are in trouble. Or leaving the shelter to go to the bathroom in the rain? Seems like you need an extra poncho for that and a bivy like you mention for bad weather. So if you have to pack all that extra just pack a tent already, or hammock setup
Here you are talking about an 11oz tent while I look at my just about 9 lbs tent I wanted to take on my first backpacking trip...... Maybe I need to reconsider
