@@techguy9023 thank you. I've had the ultra sil for a year now, but I've only used it as a poncho. I'm thinking about using it as my main tarp for my trip in April.
One time I was camping in the rain and every spider and bug for miles around came to live between the mesh and flysheet of my tent and I spent all night watching them run around above my head. That experience made me never want to try an ultralight setup like this. I kind of want to get one of these for rain protection and as a backup shelter though.
Haha same thing happened to me ))) I rather stay under rain than living under shelter with bugs crawling above and arround me. Also at evening it was impossible to stay near campfire becuz of all those flying bugs flying arround and into my mouth. I do not understand those youtube bloggers who show them sitting at evening near campfire, don't they have those bugs in their area or camera can not film them i dunno.
@@Temporalplace A lot of those extreme ultralight youtube bloggers are very misserable I'm sure, but to them its a competition to have the lightest most primitive setup (and nothing wrong with that), for most normal hikers a bit more comfort is prefered :)
All depends on the weather, the ecosystem and the time of day. In many cases a sealed tent provides only a false sense of security. Other times your shelter choice can sink the adventure completely. I have seen more bugs in my home than on most hiking...check under your dresser or in the recesses of your basement. Bug biviis are a good addition to a tarp and solve many issues. Borah Gear makes wonderful bivis that cost less than this poncho. Its a topsy turvy world we live in. Seek the adventure. Damn the bugs...full speed ahead!
I cowboy camp all the time or while thru hiking stay in exposed shelters and never had any issues. Your body is usually tucked away in your sleep bag and if yiur really concerned about your face which I never had an issue with just put on a bug headnet. That and keep in mind the higher your elevation the less bugs so plan ahead an just set up camp at a higher elevation
I wonder if you could make this a freestanding shelter with some shock corded tent poles? There are people on YT that do this with the military USGI poncho. This seems to be a better alternative as it is lighter & more spacious.
The setup looks too short for your body to actually sleep in. It looks like your sleeping bag foot box and your head would both be touching the shelter wall. I'm 6'4" and I can barely fit in a spacious tent.
Yes, you are right, it is far too short for lying inside. You could gain some lenght by flying the poncho above the soil with some cordage and maybe lowering the center pole. Probably the best coverage you could get witn such a small tarp is the classic A frame. A bivy bag could nicely complement such setup.
If you’re 6’4 you’d definitely be too tall for it. I’m 5’8 and used it as rain gear and shelter on my Colorado thru hike. It worked perfectly and only weighed 7 oz.
First...you need to pitch you poncho in an a-frame configuration. Even then, many poncho shelters are too short to work well. The trick is to find one 8-1/2 to 9 foot long. There are only a few this long.
If weight is not a factor...surplus gear is the "bees-knees". I see a lot of surplus ponchos on the trail...those folks are carrying 30-50 pound packs and seem pretty miserable.